Density of snow under the canopy of artificial spruce stands in the Middle Urals

Abstract

The comparison of snow density in small open spaces adjacent to forest stands and under the canopy of spruce stands located on the macroslopes of the Middle Urals of the eastem end westem expositions was carried out. It was found that the density of snow in open spaces on the western macroslope is usually higher than on the eastem one. The forest canopy somewhat reduces the difference in the amount of snow density observed between forest clearings, but maintains a tendency of increased density on the western slope. On the western and eastern slopes, there is a higher variation in snow density under the canopy of stands than in forest clearings and a more significant variation under the crowns of spruce (Picea A. Dietr.) than in the aisles. On the eastern slope, the dynamics of snow density in forest clearings over the years of observations has no indisputable connection with the sum of temperatures and precipitation of winter periods. On the western slope, when comparing between the observation seasons, the snow density in the forest clearing differs at a reliable significant level (p < 0.05). The canopy of the forest can regulate the peculiarities of weather conditions, and most often, there is no statistically significant inter-seasonal dynamics of snow density on the permanent trial square of both slopes. A comparison of the snow density under the crowns and in the aisles showed that both on the eastern and western slopes the snow in the aisles is denser. Also, within the season, both on the eastern slope and on the western slope, the peculiarity of the canopy structure of the stand does not create conditions for the formation of snow density significantly different between the permanent trial square. Except for some years when differences are observed on the eastern slope between the density of snow on the permanent trial square with a predominance of the birch proportion in the composition formula and permanent trial square with pure spruce forests.

Keywords

• spruce forest crops
• macroslopes
• exposure
• snow density