A system for evaluation of growth and mortality in Russian forests

A modelling system (MS) for evaluation of current increment (net and gross growth) and mortality in Russian forests is presented. The informational basis of the MS are the data of the Russian forest state account (growing stock by dominant species, age, site indices, stocking) and some additional indicators (types of age structure, average species composition, type and intensity of disturbance regimes by ecoregions and/or landscapes. The MS includes model blocks generated with available information including yield tables (general, regional, full-stocked, with different stocking and types of age structure), growth tables, models, and experimental data for managed and unmanaged, disturbed and undisturbed forests. Two-dimensional (by age and site index) and three-dimensional (age, site index and stocking) models by species and ecoregions, based on regularities of coefficients of Mitscherlich growing functions, were used as the nuclei of the MS. The preliminary results, received for several Russian forest forming species gave a good fit to experimental data.