Morphological forms of Siberian Stone Pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour) Trees in High Altitudinal Forests of the Severo-Chuisky Range. Dendrochronological Aspect

Abstract

At the upper forest belt in the primary Siberian stone pine–Siberian larch forests in the headwater Aktru, Severo-Chuisky Range, the Altai Mountains, Russia the qualitative analysis of tree and branch radial increment was made in the main growth form (upright–trunk tree) of Siberian stone pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour), its relatively autonomic structures (power candelabra branches and elfin wood form), and the transitional morphological (“living” stumps, “living” windfallen trees, shrub-like form, and trees with multi-storey root system) and other growth (clump-like trees) forms. The external (weather and climatic processes, geomorphological events, and phytocoenotic interactions) and the internal factors effect on initiation and existence of the morphological structures and the transitional morphological forms and their growth. The internal factors are 1) absolute and biological age of the trees, 2) primary or secondary origin of the branches, 3) degree of development of the roots, and 4) the connection between the morphological structures and the mother trunk and root. Under favourable growth conditions in the Siberian stone pine trees the form of the curve of the trunk increment is close to the bell with maximum increment in the earlier age when growth temp and acceleration are maximum in the sites. The forms of growth curves can be approximate the equations of the parabola or the exponential curves with the positive or negative accelerations as well as the horizon straight line when the growth curves become plane

Keywords

• Pinus sibirica
• Pinus sibirica
• morphological form
• living form
• radial increment
• tree rings
• high elevation
• Severo-Chuisky Range
• Altai Mountains