Scandinavian montane birch forest and grasslands
Scandinavian montane birch forest and grasslands | |
---|---|
Ecology | |
Realm | Palearctic |
Biome | tundra |
Borders | |
Geography | |
Area | 236,788 km2 (91,424 sq mi) |
Countries | |
Conservation | |
Conservation status | Vulnerable[1] |
Protected | 74,210 km² (31%)[2] |
The Scandinavian montane birch forests and grasslands is defined by the
.Conservation value
The Scandinavian montane birch forests and grasslands is one of the Global 200 ecoregions as defined by WWF, and is thus regarded as a high priority for conservation.
Geography
The ecoregion follows the Scandinavian Mountains, and spans 11 degrees of latitude from the south to the north. About two-thirds of the ecoregion is located in Norway, about one-third in Sweden and a small area touches the northwesternmost part of Finland. The WWF definition of the ecoregion spans an area 1,600 km long, with a total area of approximately 243 000 km2.[4] Despite being classified as a tundra ecoregion, the large area outlined by WWF has a huge range in climates and biomes, including many areas with both boreal and even temperate oceanic climate. Examples of temperate areas are the lowland along the fjords such as Hardangerfjord (including Ullensvang, Sognefjord (including Sogndal, Romsdalsfjord (including Molde and also some coastal areas along the mainland further north, such as Brønnøy.
The Scandinavian mountains includes the largest
Settlements and threats
There are few towns in the true montane birch forest zone and alpine zone in Norway and Sweden. On the northernmost coast, the towns Hammerfest and Vadsø are situated in the montane birch zone. In southern Norway, Røros, Geilo and Hovden are situated in, or partly in, the montane birch zone. In contrast to the lowlands, there are many national parks protecting this zone. The largest threat in Norway are the many private cabins, where people also want road access, electrical power and internet. Warming climate will result in climate zones, and eventually vegetation zones (depending on several factors besides temperature, like the different plants spreading ability, grazing animals etc) will migrate up the mountain slopes to higher elevations. As the forest moves upwards, this montane and alpine ecoregion will shrink in size, especially the coldest alpine zones. The Hardangervidda plateau is expected to be largely covered by forest[5] and forest will climb higher in all areas, like the Dovre mountains.[6] The treeline in Norway is currently moving upwards on average by 0.5 - 1 m altitude each year, with more in some areas. The highest altitude tree in Norway in 2019 was a mountain birch growing at 1,404 m ASL in Jotunheimen.[7] The 1991-2020 temperature normal is significantly warmer than the 1961-1990 normal for all of Scandinavia.
Monthly 24-hr mean temperatures at Fokstugu mountain lodge, Dovrefjell mountains in Central Norway 1961-1990 and 1991-2020
Climate data for Fokstugu 1961-1990 (973 m / 3192 ft ASL) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −8.8 (16.2) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
−6 (21) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
4 (39) |
8.5 (47.3) |
9.8 (49.6) |
9 (48) |
4.6 (40.3) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
0.0 (31.9) |
Source: seklima.met.no[8] |
Climate data for Fokstugu 1991-2020 (973 m / 3192 ft ASL) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −3.9 (25.0) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
3.2 (37.8) |
8.5 (47.3) |
13.1 (55.6) |
16 (61) |
14.5 (58.1) |
10 (50) |
3.8 (38.8) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
4.6 (40.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −6.5 (20.3) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
4.1 (39.4) |
8.3 (46.9) |
11.1 (52.0) |
9.9 (49.8) |
6 (43) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
−6 (21) |
1.0 (33.7) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −10.1 (13.8) |
−10.3 (13.5) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
3.6 (38.5) |
6.5 (43.7) |
5.9 (42.6) |
2.5 (36.5) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
−7 (19) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
Source 1: seklima.met.no[9] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: NOAA / WMO averages 91-2020 Norway [10] |
Habitats
Parts of the ecoregion are located in smaller mountain areas surrounded by lower elevation
Flora
There are many
Fauna
The ecoregion's fauna includes predators like
See also
- Boreal forest
- Subalpine zone
- Alpine tundra
- Altitudinal zonation
- Scandinavian coastal conifer forests
- Scandinavian and Russian taiga
- Sarmatic mixed forests
- Geography of Norway
Gallery
Photographs - mountain areas and north boreal/mountain forest
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Deep snow at thetreeline, Junkerdal National Park
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Besseggen in Jotunheimen National Park, with the highest mountains in Northern Europe
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Bjøllåga river and mountain birch in Bjøllå valley,Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park
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Strandavatnet lake, Hallingskarvet National Park
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Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park
-
Autumn in Rondane National Park
-
Rock Ptarmigan chick, Rohkunborri National Park
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Birch forest with understory, Reisa National Park
-
Alpine flowers in Sarek National Park
References
- ^ "Scandinavian montane birch forest and grasslands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- PMID 28608869.) Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link - ^ "yr.no: Normaler for Balestrand".
- ^ World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Scandinavian Montane Birch forests and grasslands". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.
- ^ "Hardangervidda blir full av skog". 6 April 2018.
- ^ "Tregrensa kryper oppover". 14 July 2008.
- ^ "Norges høyestvoksende tre skaper bekymring blant forskere". 18 August 2019.
- ^ "seklima.met.no". Norwegian Meteorological Institute.
- ^ "seklima.met.no". Norwegian Meteorological Institute.
- ^ "NOAA WMO normals Norway 1991-2020".