Small-leaved forests of the center of the East European Plain are widespread, and their area continues to increase due to the overgrowth of abandoned agricultural lands. In Moscow oblast, they occupy almost half of all forests in the region. The study of the composition, ecology, and dynamics of forests dominated by birch ( Betula pendula and B. pubescens ), aspen ( Populus tremula ), gray alder ( Alnus incana ), and black alder ( Alnus glutinosa ) in the center of the East European Plain has been carried out based on the example of the Moscow oblast. On the basis of the ecological–phytocenotic classification, 11 groups of associations are identified, of which 8 belong to secondary community types and 3 to native community types. It is found that the main ecological factor influencing the differences in forest composition is soil moisture. Factors such as light, soil reaction, and nutrients differentiate communities further within two main group clusters with differing soil moisture. The proportion of the main indigenous forest-forming tree species varies with ecological conditions in small-leaved forests. The European spruce ( Picea abies ) is most active in the medium range of environmental conditions, while the extreme values of environmental factors decrease its proportion in communities. Linden ( Tilia cordata ) and oak ( Quercus robur ) are more often observed in conditions of increased soil richness and good drainage, and pine ( Pinus sylvestris ) is observed only in good lighting conditions, which are formed in birch forests of the dwarf shrub–herbal–sphagnum group. In the undergrowth of gray and black alder forests, the share of gray alder and black alder is high, while the secondary birch and aspen communities are dominated by spruce. Due to the absence of disturbances, birch broad herb, broad herb, and broad herb–moist herb aspen forests will most likely be replaced by native coniferous–broad-leaved communities, since linden is showing a good regrowth rate against the background of the predominance of spruce in the undergrowth in these groups; an admixture of broad-leaved species in the stand is also noted.

Features of the structure and composition of forests with admixture of pine (Pinus sylvestris) were studied in central, northern, and western parts of Moscow region, a central part of the East European plain. Pine stands and mixed pine and spruce forests comprise around 16% of the total area of woodlands within the studied territory. This study addressed a possibility of conservation of indigenous pine communities in Moscow region and considered landscape conditions where it could most likely occur. In order to assess the prospects for pine regeneration in various types of communities, the dynamics of its coenopopulations was analyzed. It was found that various types of pine communities are associated with relief parameters (altitudes, slopes, varying curvatures, and lighting) and localization in physical–geographical provinces. The spatial structure of groups of pine forest associations was characterized using landscape and ecological metrics. These data improve the understanding of the phytocoenotic structure of pine communities. Their composition is indicative of succession stage (1), domain-specific features of vegetation cover of the region (2), and associations with landscape elements (3). Pathways of secondary successions on watershed surfaces involve active demutation of spruce forests and, in some cases, mixed woods. This will limit the occurrence of pine and pine–spruce communities in Moscow region after several decades. Only a small part of pine forests will remain on steep river banks.

The sequence and content of the main stages of determining the indicators of the structure and composition of forest communities based on satellite imagery of the Landsat system are described. It is shown that the application of quantitative processing methods for the interpolation of point data from field research, in particular canonical discriminant analysis, allows obtaining characteristics of the vegetation cover and investigating the factors of its biodiversity formation. The presented methods and results of the assessment of various parameters of the state of forests, their structure and typological composition can be integrated into the international network of the National Forest Inventory. Despite the difference in methodological approaches, there is a principal possibility of harmonizing the data obtained with the data of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. For the test territory in the central partof the Russian plain (western sector of the Moscow oblast), the results of a joint analysis of field research data, remote sensing dataand a digital elevation model are presented. A series of maps of the medium scale characterizing the spatial structure and composition of the forest cover of the study area was obtained.

The coenotic diversity of forests of the model region in southwestern Moscow oblast with an area of 51 500 ha has been assessed using data from field studies, remote sensing (Landsat-5 TM, Landsat-8 OLI, and TIRS), and digital terrain models of the landscape. Forest communities are classified using two different methods: eco-phytocoenotic and eco-floristic. We recognize 15 eco-phytocoenotic syntaxa at the level of group associations and 9 eco-floristic syntaxa. The high accuracy of grouping of releves is supported statistically for each classification approach. The quality of classification is evaluated by stepwise discriminant analysis based on the representation and abundance of species. It is higher for eco-floristic syntaxa (87.1%) than for eco-phytocoenotic ones (78.9%). The adjustment of composition and names of syntaxa of eco-phytocoenotic classification ensure the compliance of typological and mapping units. The prediction quality of syntaxa recognized from pixel brightness and topographic variables is 78.6%. The quality of discriminant analysis of recognized syntaxa of the eco-phytocoenotic model show a lower accuracy of mapping model (69.7%). Large-scale maps of forest vegetation for the model region based on both classifications have been developed. It is shown that representations of eco-phytocoenotic units have a higher accuracy, as these units correspond to recent state of plant communities at their actual succession stage. On the other hand, eco-floristic units provide insight into the potential vegetation composition of a habitat. The large number of syntaxa of eco-floristic classification (associations and subassociations) made it possible to trace general patterns of vegetation on largescale maps. This feature could be more informative in medium- and small-scale mapping.

Ecological and phytocenotic features of forest communities were studied in the southwest of Moscow oblast. Based on the ecomorphological groups of species prevalent in the herb–dwarf shrub and moss layers, five groups of communities typical of the conifer–broadleaf forest zone were distinguished (small-herb, small herb-large herb, large-herb, moist-herb, and mixed-herb communities), and their composition was analyzed. Discriminant analysis of the species composition of lower vegetation layers revealed significant differences between the syntaxa, with the percentage of correct classification being 89.8%. To evaluate ecological determination of the above groups of communities, a hypothesis was tested concerning the correlation of their composition with ecotope properties. This hypothesis was verified by means of (1) ordination by ecological indicator values and interpretation of the axes, (2) revealing differences in ecological regimes between habitats of the syntaxa, and (3) combined analysis of on-ground and remote sensing data, particularly spectral brightness of satellite images and morphometric characteristics of the terrain surface. The results confirmed the informativeness of the syntaxa distinguished based on the species composition of the ground vegetation layer and mapping of the ecological regimes of habitats.

Coenotic features of boreal, nemoral, and subnemoral spruce stands of the southwestern part of Moscow region have been studied using ground-based and remote sensing data. Despite significant modifications of the vegetation cover in the region due to human impacts, the species composition of the spruce communities still retains typical zonal features of the regional vegetation and is associated with certain landscape elements. Cartographic modeling has allowed us to identify the spatial distribution patterns for various spruce forest types and produce a series of geobotanical maps (scale 1: 100000). The ecophytocoenotic approach was used for classifying the forest vegetation. An analysis of the spatial differentiation of the forest cover—using spruce forests with different species composition as an example—has confirmed the ecotonal structure of the study area demonstrated through a characteristic latitudinal distribution of geoecolological spectra of species.

Изучены особенности ценотического состава бореальных, субнеморальных и неморальных ельников юго-западной части Подмосковья с использованием наземной и дистанционной информации. Несмотря на значительную трансформацию растительного покрова региона в результате хозяйственной деятельности, состав еловых сообществ отражает характерные зональные черты растительности исследуемого региона и приуроченность к определенным ландшафтным элементам. Применение методов картографического моделирования позволило выявить пространственное распространение еловых лесов, сопровождаемое серией геоботанических карт (1:100 000). При классификации лесной растительности использован эколого-фитоценотический подход. Анализ пространственной дифференциации лесного покрова на примере ельников разного состава подтвердил экотональность территории, проявившуюся в характерном распределении геоэкологических спектров видов в широтном направлении.

Оценены показатели видового и типологического разнообразия лесной растительности на макросклонах к оз. Имандра в окрестностях горно-металлургического комбината “Североникель” (Мурманская обл.). Отмечен различный характер изменений показателей разнообразия северотаежных лесов и криволесий при увеличении уровня техногенной нагрузки. В среднем спектре градиента загрязнения видовое богатство и типологическое разнообразие лесных сообществ возрастали по сравнению с поясом криволесий верхних позиций склонов. Насыщенность видов последовательно сокращалась по градиенту загрязнения во всех типах сообществ на ландшафтных профилях. Изменение показателей разнообразия в целом продемонстрировало высокую степень дигрессии растительных сообществ в окрестностях горно-металлургического комбината.

The dynamics of radial growth of pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.) trees at the northern limit of their distribution in the area of the Kola Peninsula affected by emissions from the Severonikel industrial complex has been investigated. A correlation between the radial growth of trees and a combination of environmental factors has been revealed through the use of statistical methods, and a contribution of individual factors has been identified. Statistically significant correlations between the productivity of trees, on one hand, and the level of pollution, topography, and climatic effects, on the other, have been detected. A significant correlation between the degree of tree growth and the amount of industrial emissions in the atmosphere has been revealed; the correlation depended on the degree of technogenic impact on the trees, the tree species, and the location of trees on hill slopes. The growth oscillations of different frequencies (long waves of 50 years, medium-length waves of 30 years, and short annual waves) were shown to depend on climatic factors in different ways.

Parameters of species and typological diversity of forest vegetation have been evaluated on macroslopes descending to Lake Imandra in the vicinity of the Severonickel Mining and Smelting Complex (SMSC) (Murmansk oblast). It has been shown that these parameters change upon an increase in the pollution level, with the pattern of changes in northern taiga forests differing from that in krummholz stands. The species richness and typological diversity of forest communities increase in the middle zone of the pollution gradient, compared to those in the krummholz belt occupying the upper parts of the slopes. Species saturation in all types of communities on landscape transects consistently decreases along the pollution gradient. In general, changes in parameters of diversity provide evidence for strong digression of plant communities in the vicinity of the SMSC.

The results of study of the spatial differentiation of forest using field data, remote sensing, and map data are presented. Different classification approaches are used while analyzing the diversity of forest communities, i.e., ecological-dominant, ecological-topological, and dynamical. The interpolation of local chatacteristics of plant associations and syntaxonomic units at the upper levels using the data of spectral satellite imagery and quantitative methods of processing allow to use in mapping important information on the structure and properties of vegetation. The results of our studies include thematic maps of the specific parameters of forest and a 1: 100000-scale vegetation map of the central part of Murmansk Province. The role of natural and anthropogenic factors is reflected in the legend to the map.