Ural Montane Forests

"Burgeoning with deep lakes and winding rivers, the [Ural] mountain forests are vital water sources for lands as far-flung as the Arctic coast and the Caspian Sea . . . This ecoregion is centered on the Ural Mountains, a 2,000 km range that runs north-south through the Russian Federation, from the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River. The broad latitudinal range gives rise to extraordinarily diverse forests. Coniferous taiga of Siberian fir, Siberian pine, Scots pine, Siberian spruce, Norway spruce, and Siberian larch is admixed with silver and downy birches . . . A rich variety of wildlife can be found in this ecoregion, reflecting the pronounced diversity of habitats. Taiga forests shelter brown bears, elk, and capercaillie, whilst mixed forests are home to roe deer and ermine. Typically, Siberian species coexist with those more familiar to the European forests, as demonstrated by the overlap in ranges of sable with pine marten . . . Logging has been the main threat to these forests: intensive cutting of dark conifers has caused an extensive change in forest composition, with a prominent decrease in the prevalence of Siberian spruce and Siberian fir . . . Additionally, a warming climate over the past century has caused a notable upwards shift in the treeline."