The analysis of vegetation cover changes on the territory of the Timan tundra (the European NorthEast of Russia) was carried out using Landsat and MODIS satellite images of 1985-2016 and field observation data of 2017-2018. The Northern Timan highlands (about 164.7 thousand hectares) are characterized by a highly intensive transformation of phytocenosis in the region. The NDVI vegetation index growth reflects potentials for increasing of reindeer livestock at husbandries of the region. An increase in the reindeer-feeding capacity by green foodstuffs was detected in 1985-2009 by 29 % and by 15 % for adjacent areas. After 2007 changes have become stable. The NDVI interannual change trends were confirmed by a combination of mean-resolution MODIS and high-resolution Landsat-5 and 7 images for same year intervals. The values of NDVI change calculated linear trends (β) based on survey materials of different sensors had equivalent dimensions with a significant positive correlation among them (r = 0.72, p ≤ 0.05). The method of converting NDVI values into chlorophyll index values and aboveground green phytomass parameters by multi-seasonal images was developed. An increase of chlorophyll reserves was noticed in phytocenosis of the studied Timan region (by 152 tons) from 2000 to 2009, expressed as low shrub dry green phytomass (Betula sp., Arctous sp., and Empetrum sp.), that increased 1.85 quintals per hectare. The maximum changes were observed in communities of low shrub lichen tundra (chlorophyll content growth by 1.26 kg/ha, dry green phytomass by 2.51 quintals/ha). The main factors responsible for the changes in plant communities are surface air temperature rise since 2000 in the autumn-winter period and precipitation amount in the winter period. In addition, a significant reduction of reindeer (two-fold decrease) could favor vegetation production in the region. Lichens are a key part of “seasonally stable” vegetation in tundra environments, especially in low-shrub and dwarf birch lichen tundras; their chlorophyll content is very low compared to vascular plants and mosses, ranging from 0.06 to 0.11 mg/g dry mass for species like Flavocetraria nivalis and Cladonia rangiferina; despite forming thick mats (up to 1.5–1.8 kg/m² in reserves), lichens contribute little to spectral vegetation indices (NDVI) due to low pigment concentration and productivity; lichens have a very slow biomass recovery rate, with annual growth of only 7–13% of existing biomass; during remote sensing-based modeling, lichen-dominated communities were found to contribute minimally to vegetation change trends, especially in contrast to shrubs and mosses which were more responsive to environmental factors like warming and decreased grazing pressure