This work analyzes vegetation and soils, and investigates the influence of climate change, insect pests, grazing pressure by sheep and reindeer, construction of roads and other consequences of increasing tourism in the Nordic mountain birch forests.

Inhalt

History and Environment of the Nordic Mountain Birch.- Soils and Nutrients in Northern Mountain Birch Forests: A Case Study from Finnmarksvidda, Northern Norway.- Vegetation of the Mountain Birch Forest in Northern Fennoscandia.- Biomass and Production on a Landscape Level in the Mountain Birch Forests.- Mountain Birch Growth in Relation to Climate and Herbivores.- Effects of Temperature Changes on Survival and Growth in Mountain Birch Populations.- Phenology and Performance of Mountain Birch Provenances in Transplant Gardens: Latitudinal, Altitudinal and Oceanity-Continentality Gradients.- Synthesis Section 1: A Dynamic Forest in a Changing Environment.- Forest Defoliation Risks in Birch Forest by Insects Under Different Climate and Land Use Scenarios in Northern Europe.- Birch Sapling Responses to Severity and Timing of Domestic Herbivore Browsing - Implications for Management.- Effects of Reindeer Grazing on Pastures - A Necessary Basis for Sustainable Reindeer Herding.- Long-Term Influence of Herbivores on Northern Birch Forests.- Synthesis Section 2: Herbivory in Northern Birch Forests.- Rates and Processes of Natural Regeneration in Disturbed Habitats.- Recreation at Tree Line and Interactions with Other Land-Use Activities.- Economic Limits and Possibilities for Sustainable Utilization of Northern Birch Forests.- The Vegetation Changes and Recent Impact on the Mountain Birch Forest During the Last 40 Years.- Sámi Approaches to Mountain Birch Utilization in Northern Sápmi (Finland and Norway).- Sustainable Reindeer Herding in Mountain Birch Ecosystem.- Competition Over Nature, Space, Resources and Management in the Mountain Birch Forest Ecosystem in Northernmost Fennoscandia: A Synthesis.- Landscape-Scale Model Relating the Nordic Mountain Birch ForestSpatio-Temporal Dynamics to Various Anthropogenic Influences, Herbivory and Climate Change.- Scenarios for Future Development of the Mountain Birch Ecosystem.- Managing the Nordic Mountain Birch Ecosystem: Local Communities and the State in Finland's Forestry.- Policies and Developing Plans Towards Sustainability of Mountain Birch Ecosystems in Scandinavia.- The Nordic Mountain Birch Ecosystem - Challenges to Sustainable Management.