Dynamic properties of subalpine coniferous forests in Nepal Himalaya and Hokkaido Ravi Mohan TIWARI A Dissertation Submitted to Graduate School of Environmental Science Hokkaido University for the Degree of Doctor (Environmental Science) 2017

Abstract

Subalpine forests form the highest forest ecosystems on mountains. Subalpine forests dominated by coniferous species are commonly observed in the northern Hemisphere, which provide a range of ecosystem services to not only local human communities but also those in downstream regions. In this study, I focused on two contrastive subalpine forests in East Asia, a high altitude subalpine forest in Nepal Himalaya under subtropical climate, and a low altitude forest in northern Hokkaido under cool-temperate climate. I examined how forest structure is determined by environmental factors and whether or not forests experience change in biomass dynamics in a subalpine forest dominated by Abies spectabilis in Langtang National Park, Nepal Himalaya and a subalpine forest co-dominated by Abies sachalinensis and Picea glehnii on Mount Oakan, northern Hokkaido so as to quantify the structure and dynamics of two subalpine coniferous forests.