Coniferous forests of Altai. Ribbon boron of the Altai Territory. Types of Altai trees

forest fund Altai Territory occupies a total area of ​​436.4 thousand hectares or 26% of the entire area of ​​the region, of which 3,827.9 thousand hectares are forest lands. covered forest the area is 3561.5 thousand hectares or 81.6% of the total area forests(according to the accounting of the forest fund as of 01.01.98). forest cover territory Altai Territory is 21.1%.

forest cover varies by district from 54.6% to 1% or less. The highest percentage forest cover in the Zarinsk district - 54.6%, in the Talmensky district - 52.9%, in the Troitsky district - 45.4%. Less than one percent forest cover in Tabunsky, Slavgorodsky, Pospelikhinsky districts.

The total stock of wood is 395 million m 3, the share of burned areas in the total area forests- 0.141%, the share of cuttings in the total area forests - 1,08%.

Forests distributed unevenly. They are mainly located in the northeast and east. Altai Territory. On sands and sandy soils in the floodplain of the river. Unique tape burs. Significant areas of mountains and foothills are occupied by taiga massifs.

Forests 1 groups occupy 2918.9 thousand hectares. Forests 2 groups occupy 818 thousand hectares. Forests 3 groups occupy an area of ​​625.6 thousand hectares.

According to natural and forestry conditions, role and importance in forests The State Fund allocated 4 forestry areas:

• Ribbon-pine forest - forests of tape pine forests, All forests classified as "particularly valuable forest areas", the total area - 1123.5 thousand hectares, incl. covered forest area - 880.1 thousand hectares;
• Priobsky - assigned forests Priobye: total area 837.7 thousand hectares, incl. covered forest area - 661.1 thousand hectares;
• Salair - assigned forests Salair black taiga, total area forests 583.3 thousand hectares, incl. covered forest- 515.6 thousand hectares;
• foothill - foothill forests Altai, total area forests 836.3 thousand hectares, incl. covered forest 646.6 thousand hectares.

The dominant breeds in forests of the Altai Territory are coniferous - 54% (including cedar - 1.9%), small-leaved - 46%. Average age forests Goslesfond - 66 years, incl. coniferous - 80 years and deciduous - 48 years. The timber reserve of the entire forest fund is 494.85 million m 3, incl. Goslesfond - 400.08 million m 3.

The average annual increase reaches 6.5 million m 3 , of which 3.5 million m 3 are coniferous and 3 million m 3 are deciduous.

The estimated cutting area for the main use is 2040 thousand m 3, incl. for coniferous farming - 331 thousand m 3.

The intensity of forest management decreases annually, so in 1994 - 900 thousand m 3, in 1995 - 800 thousand m 3, in 1996 - 500 thousand m 3, in 1997 - 331.3 thousand m 3 .

Forests of the Altai Territory divided by fire hazard classes into 5 classes. TO forests The 1st and 2nd classes of natural fire hazard are mainly tape burs(middle class 1.8) and Priobsky forests(middle class 2.6), in which a large number of dry coniferous plantations are concentrated forests, coniferous young stands and forest crops.

As a result of intensive use forests, especially near the Ob massifs, the areas of young coniferous forests have decreased, the areas of mature and overmature plantations have increased, there has been dangerous phenomenon replacement of conifers by less valuable hardwoods.

Forest ecosystems occupy 28% of the area of ​​the Altai Territory and are very diverse in terms of species composition, productivity, structure and age structure. The forest fund lands located in the region are 4434.0 thousand hectares, including the forested area - 3736.0 thousand hectares, of which the area of ​​coniferous plantations - 153.0 thousand hectares with a total timber reserve of 535.0 million cubic meters with an average forest cover of 22.5%. The average stock of plantings per 1 ha is 143.0 cubic meters. The predominant species of the forest fund are soft-leaved stands - 59.0%, conifers account for 41.0%.

In accordance with the peculiarities of forest growth and economic conditions, the intensity of forest management, the role and importance of the forest, the forest fund of the Altai Territory is divided into four forest management areas - ribbon forests, Ob forests, forests of the Salair Ridge and foothill forests. Among the tree species growing in the Altai Territory, birch (34.4%), pine (29%), aspen (20%) predominate, as well as spruce, fir (8.10%), larch (2.7%) , cedar (1%), other species and shrubs (4.8%).

Which species forms the most valuable plantings in the region?

Most of pine forests located in ribbon and near-Ob forests. Growing in various soil and climatic conditions, pine forests confined to the places of ancient watercourses on thick sandy river deposits. Pine forms the most valuable and productive plantations of the Altai Territory. Within the region, Scotch pine grows on dry and sandy, rich black earth and marsh soils. root system pines and its anatomical and physiological features make it an exceptionally valuable tree species in terms of forestry, capable of forming plantations in such extreme conditions where none of the other species can grow. The forestry qualities of pine include drought resistance, the ability to tolerate excessive moisture, wind resistance, rapid growth, as well as the diverse use of its resources.

What are "ribbons" and why are they unique?

The forests of the region are represented by unique ribbon forests, formations of this kind are not found anywhere in the world. On the territory of the Ob-Irtysh interfluve there are five pronounced boron ribbons: the northernmost Burlinskaya or Aleusskaya, 90 km south of it - Proslaukho-Kornilov selection and Kulunda tape, even lower by 30 km from Kulundinskaya - Kasmalinsky and Barnaul ribbons.

The Burlinskaya and Kulunda ribbons stretch for 100 km from the Ob River to the Kulunda depression located in the center of the Ob-Irtysh interfluve. The next two ribbons - Kasmalinskaya and Pavlovskaya - begin in the ancient floodplain of the Ob River and stretch almost 400 km to the southwest in narrow parallel ribbons. On the border of the Altai Territory and the Republic of Kazakhstan, these ribbons merge with Loktevskaya, forming a vast island of forests (Srostinsky pine forest), and then, in the form of a kind of ancient river delta, reach the Irtysh, where they merge with its terraced sands. The width of the hollows of the ancient runoff is different: 6-8 km - in the north, 20-60 km - in the south, at the place of their confluence.

In the northern part of the tape forests grow pine forests, A birch forests- in pegs. In the south they are large pine forests. Birch pegs are rare.

Fact

According to all the canons of geographical science here, in the steppe zone of the Altai Territory, there should be no forests. Not only did the pine forests invade the steppe expanses of the south of the West Siberian Lowland, they also have unusual shape of their distribution - the forests stretched out parallel to each other in ribbons of different lengths. That is why they got such a name. Famous german traveler and naturalist of the 19th century. Alexander Humboldt was so amazed by the pine forests he saw that he tried to give his own explanation for this phenomenon. Currently, scientists adhere to the hypothesis that pine forests grow on sandy deposits in the hollows of the water runoff of a huge ancient reservoir that existed about 10 thousand years ago.

There is a legend that tells how the god of the winds examined the earth and saw beautiful girl Aigul. The beauty charmed the god of the winds, he grabbed the girl and went with her to his heavenly dwelling. Aigul's tears fell down, and where they broke on the ground, lakes appeared. Aigul also lost the green ribbons with which she tied her wonderful hair. In those places where the ribbons fell to the ground, forests appeared.

By the way

In the area where the tape pine forests are located, two state protective forest strips : Rubtsovsk - Slavgorod, 257 km long with a total area of ​​6142 hectares, and Aleysk - Veselovka, 300 km long with an area of ​​6768 hectares.

Priobye, Salair, foothills

To the east of the Kulunda steppe lies the Pre-Altai forest-steppe. The Ob River divides the Pre-Altai forest-steppe into two unequal parts: on the left bank, occupied by undulating plain of the Priobsky plateau, and the right bank, where the Biya-Chumysh Upland precedes the spurs in the northeast Salair Ridge, and in the south foothills of Altai.

In the north-east of the region, the Biysko-Chumysh Upland is limited by the spurs of the Salair Ridge (up to 590 m above sea level). Ridges Salair Ridge strongly smoothed and rounded. The access to the daytime surface of stony rocks differs only in individual peaks. This growing area of ​​aspen and fir forests, which is determined by a rather humid climate and the spread of loamy soils.

To the south of the Predsalairskaya forest-steppe, one or two ledges, 350-600 m high and with separate ridges up to 1000 m, rise foothills of Altai. The Altai foothills are mainly occupied forest-steppe, but the slopes of the higher ridges are covered mountain forests. In the southwest, they mainly consist of plantations fir, birch, larch, in the eastern part, more humid, are represented deciduous and black forests.

Forests not located on the lands of the forest fund

On the territory of the Altai Territory there are also forests located on lands of other categories, namely:

• on the lands Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation- 12.6 thousand hectares;
• on the lands of specially protected natural areas under the jurisdiction Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources(Rosprirodnadzor) - 41.4 thousand hectares (state nature reserve"Tigireksky");
• on the lands of urban settlements (urban forests)- 10.0 thousand hectares.

What areas of the Altai Territory are rich in forests?

All forests are located on the territory 59 municipal districts of the region. The distribution of forests in the region is extremely uneven, and an indicator of this is the forest cover of the territory. If average forest cover of the Altai Territory - 26.3%, which indicates a sufficient proportion of forest plantations in the overall balance of land, this cannot be said about a number of municipal districts in the steppe part of the region, which are clearly lacking in the protective role of forests. In municipal districts, forest cover ranges from 1% ( Annunciation, Pospelikhinsky, Kulundinsky, Slavgorodsky, Ust-Kalmansky) to 62.1% ( Zarinsky, Soltonsky). Above average forest cover is noted in the southwestern regions of the territory: Uglovsky - 33.9% Volchikhinsky 41.7%, Mikhailovsky - 25.9%. This is due to the fact that in this part of the territory, ribbon forests are wider and significant areas of forests are concentrated in them.

Very uneven forest cover in the Priobsky district. The largest proportion of forests occurs in Troitsky district- 46.1%, as well as in Pervomaisky- 42.0% and Talmensky district- 38.1%. This is due to the distribution of the Upper Ob massif along the right bank of the Ob River. As you move away from the river, the forest cover decreases: Virgin— 8,4%, Petropavlovsky district- 2.9%. Forest cover in the Altai-Sayan mountain-taiga region ranges from 21.5% to 38.6%. In the Altai-Sayan mountain-forest-steppe region, the highest forest cover is observed in Soltonsky district - 53.6%, Krasnogorsk - 41.6%. At the same time in Sovetsky district it is equal to 3.7%.

The forest cover of the Altai Territory by forestry areas is either optimal or close to optimal. At the same time, due to the uneven distribution of forests over the territory, a number of steppe regions are experiencing great inconvenience due to insufficient forest areas and, in this regard, their low environmental protection effect.

Three forest subregions

Some differences in geomorphology, soils, composition and productivity of forests, as well as climatic features, give grounds for distinguishing within West Siberian subtaiga forest-steppe region three forest subareas: ribbon pine forests, Priobsky pine forests and the Salair ridge.

woody vegetation tape burs It is represented by narrow belts of pine forests that are unique in nature and isolated small groups of birch plantations among dry steppes.

To the north of the tape forests, a separate forest area along the Ob River is located Priobsky forests. In the Ob forests, forests are represented by relatively large tracts island highly productive pine forests and birch-aspen small-massive tracts located mainly along low saucer-shaped depressions. Pine forests are located mainly on the third and fourth sandy terraces of the Ob River, where they form relatively large massifs. These are the so-called fresh, or "sweaty", Priobsky forests. Soddy-podzolic and medium podzolic sandy and sandy loam soils prevail in the Ob region, which are favorable for the growth of woody vegetation. Pine plantations growing on them achieve high productivity. Often found in Priobsky forests admixture of larch and Siberian spruce.

All these forests are under the influence of two ecological factors of opposite action - the proximity of groundwater and the aridity of the steppe and forest-steppe air-temperature regime.

Even further north, along the border of Novosibirsk and Kemerovo regions, plantings grow Salair Ridge. In Salair, despite its low height, the zonation of the vegetation cover is expressed in relief. The pre-Salair foothill plain is covered birch-aspen forests alternating with natural meadows. Closer to the watershed, they become predominant aspen and fir-aspen forests. The grass cover is characterized by high height and powerful development. In areas occupied by forests, gray forest and soddy-podzolic soils, as well as mountain forest gray soils, are widespread; on the western slopes of the low mountains - loamy and heavy loamy; in the eastern - thin loamy-rubble on bedrock.

In the south and southwest along the border with the Republic of Altai, mixed forests of foothill Altai. The area of ​​foothill forests of the Altai Territory is included in the Altai-Sayan mountain-taiga region of the South Siberian mountain zone.

Piedmont forests have been developed by humans over the past 150-200 years, and at present, there are practically no indigenous forest types. Only in remote, inaccessible places for technology, you can find plantings cedar and fir. Foothill secondary forests composed of birch, fir, aspen, along the valleys of numerous rivers - thickets of willow. In the lower part of the forest belt of the northern and western foothills along the river valleys grow island pine plantations.

And if ribbon forests and Priobsky forests are typically lowland forests, the forests of the Salair Ridge grow at altitudes of 250-500 meters above sea level, then the forests foothills of Altai are distributed up to 1800 m above sea level and are typically mountain forests. Between these 4 large massifs there are a large number of birch groves ranging from 0.1 to 5 hectares. They occupy mainly the forest-steppe. The spaces between the forks are plowed up for fields, and the unplowed areas are covered with steppe vegetation.

Based on the materials of the "Forest Plan" of the Altai Territory, Barnaul, 2011

Fact

IN XVIII century with development silver-smelting production in the "ribbons" they harvested wood for burning charcoal. Historians write that logging for charcoal was carried out using clear cuttings, and thousands of hectares of pine plantations were cut down without observing elementary rules. Modern forestry also has not passed sad pages. The strongest fires have repeatedly erased thousands of green hectares from the face of the earth. The forests of the region began to "come to life" only after 1947, when a special Decree was adopted on the restoration of belt forests in Altai and Kazakhstan. Gradually, the area occupied by conifers began to increase, reaching in 2013 - 700 thousand hectares.

Numbers

4 out of 5 tape pine forests existing in the world grow in the Altai Territory

10 thousand years ago, according to scientists, on the site of modern "tapes" there were ancient reservoirs

700 thousand hectares due to large-scale reforestation activities in 2013 reached the area of ​​tape forests occupied by coniferous species

Materials on the topic " Forest wealth Altai Territory"

Yesterday, April 9, Oleg Peregudov, head of the forest holding company Altailes, took a picture of the Ural Owl. Successful shots were taken in the evening in a spruce forest near the village. Southern city of Barnaul. As Oleg said, at first he heard the hoot of an owl and decided to see where she was sitting. Taking a camera, an amateur researcher found a tawny owl in a tree. The bird was at first wary, but after a few minutes it calmed down and […]

On the eve of the Day of Forest Workers, employees of Les Service LLC (part of the LHK Altailes) together with students of Klyuchevskaya high school No. 1 held a large-scale sports and environmental campaign. The event was attended by about two hundred schoolchildren along with their teachers. Victor Karmash, Engineer of Forest Protection and Protection of Forest Service, spoke to the participants about the need to conserve forests before the start of the action.

View on the site Altapress.ru

From September 2-4, in the village of Pavlovsk, Pavlovsky district, the best forest firefighters, fellers, operators of a hydraulic manipulator and other forest industry specialists will be determined. About 500 participants will measure their strength both in professional categories and in sports and creative competitions. The previous Olympics were held in 2011. The organizers are the Union of Timber Organizations "Altailes" (non-profit organization) and the forest holding company "Altailes".

A twenty-minute film about the activities of the Altailes forest holding company is a large-scale project, work on which began in the spring of 2015. For the film, only fresh footage was used, many of which were made using a quadrocopter, that is, from a height of 50-70 meters above the ground. The goal is to show the viewer how the unique belt and near-Ob burs actually look, which the company […]

The project "Tape forests of Altai - a unique natural heritage of Russia", supported by the Russian Geographical Society, is nearing completion. His goal was to preserve natural complexes Altai ribbon forests, their landscape and biological diversity. At present, the processing of the rich factual material collected during the expeditions is being completed, but it is already possible to sum up the preliminary results of the project.

Seen from space

If you look at the satellite image of the south Western Siberia, the eye is involuntarily attracted by several dark green stripes of forest parallel to each other, in sharp contrast with the surrounding agricultural landscapes. Upon closer inspection, you can see that there are four such strips in total: the two largest ones stretch from the Ob valley, merging near the border with Kazakhstan into a single massif, which continues southwest to the Irtysh. Two smaller ribbons, also starting off the banks of the Ob, end in the expanses of the Kulunda Plain. Two more sections of the pine forest are very small, traditionally called selections, they look more not like ribbons, but like emerald islands lost in a sea of ​​endless fields.

For the Altai Territory, tape burs are one of the main brands, an object that can be seen from space, as they say, "with the naked eye". The secret of the unusual linear arrangement of these forests is that they occupy the bottoms of narrow and long hollows of the ancient runoff with thick deposits of sand, according to the most common version, left by the water flows of the ice ages. Experts are still arguing about the age and origin of pine forest sands and the pine forests themselves. Indisputable, however, remains the fact of the uniqueness of tape burs not only on the scale of Siberia, but throughout Russia.

Bors are of great socio-economic importance for the western part of the Altai Territory. They serve as the main source of timber for the inhabitants of the steppe zone; have a softening effect on the climate of the surrounding areas (near the tape forests, about 50 mm more precipitation falls than in treeless areas), are a traditional place for recreation, picking berries and mushrooms.

Due to the contrasting combination of natural conditions, within the limits of intrazonal ribbon forests, natural complexes that are very different from each other coexist. Steppe areas with feather grass and xerophytic forbs are sometimes located near the sphagnum bog, and a sun-dried salt marsh can be located a couple of kilometers from a shady green moss.

In secluded places, remote from settlements, in the shade of centuries-old pines, you can find a whole bunch of northern orchids - from inconspicuous at first glance nest flowers and cassava, to spectacular venus slippers. The role of ribbon pine forests in the conservation of populations of such globally rare species of animals included in various Red Data Books, such as the imperial eagle, greater spotted eagle, white-tailed eagle, eagle owl, black stork, and other vulnerable bird species, is significant.

Need a special approach

Unfortunately, the high economic development of tape forests has led to the fact that many valuable natural complexes, populations rare species animals and plants are endangered despite formal protection.

The first specially protected natural areas (zakazniks of regional significance) were created in ribbon forests in the 60-70s of the last century. Then paramount importance was given to the reproduction of hunting and commercial species of animals, later boron reserves received the status of complex (landscape). However, so far the main view economic activity– forest felling was carried out in forest reserves in the same mode and with the same intensity as in all other forest areas that do not have the status of specially protected natural areas. This could not but affect the state of protected objects.

So, until quite recently, the southern part of the Kulundinsky tape forest (Zavyalovsky reserve) was the only territory in the world where the nesting group of the Greater Spotted Eagle remained larger than that in all of foreign Europe, and the eagles nested here with a density maximum for the species - 1-1, 5 km between neighboring nests. Currently, more than half of the spotted eagle habitats have been destroyed. Therefore, the preservation of the remaining valuable sites is of particular importance. It is obvious that the reserves, or even only their individual parts (where the habitats of rare species are still preserved) need a special approach.

Thanks to the grant support of the Russian geographical society, this year a large-scale survey of the territories of regional reserves located in tape forests was carried out. The main idea was to identify areas with the maximum density of "Red Data Books" for their subsequent allocation to specially protected areas of wildlife sanctuaries and especially protective areas of forests.

The research involved employees of the Altai Branch of the Russian Geographical Society (including a member of the Permanent Environmental Commission of the Russian Geographical Society - Doctor of Geographical Sciences Dmitry Chernykh), the Institute of Water and environmental issues SB RAS, Tigireksky Reserve, Altai State University, students, volunteers (including schoolchildren - participants of the program "Adopt a Reserve", implemented by the Gebler Ecological Society and the Tigireksky Reserve).

On the territory of the Kasmalinsky Reserve, more than 270 points of growth of 13 species of plants and fungi included in the Red Books of Russia and the Altai Territory (feathery feather grass, klobuch nest-flower, three-cut horse, helmet-bearing orchis, venus slippers of this, large-flowered and drip, curly sparassis and other rare and endangered species). Within the same reserve, occupied nesting sites of the Eastern Imperial Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle and Eagle Owl were found.

To date, a scientific justification for changing the regime of protection and nature management has already been prepared for the Kasmalinsky reserve, in particular, the allocation of a zone of special protection, where key places habitats of rare species and reference areas close to the natural state of the natural complexes of the Kasmalinsky tape forest.

In the Kulunda reserve, more than fifty points of growth of five plant species listed in the Red Books of Russia and the Altai Territory have been identified. Complexes of sphagnum bogs, rare for ribbon pine forests, have been noted. Of considerable value are the massifs of old-growth pine forests, located along the edges of the forest near the fairly extensive steppe areas that have been preserved in this part of the region. It is these places, due to the ecotone effect, that are the zones of concentration of biological diversity, including those that serve as shelters for rare and endangered species of plants and animals.

Mamontovsky and Kornilovsky reserves, due to the combination of large lakes and forest complexes, are extremely important for the conservation of habitats for rare and endangered species of large raptors. There are nesting sites of such species included in the Red Books of Russia and the Altai Territory as the white-tailed eagle, golden eagle, imperial eagle, greater spotted eagle, eagle owl, gray owl, as well as such a rare forest bird as the black stork. Areas of old-growth pine forests on the border with wetlands that are not disturbed by cuttings are subject to special protection here. In the crowns of the largest patriarchal pines, rare birds arrange their massive nests, and on lakes and swamps they get food to feed their chicks.

In general, as a result of the project, a database was created on the distribution of rare species of plants and animals in the ribbon forests of the region; within the above-mentioned reserves, the most valuable areas in terms of nature conservation have been identified. Currently, justifications and proposals for improving the protection regimes for forest reserves are being finalized.

It should be noted that in the authorized body of power - in the Main Directorate natural resources and ecology of the Altai Territory - supported the initiative of the environmental community to strengthen the protection of forest ecosystems. Documentation is currently being prepared to change the regime of the Kasmalinsky Reserve in terms of limiting logging. In addition, this year three new natural monuments have been created within the Barnaul Ribbon Forest, and a positive conclusion from the state environmental review has been issued on projects for the creation of two more monuments.

The results of the project "Tape pine forests of Altai - a unique natural heritage of Russia" will be in demand in real environmental practice and will serve as a sustainable conservation of belt pine forests in all their diversity.

The material was prepared by Lyudmila Nehorosheva, project manager "Tape forests of Altai - a unique natural heritage of Russia".

Amazing bewitching landscapes of virgin nature, carefully preserved by local residents, cultural and historical heritage, which this region is generously endowed with, more and more attract tourists from other territories and even from foreign countries.

This is a beautiful Altai Territory. The nature of the region is surprisingly rich and multifaceted.

general information

This subject of Russia is part of the Siberian federal district(southwest). It borders on Kazakhstan, the Kemerovo and Novosibirsk regions, the Republic of Altai. The administrative center is the city of Barnaul.

Until 1991, the region also included the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Region, but at the moment it is an independent subject of the Russian Federation.

The Altai Territory is presented below in more detail. The nature of the region, the history of its development are of interest to many tourists and travelers who come here. Today, about 120 nationalities live in the region. Most of all - Russians (93.9%). Ukrainians, Germans, Kazakhs are also well represented here.

Where did it all begin?

The Russians began to settle in the foothills of the Altai and the Upper Ob region in the second half of the 17th century. The development of Altai began after the Beloyarsk and Bikatun fortresses were built here, respectively, in 1717 and 1718, to protect against the Dzungar nomads.

In order to explore ore deposits in Altai, search parties began to be equipped. It is believed that their discoverers were the father and son of the Kostylevs, later Akinfiy Demidov, a Ural breeder, took advantage of these results.

Geography, relief

Before we describe the rivers of the Altai Territory, consider it geographical position. The region is located in Western Siberia. In the south and west, its territory borders on the regions: East Kazakhstan and Pavlodar, in the northeast and north - on Kemerovo and Novosibirsk. It borders with the Republic of Altai in the southeast.

Territory area - 167850 sq. kilometers. From west to east, the length is 600 km, from south to north - 400 km. The distance from Moscow to Barnaul by direct air is 3,600 km.

The relief of the Altai Territory is the most diverse. Its territory belongs to two physical countries - Altai-Sayan and the West Siberian Plain. Its mountainous zone covers a flat surface from the south and east. These are the foothills of Altai and the Salair ridge. The central and western parts of the territory are mainly represented by plains - the Kulunda steppe, the Biysko-Chumysh upland and the Priobskoye plateau.

The region is represented by almost all natural areas of Russia - mountains, taiga, steppe and forest-steppe. Moreover, the flat surface is characterized by steppe and forest-steppe territories, with pine forests, gullies, ravines, pegs and lakes.

Rivers

Water resources in the region are represented by both underground and surface sources. Most major rivers Altai Territory: Ob, Katun, Biya, Charysh and Alei. Their total number, together with small streams, is 17 thousand. There are about 13,000 lakes here, the largest of which is Kulunda (area - 728 sq. km).

The Ob River is the main water artery. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: Katun and Biya. Its length is 493 kilometers. It should be noted that the basin of this great river occupies an area equal to 70% of the entire territory of the region.

The variety of zonal landscapes of the region contributes to the diversity and species composition animal world. There are lynxes, brown bears, wolverines. Muskrats and river beavers are found in the reservoirs. Approximately 90 species of mammals and 320 species of birds live in the Altai Territory.

Approximately 2000 different higher vascular plants grow here (2/3 of the species of all Western Siberia). Particularly valuable: Rhodiola rosea, deviant peony, red root, maral root, St. John's wort, oregano, Ural licorice, elecampane high.

Forests occupy 26% of the region's territory. The Altai Territory is rich and beautiful.

Nature

Currently, the natural landscapes of the region are negatively affected by the results of economic activity. In order to preserve the diversity of fauna and flora, today it is planned to create protected natural areas: reserves, national parks, reserves, natural monuments.

At the moment, there are only 33 reserves on the territory (an area of ​​773,100 hectares), occupying 5% of the entire territory, which is not enough to maintain the ecological and landscape balance in the biosphere of the region.

In any case, the Altai Territory is magnificent. The nature of the region is protected by law. Numerous natural monuments have been created. These are protected irreplaceable natural objects of both scientific and cultural and historical value (mineral springs, caves, waterfalls, geological outcrops, paleontological objects, ancient ancient trees).

IN total There are 100 monuments in the region, 54 of them are geological, 14 are botanical, 31 are water and 1 are complex.

Conclusion

The Altai Territory is beautiful and rich. The nature of the region includes areas of growth rare plants and habitats of animals that are endangered and are specially protected. Therefore, a decision was made in the region to create the Tigirek and Kulunda state reserves. Unfortunately, the organization of work in this direction is delayed by the lack of funding.

Flora of Altai (flora) The flora of the Altai Territory is rich and varied. The vegetation here was influenced by geological history development of the territory, and climate, and a peculiar relief. In Altai, there are almost all types of northern and Central Asia, East Kazakhstan, the European part of Russia.

Forests cover most of the Altai Territory. Here grow the only ribbon pine forests in the whole territory of Russia, a unique natural formation, the like of which is not found anywhere on our planet. Origin of tape pine forests It has interesting story, which is associated with the period when there was a large sea in the south of the West Siberian Lowland, the flow of water from it passed through deep hollows towards the Aral Basin. The flowing water carried sand, and when the climate warmed up, and the Ob again flowed into the seas of the Northern Arctic Ocean, pines began to grow on the sand-filled hollows of the ancient runoff. Thus, five ribbons of pine forests were formed, which stretch parallel to each other from the Ob near Barnaul in a southwestern direction towards the Irtysh and the Kulunda lowland.

Woody vegetable world in the mountainous part of Altai is richer than in the plains. Here grow cedar - fir forests with birch admixtures and in in large numbers pines. This is the so-called black taiga, which is not found in other forest regions of the country. In the black taiga grows many shrubs of raspberry, mountain ash, viburnum, currant, bird cherry.

A very common larch tree in Altai. Its wood is hard and durable, perfectly retaining its qualities both in the ground and in the water. Larch is the most valuable building material: they build houses from it that can stand for centuries, make dams, build bridges, moorings, use it to make railway sleepers and telegraph poles.

Siberian cedar pine, cedar is the famous tree species of the Altai forests. This is a mighty tree with a dark green crown, with long prickly needles. Forms frequent, solid cedar forests on mountain slopes or occurs as an admixture in deciduous and fir forests.

Cedar wood is highly valued for its lightness, strength and beauty; it is widely used in folk crafts for the manufacture of various products. From cedar board make furniture, containers for food products, make a pencil board. Pine nuts are very popular, from which a valuable oil is produced, which is used in medicine and in the manufacture of high-precision optical instruments. cedar resin is the raw material for the balm.

There are several dozen species of shrubs in the region, many of which give edible berries - raspberries, blackberries, currants, honeysuckle, blueberries, lingonberries. are beautiful in early spring mountain slopes covered with blooming bright crimson - purple evergreen maral (Siberian wild rosemary, Daurian rhododendron).

From medicinal plants on the territory of the Altai Territory, the most famous are maral and golden root (Rhodiola rosea), bergenia and valerian, dandelion and marin root, spring adonis, licorice, etc. More than ten species of relict plants grow in Altai. Among them are European hoof, brunner, fragrant woodruff, circe.

Fauna of Altai (fauna) The diversity of the animal world of the Altai Territory is due to the presence of steppes, forests and high-altitude belts. Here the inhabitants of the West Siberian taiga meet: elk, Brown bear, wolverine; representatives of the forests of Western Siberia: musk deer, deer, capercaillie, stone partridge; animals of the Mongolian steppes: jerboa, marmot - tarbagan. About 90 species of mammals, more than 250 species of birds live in Altai. Some of them (manul cat, polecat, belladonna crane, etc.) are listed in the Red Book. Distinctive feature fauna of Altai is the formation of endemic species. A typical endemic Altai mole, it is widespread and occurs both on the plains and in the mountains. Among the endemic birds are mountain turkey, Altai buzzard, tundra partridge.

In the taiga massifs, brown bear and elk are found everywhere. The bear is an omnivorous predator, feeding on mice, birds, fish, berries and mushrooms, during the summer it wanders from forests to subalpine meadows, where it is attracted by an abundance of herbs and plants with delicious healing roots. And by autumn it returns back to the taiga to berries and nuts.

Ungulate animals also make seasonal transitions from one zone to another. Elk, roe deer, deer, musk deer roam from taiga to meadows and back. Maral deer, whose antlers contain the valuable substance pantocrine in the spring, have been bred for many years on deer farms in the mountainous forest regions of the region. All attempts to breed deer in other mountainous regions of Russia have not yet yielded good results.

Another valuable fur animal is the fox. Lives in flat areas. Rodents are found everywhere here: hamsters, ground squirrels of various species, marmots, jerboas are found in arid areas of the steppe. Hare and white hare live in the steppe and in the forest regions of the region. You can also meet a wolf there.

Almost all forest-steppe regions, where there are reservoirs, are the habitat of the muskrat. Imported in the twenties from North America the rodent, which has a commercial value, has successfully acclimatized in the Altai lands. And in the upland rivers and reservoirs of Salair there are beavers, the range of which is increasing every year.

steppe zone habitat birds of prey: red-footed falcon, kestrel, buzzard - buzzard, which prey on small field rodents. And on the lakes and swamps of the Altai plains live snipe, teal, gray cranes, ducks - mallards, gray geese, cranes, gulls. During flights, swans and northern geese stop in these places.

The world of reptiles in Altai is small. Its main representatives are poisonous snake common muzzle, viviparous lizard, which is found throughout the Altai Territory. Near reservoirs there is an ordinary snake, in the steppes and forest-steppes there is a steppe and ordinary viper. Of the reptiles, the patterned snake is considered the largest in Altai. It measures over a meter in length.

The reservoirs of the plains and the mountainous zone of the Altai region are rich in fish. In the foothill rivers there are burbot and taimen, grayling and lenok, chebak, ruff, gudgeon, perch. IN main river Sterlet, bream, zander, etc. live in the Altai Ob. The lakes of the plains are rich in crucian carp, tench, pike and perch are found in their waters.