New approaches to studies on the dynamics of high-mountain tree vegetation using repeated landscape photographs: The example of the Polar Urals

A methodology for the analysis and presentation of repeated landscape photographs is described that has been used to evaluate the spatiotemporal dynamics of sparse tree stands in the upper timberline ecotone on the Rai-Iz mountain massif, the Polar Urals. It is intended to solve problems with the use of such photographs so as to help the researcher to gain an integral representation of the space under study, obtain additional information about the terrain, create and update descriptions to photographs, and construct thematic or schematic maps using repeated landscape photography. © 2015, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd