Recent changes in mountain birch forest structure and understory vegetation depend on the seasonal timing of reindeer grazing
Subarctic forest-tundra ecotones dominated by mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii) are an important habitat for semi-domestic reindeer Rangifer tarandus. The seasonal timing of reindeer grazing may direct vegetation trajectories in these systems, because in the summer ranges, mountain birches are subjected to browsing, while in the winter ranges, reindeer feed on understorey vegetat