The purpose of this study was to investigate the history of growth of the introduced species Pinus sibirica Du Tour and Larix sibirica Ledeb. in the Murmansk region and their state in natural areas of preferential protection. The first finds of Siberian cedar in the Arctic region were recorded in 1911, and Siberian larch in 1925. In the 1930s and 1950s–1960s, these kinds of trees were extensively cultivated in the region. Many cedar and larch growth areas are protected as natural monuments of regional significance. Currently, there are eight natural monuments with Siberian cedar growing on the territory of the Murmansk region and seven natural monuments with Siberian larch. The condition of the trees in the territories under preferential protection and the Lapland State Natural Biosphere Reserve was studied in detail. The invasive species occupy a territory of about 70 ha. It was a complete or random enumeration of the trees and undergrowth with measurements of height and diameter. Siberian cedar ranged in height from 0.02 to 18.00 m, whereas Siberian larch was between 0.01 and 18.00 m. Cedar diameters varied from 0.3 to 31.7 cm, whereas larch diameters ranged from 0.4 to 38.3 cm. It is shown that coniferous introduced species are well acclimatized to the natural conditions of the Arctic, which increases the biodiversity of ecosystems and aesthetic perception. Pinus sibirica Du Tour and Larix sibirica Ledeb. fructify in the conditions of the Kola Arctic region that is a sign of a natural regeneration. It is recommended to monitor the conditions of the plantations on a regular basis in order to provide appropriate care. With the inclusion of plots with the growth of the studied species in natural areas of preferential protection, it is necessary to study their condition, location, accessibility, and targeted application. Evaluation of the effectiveness of existing forest management system will allow a more rational approach to the conservation of valuable cedar and larch tree species in the Arctic region. For citation: Isaeva L.G., Ershov V.V., Urbanavichus G.P., Borovichev E.A. Introduced Species of Cedar and Larch in the Climate Conditions of the Kola Arctic Region. Lesnoy Zhurnal = Russian Forestry Journal, 2023, no. 4, pp. . 41–57. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2023-4-41-57

The work summarizes the results of investigations carried out in three directions (blocks). Block 1. Terrestrial ecosystems in areas of intensive nature management are investigated. Climatic changes and anthropogenic impact result in transformation of landscapes with disturbed or completely destroyed vegetation cover. In freshwater ecosystems cardinal changes in the structural and functional organization from the multifac- torial anthropogenic load against the background of a warming climate were revealed. We obtained unique data on the long-term dynamics of biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems. Block 2. Enrichment tailings properties were studied, the influence of the dusting season duration and humidity changes on the gross dust emission was assessed; interaction of tailings with soil waters was studied. The potential ecological danger of tailings mineral particles getting into the soil was shown. The losses of non-ferrous metals during the period of waste storage under different climate change scenarios were estimated. Block 3. People’s perceptions of climate change and its social consequences have been studied. The problem of climate change clearly correlates with ecological problems. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Arctic in the context of climate change was studied. The pandemic highlighted the unsustainability of the rotational method of resource development, with rotational camps becoming focal points of epidemiological hazards.

The article presents overview of the cooperation between the Institute of Industrial Ecology Problems in the North and the Tananaev Institute of Chemistry, and results of research on the development of obtaining meliorants to reduce negative environmental consequences and their application in the impact zones of mining and metallurgical enterprises.

This paper examines the chemical composition of Scots pine litterfall in north taiga pine forests in background conditions and under the impact of emissions from the Severonikel copper–nickel industrial complex. In forests exposed to industrial airborne pollution, the content of fertilizer elements (Ca, Mg, Mn, and Zn) in coniferous litterfall decreases, while the content of heavy metals (Ni and Cu) and values of stoichiometric C/P and N/P ratios increase. This indicates that the quality of plant material to be decomposed by soil biota declines. In background conditions, intrabiogeocoenotic differences in the chemical composition of coniferous litterfall are manifested in a higher content of K and P (supplied with crown and trunk waters) under tree crowns; in intercrown spaces, concentrations of Fe, Zn, Ni, and Cu are higher due to background airborne pollution. In defoliating forests, coniferous litterfall under tree crowns contains more Ca, Mg, K, Mn, P, N, and S due to the intensive leaching of fertilizer elements from tree crowns by acidic precipitation and, as in the case of sulfur, due to its inflow with acidic precipitation. The elevated content of N, P, and K in coniferous litterfall of defoliating forests can be determined by high concentrations of these mobile elements in living needles falling off ahead of normal phenological terms. In background conditions, seasonal variability of the chemical composition of coniferous litterfall in defoliating forests is manifested in high Ca and Mn concentrations in needles due to their accumulation there by the end of the warm season. In sparse technogenic forests, Mg and K accumulate in coniferous litterfall by the end of the growing season, which indicates a disturbance of retranslocation processes under the impact of pollution. In all studied pine forests, the content of Fe and Zn in litterfall significantly decreases by the end of the warm season; in forests exposed to airborne pollution, the content of Ni and Cu decreases as well. This can be explained by their antagonism with Mn and leaching from needles by acidic precipitation during the warm season.

This study examines the dynamics of the composition of atmospheric precipitation and soil water in coniferous forests under the influence of atmospheric emissions from the Severonickel Copper–Nickel Smelter in Russia’s Murmansk region. We studied dwarf shrub-green moss spruce forests and lichen-shrub pine forests, the most common in the boreal zone. Our results showed a significant intra- (below and between the crowns) and inter-biogeocenotic (spruce and pine forests) variation in the composition of atmospheric precipitation and soil water in forests exposed to air pollution. The concentrations of main pollutants in atmospheric fallout and soil water are tens (sulfates) and hundreds (heavy metals) times higher than in the background areas and typically higher below the crowns. The long-term dynamics (between 1999 and 2020) of the composition of atmospheric fallout and soil water in coniferous forests in the background areas and defoliating forests demonstrates a significant increase in nickel concentrations in recent years. This may be due to an increase in nickel concentrations in aerosols propagating over considerable distances. In pollution-induced sparse forests, a trend was found toward a decrease in the concentration of pollutants, which may indicate a decrease in the fallout of pollutants in the composition of larger particles close to the smelter.

The article provides information about new findings of fungi included in the Red Data Book of the Murmansk Region after the publication of its second edition (2014): Cantharellus cibarius, Clavariadelphus pistillaris, C. truncatus, Clavicorona taxophila, Cortinarius violaceus, Dichomitus squalens, Flaviporus citrinellus, Hericium coralloides, Junghuhnia collabens, Leptoporus mollis, Sidera lenis, Skeletocutis lilacina. It is suggested that the rarity category for Skeletocutis lilacina should be lowered. Craterellus cornucopioides, Haploporus odorus, and Phaeoclavulina roellinii are proposed as candidates for inclusion in the next edition of the regional Red Data Book.

The study of the state of green spaces in urbanized areas is important due to their sanitary, hygienic and aesthetic role in the harsh climatic conditions of the Arctic. The objects of research were the green spaces of the urban-type settlement Nikel (the Murmansk region). The assessment of the distribution of tree and shrub species by categories of life state was carried out; revealed damage to leaves by atmospheric emissions, insects and fungi. A high degree of damage from pollution was noted in birch, mountain ash and bird cherry; aspen up to 85 % damaged by aphids; mechanical damage to the trunks was noted in about 26 % of the surveyed trees; 5 % of trees have frost cracks in the trunk. In the course of a comparative assessment of the chemical composition of birch leaves growing in the urbanized territory of Nikel and in forest ecosystems along the gradient of atmospheric pollution in the impact zone of the Pechenganikel plant, it was found that the concentrations of pollutants in birch leaves in technologically disturbed areas exceed background values. Birch leaves in the southern direction from the plant accumulate higher concentrations of Ni, Cu, Pb, Co, Fe than in the western and northern directions. In 2019, the concentrations of heavy metals in birch leaves increased compared to the previous study period (2004). In the urban area, the content of pollutants exceeds not only the values of the regional background, but also the levels identified in forest ecosystems along the gradient of atmospheric pollution. Concentration coefficients Cc show abnormally high values for Ni, Cu, Pb, Co, Fe; the maximum Cc values are noted for Ni and Co.

The article presents the history of monitoring studies of northern taiga in the Lapland Nature Reserve. It is shown that the data on the characteristics of various components of forest biogeocenoses obtained through long- term monitoring are relevant and are not inferior to the European level of research. The results of long-term monitoring revealed the negative impact of atmospheric emissions from the Severonikel metallurgical smelter on the spruce and pine forests of the Reserve. To continue studying the responses of forest ecosystems to industrial air pollution, it is necessary to support stationary monitoring studies in specially protected natural areas.

Based on the analysis of rain- and snowfall, as well as soil waters and conifers (1991–2014), this paper evaluates the status of the forest ecosystems in the Murmansk Region since the copper-nickel plant Severonikel owned by Kola MMC started to cut its emissions. The analysis focused on low-shrub spruce forests with green mosses and low-shrub lichen pine forests going through different stages of degradation caused by human activity. Coniferous forests situated in the impact area have high background concentrations of the main pollutants — i.e. heavy metals and compounds of sulphur, present in different components of the forest ecosystems. The closer it is to the source of emissions, the higher the concentration of pollutants is in rain- and snowfall, as well as in soil waters and conifer tree needles in both pine and spruce forests. The paper demonstrates inter- and intrabiogeocenotical variability in the composition of rain- and snowfall and soil waters in northern taiga forests. The concentration of nickel and copper is typically higher under the trees than in between them, and in spruce forests as compared with pine forests. A significant variability in the chemical composition of rain- and snowfall and soil waters was established. Observations showed a reduced amount of the major pollutants penetrating the soil waters and then falling out with rain in the impact areas with light forest, which is indicative of the airborne industrial pollution levels gradually going down. High concentrations of S, Ni, Cu in the conifer tree needles were noted in 1991, i.e. in the period of major air pollution. The authors looked at the concentrations of heavy metals over the period of over two decades in which emissions were being cut down. Their analysis showed that the concentration of nickel and copper in the pine tree needles of different ages went down in defoliating forests and impact areas with light forest, as well as in the spruce tree needles in the area around the pollution source, in the impact areas with light forest. It is shown that the concentration of sulphur in the pine tree needles went down compared with the 1991 data and reached the level of background variation in defoliating forests and impact areas with light forest. The spruce tree needles saw lowered concentrations of sulphur in the impact areas with light forest in 2007 and 2012.This research study was funded under a governmental assignment (State Registration No. АААА-А18-118021490070-5), as well as under the following grants by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research: 18-05-60142_Arktika and 18-35-00170 mol_a.

This study is devoted to assessing the interbiogeocenotic and intrabiogeocenotic variation and long-term dynamics of the composition of rain deposition in coniferous forests that are exposed to contamination from the Severonikel Copper-Nickel Smelter Complex (Murmansk oblast), the largest source of pollutant emissions into the atmosphere in Northern Europe. Spruce forests with dwarf shrubs and green mosses and pine forests with dwarf shrubs and lichens, which are common in the boreal zone, are studied at different stages of pollution-induced degradation. The chemical composition of rainwaters is characterized by a significant intra- and intrabiogeocenotic variation. Long-term data confirm that the content of elements is significantly higher below the crowns than between them, with the concentrations and deposition of elements being significantly higher in spruce forests than in pine ones. This difference is determined by different sorption capacities of tree crowns and different levels of leaching of elements from them. The fallout of the main pollutants with rainwaters exceeded the critical levels even in the background areas and was significantly higher in defoliating forests and pollution-induced sparse forests. It is shown that the excess of the critical levels is much more pronounced in rainwaters than in snow ones. The determination of the intra- and interbiogeocenotic differences in the composition of atmospheric fallout allows an earlier and more accurate diagnosis for the excess of critical loads at all degradation stages. The long-term dynamics of the fallout of chemical elements with rainwaters in pine and spruce forests is characterized by a high variability both below and between tree crowns. An increase in nickel concentrations in the background areas from 2013 to 2017 is revealed, which is explained by the growth in the content of pollutants in aerosols spreading over considerable distances.

The purpose of this study was to compile a comprehensive characterization of little-known polypores, which have recently been found to possess anticancer activity and thus can also be used in cancer target therapy. Haploporus odorus is a polypore of Holarctic distribution and has been found by harvesters working in taiga floodlands and broadleaf forests of the Northern Hemisphere. A substance known as haploporic acid A was determined in methylene chloride extract from the dried basidiomata of H. odorus. This substance can be used in cancer therapy; more details of its health benefits could be used in mycotherapy.

Аннотация.Данная работа направлена на оценку состава почвенных вод хвойных и лиственных лесов, формирующихся под влиянием атмосферных выбросов медно-никелевых комбинатов «Североникель» и «Печенганикель» (АО «Кольская ГМК») в Мурманской области.Объектами исследования послужили почвенные воды в ельнике кустарничково-зеленомошном и сосняке лишайниково-кустарничковом в Лапландском заповеднике, сосняке зеленомошно-кустарничковом и березняке разнотравном в заповеднике «Пасвик».Критические нагрузки рассчитываются с помощью химических индикаторов, предлагаемых, в том числе, для состава почвенных вод.Для оценки процессов подкисления почв использовали такой индикатор, как молярное отношение основных катионов и алюминия (Ca + Mg + K / Al).Результаты исследования показывают существенное внутрипрофильное и межбиогеоценотическое варьирование состава почвенных вод в исследуемых биогеоценозах

Being the product of the same environment, soil and vegetation are mutually associated with each other, but the relationships between edaphic properties and vegetation characteristics are still far from clear. Accordingly, the specific aim of this study is to identify relationships between forest site types/forest types and the fertility of soil organic horizons in northwestern Russia. The relationships were assessed at the level of three large forest regions, the northern and middle taiga of the Republic of Karelia, and the Karelian Isthmus (Leningrad region), based on 37 spruce, 66 pine, and 16 birch plots which were integrated with the International Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP Forests). Soil forming rock and land-use history partly explain the differences in the fertility of soil organic horizons between the forest ecosystems in northwestern Russia. Climatic factors are closely correlated with plant species richness, density and the fertility of soil organic horizons. Nutrient content in the organic horizons increased from poor to rich site types identified according to composition of understory vegetation and the occurrence of certain indicator species, i.e. Cajander’s forest site types. The most informative parameters in explaining differences between Cajander’s types were nitrogen, carbon to nitrogen ratio, exchangeable calcium, magnesium, potassium, and base saturation. Extractable phosphorus, carbon to nitrogen ratio, exchangeable calcium, magnesium, aluminum and base saturation were the most informative parameters in explaining differences between forest types identified within the Cajander types in accordance with the tree species composition, i.e. Sukachev’s forest types. The organic horizons of spruce and birch-dominated forests contained significantly more nutrients, compared to those dominated by pine. These differences were explained by differences in litter quality, and the crown shape and density of tree species, which affect the intensity of nutrient leaching. The study presents new findings regarding the relationships between forest sites/types and the fertility of soil organic horizons in northwestern Russia. Differences in organic horizon’s fertility between the taiga subzones are explained by differences in the soil forming rock, climatic conditions, land-use history and shares of forest site types/forest types.

Аннотация.Изучена динамика массы и фракционного состава древесного опада в сосняке кустарничковолишайниковом Лапландского заповедника в зоне влияния воздушного загрязнения медно-никелевого комбината «Североникель».Опад характеризуется значительной временной (сезонная и многолетняя динамика) и пространственной (подкроновые и межкроновые пространства) изменчивостью по размерам и фракционному составу.Основная масса опада формируется в теплый период года (июнь-сентябрь).За 23-летний период наблюдений выявлены тренды увеличения массы опада, главным образом, за счет хвои и коры сосны, несмотря на снижение объемов выбросов, что может быть обусловлено ослаблением деревьев, вызванным длительным влиянием атмосферного загрязнения на лесные экосистемы, увеличением возраста и фитомассы древостоя

This work is aimed at assessing the dynamics of the composition of soil waters in coniferous forests subjected to air pollution from the Severonikel' copper-nickel smelter in Murmansk oblast. The objects of investigations are the most common in boreal zone spruce forests with dwarf shrubs + green mosses and pine forests with dwarf shrubs + lichens. The results show a significant intra- (below the crowns and between the crowns) and interbiogeocenotic (spruce and pine forests) variation in the composition of atmospheric deposition and soil waters in forests under pollution. The atmospheric deposition of pollutants and leaching of their compounds from all soil genetic horizons are tens (sulfates) and hundreds (copper and nickel) times higher than in reference sites and their fluxes below the crowns are usually more intense than between the crowns. Long-term dynamics (from 1993 to 2012) demonstrate reliable trends in the reduction of concentrations and leaching of sulfates and heavy metals from the soil. The molar ratio of basic cations to aluminum (BC/Al) in soil waters from all soil horizons does not drop to the level of critical, whereas for mineral nitrogen the lowest critical level (0.2 mg/L) was exceeded in waters from all horizons at all stages of digression. It was shown that, for the early detection of exceedances of the critical level for mineral nitrogen in soil waters, an evaluation of their composition is necessary not only between the crowns, but also below them.