What forests are there in the Altai region? Forest resources of the Altai region. Where it all began

The region's stock of fishery reservoirs includes about 2,000 water bodies with a total area of ​​112 thousand hectares. Salt lakes, which have an annual production limit of Artemia cysts of 300 tons, occupy an area of ​​99 thousand hectares. Of the 38 species of fish that live in the reservoirs of the region, 12 species are used for fishing.

The Altai Territory has such a variety of zonal and especially intrazonal landscapes that this could not but affect the number and species diversity flora and fauna. Each of these landscapes has its own, to one degree or another, special world of animals, birds, and plants.

Plants

Of the 3,000 plant species growing in Western Siberia, in the Altai Territory - 1954 species of higher vascular plants belonging to 112 families and 617 genera. The flora of the region includes 32 relict species. These are Siberian linden, European hooffoot, fragrant bedstraw, giant fescue, Siberian brunnera, floating salvinia, water chestnut and others. The Red Book of Russia includes 10 species of plants growing in the region: Siberian candyk, Ludwig's iris, Zalessky's feather grass, feather-leaved feather grass, feather feather grass, Altai onion, steppe peony, cape flower, Altai gymnosperm, Altai stellophopsis. 144 plant species are included in the Red Book of the region. These are rare species, endemic, reducing their range, and also relict. The species richness of the region's flora is due to the diversity of natural and climatic conditions.

The vegetation cover on the territory of the region is subject to strong anthropogenic influence, especially within steppe zone. The largest areas of steppes have been preserved along forest belts, along the edges of ribbon forests and individual forests, and on saline soils.

A significant proportion (up to 30%) of the flora of the region is made up of a group of weeds found in gardens, fields, orchards, on road embankments, along river banks, wastelands, and fallow lands. In recent years, crop escape plants have appeared and are actively invading natural cenoses. Thus, along the banks of rivers and forests, ash-leaved maple and Echinocystis lobeda are often and abundantly found. The proportion of alien plants is steadily increasing from year to year, and currently their number reaches 70. Among them, plants from Central Asia and Kazakhstan, as well as from North America, predominate.

The useful flora of Altai is rich, numbering more than 600 species of plants, among which there are medicinal - 380 species, food - 149, melliferous - 166, vitamin-bearing - 33, dyeing - 66, fodder - 330, decorative - 215. Particularly valuable species include Rhodiola pink, raponticum safflower, forgotten kopek, evasive peony, elecampane tall, etc.

According to preliminary estimates, the region is characterized by more than 100 species of lichens, 80 species of bryophytes, and about 50 species of macromycete fungi. Among these objects there are also rare ones listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Of the almost 2000 species of vascular plants found in the Altai Territory, 144 species are included in the Red Book.

In early spring, when it is not yet so hot, low yellow hornwort, desert alyssum, palmate buttercup, and coppice bloom. Occasionally there are dark purple hazel grouse and tuberous valerian. Later, in mid-summer, the feather grass blooms. Long panicles sway in the wind, creating the impression of running waves. Due to the plowing of the steppes, its population has greatly decreased.

A wide strip of steppe and forest-steppe vegetation in the middle part is broken by several ribbons of pine forests. These are unique natural formations not found anywhere else in the world, confined to the bottoms of ancient hollows of the drainage of melted glacial waters, lined with blown sands. Under the pine canopy, a shrub layer is developed, especially rich as it approaches the Ob valley. Eryngium flat-leaved, meadowsweet, meadow grass, sweet clover, common bedstraw, and gray speedwell grow here.

In the mountainous part of the region, altitudinal zonation is evident in the distribution of vegetation. The types of this zonality, the degree of its expression and altitudinal limits reflect, depending on the position, the features of either Western Siberia and Central Asia, or Mongolia and the mountains of Southern Siberia. It is no coincidence that N.K. Roerich called Altai the heart of Asia, the center of four oceans.

The steppe belt is most developed along the northern and northwestern slopes of Altai; its individual fragments are widely found inside the mountainous country on the flat bottoms of river valleys and intermountain basins. The height of the steppe areas increases to the southeast of Altai, where at altitudes of more than 2,000 m, peculiar tundra-steppes dominate. There are also steppe areas on the southern, well-warmed slopes of the ridges.

On the chernozem, chestnut and chernozem-meadow soils of the belt, a forb-grass grass cover is developed, interspersed with thickets of caragana shrubs, meadowsweet, honeysuckle, and rose hips. The higher the steppe areas rise, reflecting the increasing continentality of the climate, the poorer the vegetation becomes.

Feather grass, wheatgrass, fescue, and bluegrass grow here. The external plainness is somewhat diversified by yellow alfalfa, Siberian sainfoin, Siberian adonis, and sticky cinquefoil. Among the plants of the rocky steppes of mountain slopes there are feather grass, astragalus, asters, carnations, and wormwood. For most of the summer, the steppe areas are monotonous and dim. Only in spring does the steppe transform for a short time, decorated with the multicolored grass.

The harsher the conditions, the more adapted and outwardly rougher and tougher the plants become. The Chuya Basin is dominated by wormwood, fescue and cinquefoil. Pebble feather grass, desert feather grass, sedges, and astragalus are common. The plants are stunted, the flowers are usually small, many of them have thorns - everything indicates a lack of moisture and the strong influence of cold.

Forests occupy about half the area of ​​the mountains, being the main type of vegetation. The nature of forests varies and depends on the conditions of moisture and heat supply. In Salair and near Lake Teletskoye black forests dominate, the northeastern and western outskirts of the mountains are occupied by dark coniferous taiga, the low mountains of northern Altai - pine forests. As we move deeper into the mountains, dominance in the forest stands passes to larch.

Inside the mountainous region, the forest belt is often interrupted, steppe areas appear on the southern slopes, and alpine vegetation appears in the upper part. Through the Salair black forests, the mountain taiga merges with the lowland West Siberian taiga. The lower boundary of the forest belt in the north is 400-600 m, while the upper one changes quite significantly: in the ridges surrounding Lake Teletskoye - 1800-1900 m, in Central Altai - 2,100-2,200 m, and in the southeast, individual massifs rise up to 2,450 m. They consist mainly of Siberian fir, Siberian cedar, Siberian larch, Scots pine, and Siberian spruce.

The most common is larch, adapted to both severe frosts and poor soils. Some specimens reach a height of 20-30 m, with a girth of 2-3 m. Giant larches are especially impressive among green meadows and fields. Park larch forests are good, light, with low shrubby undergrowth and rich herbs. Larch is a long-liver and a great lover of light. Its wood is extremely durable and difficult to process.

Pine forests are confined to low mountains with its dry valleys and sandy soils. Pine does not rise above 600-700 m.

Decoration Altai forests is cedar - a tree species with many advantages that have long been appreciated by man. Cedar wood with a pleasant pinkish tint has high resonant qualities and is used for making musical instruments. Cedar needles contain essential oils, carotenes, and vitamins. No less valuable are resin and pine nuts, for which cedar is called the taiga breadfruit tree. Nuts are food for many birds and animals and are widely used by humans.

The black taiga is characterized by the predominance of Siberian fir, aspen, bird cherry, rowan, and viburnum in combination with tall grasses. Representatives of relict flora are found here. These are the fragrant woodruff with modest white flowers and whorled leaves, the European hoofweed with hoof-shaped dark green leaves, the woodcrystal with soft hairy leaves and purple flowers, the Siberian brunner with large, conspicuous heart-shaped leaves on long petioles and pale blue flowers, like a forget-me-not. The ground moss cover is poorly developed.

Dark coniferous forests of cedar, Siberian spruce, and Siberian fir usually cover the northern slopes of mountain ranges. Mosses, shrubs, subshrubs grow here - honeysuckle, blueberries, lingonberries. Larch forests dominate in Central Altai, where along river valleys and slopes they form park thickets without undergrowth, with a closed grass cover dominated by grasses (reed grass, Siberian bluegrass, hedgehog grass, meadow foxtail, etc.). On the northern slopes, where there is more moisture, under the larches there is an undergrowth of Siberian rhododendron, meadowsweet, and Altai honeysuckle.

Meadows are widespread in the forest belt, confined to fairly moist, leveled areas, clearings and burnt areas. The areas of high-mountain meadows in Central and Western Altai are significant. In subalpine meadows, maral root, variegated thistle, white-flowered geranium, and swimsuits are common. Alpine meadows have low grass cover. Columbine, gentian grandiflora, and cobresia Bellardi are common. The combination of simultaneously blooming orange lights, blue columbines, dark blue gentians and snakeheads gives the alpine meadows an extraordinary colorfulness.

The upper altitudinal zone of mountain vegetation is represented by various tundra groups - gravelly herbaceous, moss-lichen, rocky, shrubby, in which large-leaved birch, alpine bison, Claytonia John, whole-leaved lagotis, and cold gentian are common.

In general, there are about 3 thousand species within the region higher plants: medicinal, food, feed, poisonous.

The group of medicinal plants used in the pharmaceutical industry includes about 100 species. However, in folk medicine this list is much wider. In the steppe zone, they collect Ural licorice, spring Adonis, marshmallow, elecampane, creeping thyme, sandy immortelle, multiveined violet, thermopsis lanceolata, and wormwood.

In the forests grow elecampane, swamp white lake, golden capillary, oregano, Maryin root peony, Lobel's hellebore, St. John's wort, and burnet. In the coastal zone of reservoirs, marsh calamus, marsh wild rosemary, three-leafed rosemary, yellow egg capsule, and true rosemary are common.

Maral root, Rhodiola rosea, and bergenia are found in the high mountain zone.

Many plants can be used as food during summer hikes. Among them are sorrel, young nettle, young leaves of quinoa, dissected hogweed, soft honeydew, honeydew, young ( hare cabbage), bracken, leaves and roots of dandelion, etc. The most famous among food plants are wild garlic (flask), and onion. Some plants (wild mint, thyme, peppermint) can be used for seasonings. Leaves of lingonberry, black currant, oregano, strawberry, leaves and inflorescences of meadowsweet, leaves of fireweed (willowherb) are suitable for preparing camping tea. Tea made from dry bergenia leaves has long been known in Altai.

Travelers should also remember about poisonous plants, such as henbane, hellebore, wrestlers, and crow's eye. Along the banks of reservoirs one can find poisonous wedge, black grass, speckled hemlock, and porcupine. And many medicinal plants, used without sufficiently reliable knowledge and doctor’s recommendations, can have a negative effect on the body. The first caution when meeting the majority poisonous plants- beautiful, often bright color flowers and fruits.

Botanical research has identified more than 100 plant species found only in Altai. These are the so-called endemic species that arose here in the process evolutionary development. The southeast of Altai is especially rich in endemic species. The famous botanist P.N. Krylov noted that in the recent past this area served as an arena for glacial processes, which is why the formation of flora continues here today.

In addition to the endemics of the Altai proper, such as the Altai swimsuit, Alpine edelweiss, subalpine violet, purple swimsuit, in Altai there are endemic species with a wider Altai-Sayan range. Together with them, the total number of endemic species, according to A.V. Kuminova, reaches 212.

Intensive use of vegetation cover leads to a depletion of species composition and a decrease in the population size of individual species. Botanists have noted 120 plant species in need of protection. In recent years, the thickets of Rhodiola rosea (golden root), Raponticum safflower (maral root), spring starube, water chestnut (chilim), and Ural licorice have significantly decreased. Lady's slippers, orchis, lyubka, kandyk, tulips, frying (lights, bathing suits), peonies, lumbago, St. John's wort have become rare.

Among the plants included in the Red Book of the USSR, in Altai there are: large-flowered lady's slipper, true and spotted lady's slipper, Altai wolfgrass, water chestnut, Altai woodsia, unifoliate guldenstedtia, Siberian kandyk, Siberian and tiger iris, feather feather grass, curly lily, onion Altai, leafless grouse, Maryin root peony, steppe peony, checkered hazel grouse, etc.

Most of us don't know what these plants look like. Therefore, it is important, during preparation for the trip, to get acquainted with them through reference books and herbariums, and meet with specialists. In Barnaul there is Botanical Garden Altai University, where many rarities of the region's plant kingdom are collected. Visit it before heading out. It is advisable to find a place in your backpack for a small book by I.V. Vereshchagina “The Green Miracle of Altai”, published by the Altai Book Publishing House.

And most importantly, do not tear (do not destroy!) the flower, branch, or grass you like. It is necessary to remember: the resources of the plant world are not endless, we are all responsible for ensuring that the flowery carpet of Altai herbs, the taiga cedar splendor and the lush greenery of deciduous forests remain for future generations.

Animals

The region is home to about 100 species of mammals, more than 320 species of birds, 7 species of reptiles, 6 species of invertebrate animals and 7 species of amphibians. The rivers and lakes of the region are home to 35 species of fish.

The Red Book includes 134 species of animals that need protection. The largest number of bird species is 82. Approximately half of them are listed in the Red Book of Russia (demoiselle crane, saker falcon, ptarmigan, eagle owl, etc.), 10 species are included in the IUCN Red Book ( International Union protection of nature and natural resources). These are extremely rare species, such as, for example, the bustard, imperial imperial falcon, peregrine falcon, as well as category zero (probably extinct) little bustard and slender-billed curlew.

In addition to birds nesting in Altai, the Red Book of the Altai Territory includes species that appear during spring-autumn migrations (small swan, lesser white-fronted goose), as well as occasional vagrants (dallas and pink pelicans, flamingos, black cranes, griffon vultures, etc. .).

The forests are inhabited by the chipmunk, flying squirrel, otter, ermine, and sable. Also found here are moose, musk deer, and almost everywhere - brown bears, lynx, wolverine, and badger. The steppes are inhabited by marmots, gophers, and jerboas; you can meet the steppe ferret, fox, and wolf; the Kulundinskaya steppe is home to white and brown hares. Muskrats live in the Ob reservoirs, and the river beaver lives in almost all forest and lowland rivers.

Among forest birds there are many predators, the most aggressive are hawks (goshawk and sparrowhawk), and nocturnal birds are common - owls and eagle owls. On the shores of the lakes you can see demoiselle crane and gray crane. Along the river banks there are numerous waders, white wagtails, and common terns. The rivers and lakes of the region are rich in fish; they contain pike, ide, burbot, sterlet, perch, dace, chebak, and ruff.

There are 17 species of mammals in the Red Book. These are mainly insectivores and rodents (eared hedgehogs, jerboas) and the bats(there are 9 species, including the pointed-eared bat, listed in the Red Book of Russia). Two representatives of the mustelid family entered here - the otter and the bandage (also included in the Red Book of Russia).

The Red Book includes 26 species of insects. These are, among other things, relict butterflies - the variegated ascalafus, the gypsy mother-of-pearl, as well as the Gebler's ground beetle, endemic to Western Altai, possibly extinct at present.

In addition to birds, mammals and insects, the book includes 3 species of reptiles (takyr roundhead, colorful lizard, steppe viper), 2 species of amphibians (Siberian salamander, common newt) and 4 species of fish - lenok, apparently disappeared from the rivers of the region, endemic species Siberian sturgeon, nelma and taimen.

In addition to the main part, the Red Book of the Altai Territory includes 30 species that require special attention. These are, for example, musk deer, gray goose, little gull, quail, carpenter bee and other species.

The objects of hunting are several dozen species of animals, representatives of four orders of birds.

The formation and development of animal resources in the region occurs under conditions of increased anthropogenic influence. A decrease in the bioproductivity of pastures due to overgrazing of livestock, water and wind erosion of soils, and deforestation lead to changes in animal habitats and a reduction in the number of squirrels, marmots, otters, musk deer, Siberian mountain goats, etc. The short-tailed snake eagle, blue-faced bustard, and bustard have disappeared partially or completely. The number of waterfowl, with the exception of the gray goose, is decreasing from year to year. The number of small mustelids, field and forest game is decreasing due to changes in the feeding and nesting conditions of their existence. Intensive development of ungulate resources, and primarily elk, requires a reduction in its production, increased protection and control over production, and in some areas a complete ban on hunting.

Currently, in the Altai Territory there are practically no original natural landscapes preserved; they are all affected by economic activity or the transfer of substances by water and air currents. The region currently lacks both active nature reserves and national parks. There are 33 reserves in the region. Their total area is 773.1 thousand hectares or less than 5% of the region’s area, which is significantly lower than the Russian average and is not enough to maintain landscape-ecological balance in the biosphere.

In 1997-1998, the production amounted to 7 wild boars and 11 bears.

The number in 1998 was: elk - 10,930, wild boar - 430, roe deer - 11,000, bear - 500.

Number of rare species: Snow Leopard- 39-49 pcs., Pallas's cat - 250-350 pcs., gazelle - herds of 4-5 individuals, Altai mountain sheep - 370-470 pcs.

Each of the Altai landscapes is characterized by a certain species composition animals.

The fauna of the steppe and forest-steppe lowland parts of the region is least rich. Rodents predominate here: red and bank voles, red-cheeked ground squirrel, steppe pika, and large jerboa. After the plowing of virgin lands, the field mouse became especially numerous. Large mammals include the wolf, fox, steppe polecat, mountain hare, corsac fox, badger, and sometimes the brown hare, and elk can also be found in the forests.

The predominant birds after plowing the virgin lands are the rook, magpie, hoodie, and jackdaw; of the small passerines, the most common are the skylark, yellow wagtail and black-headed mint. Numerous and varied waders roam in the swamps and along the banks of reservoirs, ducks, greylag goose and gray heron nest. There are many ducks and coots on the lakes, and grebes are common, especially the great grebes. Numerous colonies of gulls (herring, glaucous, and black-headed gulls) are also often found there.

The fauna of lowland forests is much richer. They are home to various species of shrews, voles and mice. Chipmunk and teledut squirrel are numerous. Typical forest inhabitants are the mole, hedgehog, weasel, ermine, weasel and badger. Mountain hare and fox are common; wolverine, wolf, lynx and Brown bear, beaver, roe deer and elk.

The world of small forest passerine birds is colorful and diverse: tits, warblers, warblers, redstarts, thrushes, tree pipit, finches - chaffinch, redpoll, brambling, lentil, crossbill, spruce, goldfinches. Cuckoo, nightjar, and woodpeckers - black, great and small spotted, three-toed, and woodpeckers - are common. Of the small predators, the most common falcons are the hobby, merlin and falcon. There are hawks - goshawk and sparrowhawk, black kite, buzzard, great owl, long-eared owl, and less often - eagle owl. In the flat and foothill zones of Altai, the gray crane is not uncommon. The most common reptiles are the common grass snake, the viper, the Pallas's copperhead, the sand lizard and the viviparous lizard. There are few amphibians: mainly frogs and grass frogs, gray and green toads.

The mountain steppes of Altai are characterized by burrowers: red-cheeked and long-tailed ground squirrels, Altai and Mongolian marmots. Among the small rodents, voles are numerous. Daurian and Mongolian pikas are common on rocky areas on the outskirts of mountain steppes. In addition, the Chui steppe is home to the jumping jerboa, the Djungarian hamster and the tolai hare, which does not change color in winter (there is very little snow on semi-desert landscapes).

The species composition of birds is very small: larks - field and steppe larks, wheatears - bald-headed and dancer, steppe pipit, hoopoe, steppe harrier, kestrel. However, the fauna of the Chui steppe is distinguished by much greater diversity and originality: these places are characterized by the ogre, Indian bar-headed goose, herring gull, black-throated loon, black stork, whooper swan, Altai gyrfalcon, griffon vulture, black vulture, and bearded vulture. Only here you can find bustard, sajja, thick-billed plovers, and common plover.

The world of mountain inhabitants is especially diverse. This is facilitated by the diversity of natural conditions in the region. 62 species of mammals, more than 260 species of birds, 11 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 20 species of fish live here.

The fauna of mountain forests consists of almost all species found in lowland forests. These are flying squirrels, chipmunks, sables, bats - mustachioed night bat, Siberian tubebill, Ikonnikova's bat, rufous noctule and long-eared bat. There are numerous ungulates that feed on trees and shrubs - elk, red deer, roe deer, musk deer; reindeer are much less common.

From large predators Brown bear, lynx, wolverine, otter and badger are common. Small predators from the mustelid family that feed on mouse-like rodents are common: weasel, ermine, solonga, weasel and American mink. Burrowing insectivores - moles, shrews - are found everywhere. Numerous Asian wood mouse; Water voles and field voles prefer moist habitats.

Among the birds found everywhere in the forests of Altai are jays, jays and nutcrackers. Important commercial species of chickens - capercaillie and hazel grouse - are also common in the taiga zone. In the foothills, along the edges of the forest, grouse are common.

Few animal species are adapted to the harsh conditions of high-mountain open landscapes. These are the Siberian mountain goat, argali (mountain sheep), snow leopard (irbis) - a beautiful and very rare predator. In the summer, the alpine belt is visited by deer, bears, wolverines, and there are also ermine, pika, narrow-skulled and alpine Siberian vole, fox, white hare.

Common birds in the lower part of the alpine belt (shrub tundra) are ptarmigan, black-throated thrush, arctic bunting, and bluethroat. Redstart and Altai snowcock live almost right next to the snow.

The rivers of the plains and foothills are inhabited by pike, ide, burbot, sterlet, perch, dace, Siberian roach, ruffe, bream, and gudgeon. During the spawning season, salmon and sturgeon come here. In lakes and oxbow lakes in river valleys, crucian carp and tench predominate.

IN mountain rivers ah, the species composition changes dramatically: taimen, lenok, grayling, loach, minnow, spiny loach, mottled and Siberian sculpin live here. Grayling, char and minnow are found in the upper reaches of small mountain rivers. 13 species of fish have been recorded in Lake Teletskoye, of which two species - the Teletskoye whitefish and the Pravdin whitefish - live only in this reservoir. Numerous mountain reservoirs in the south of the Altai Territory are inhabited mainly by Ottoman people.

The species composition of the Altai entomofauna is very diverse. Travelers coming here should remember that some insects (mosquitoes, ticks) pose a real danger, being carriers infectious diseases. Currently, ten species of ixodid ticks have been identified that can be carriers of tick-borne rickettsiosis and tick-borne encephalitis. Therefore, before you travel, you should get the necessary vaccinations.

During the period of greatest danger of tick bites (May - early June), you need to take basic precautions: have appropriate clothing that prevents ticks from penetrating the body, and systematically examine yourself and your friends.

The maximum danger of infection is characteristic of the indigenous dark coniferous and deciduous forests of the low mountains of Altai and Salair with their rich herbaceous vegetation.

The development of the region's natural resources is accompanied by a reduction in areas suitable for animal habitats, and, as a consequence, their numbers are reduced and the species composition becomes poorer. On the territory of the region, 6 species of mammals and 34 species of birds listed in the Red Book of the USSR have been recorded. These are argali, gazelle, snow leopard, red wolf, bandage, manul; among birds - Altai snowcock, black stork, mountain goose, osprey, steppe eagle, demoiselle crane, etc.

Forest Fund Altai Territory occupies a total area of ​​436.4 thousand hectares or 26% of the total area of ​​the region, of which 3,827.9 thousand hectares are forest lands. Covered forest area is 3561.5 thousand hectares or 81.6% of the total area forests(according to forest fund records as of 01/01/98). Forest cover territories Altai Territory is 21.1%.

Forest cover varies by region from 54.6% to 1 percent or less. Highest percentage forest cover in the Zarinsky 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 wood reserve is 395 million m 3, the share of burnt areas of the total area forests- 0.141%, share of fellings from the total area forests - 1,08%.

Forests unevenly distributed. They are mainly located in the northeast and east Altai Territory. On sands and sandy soils in the floodplain of the river. Unique rivers stretch across the Ob River and along river beds for hundreds of kilometers. band 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 significance in forests The State Fund has allocated 4 forestry areas:

• Tape-hog - ribbon forests, All forests classified as “especially valuable forest areas”, the total area is 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;
• Salairsky - attributed forests Salair black taiga, total area forests 583.3 thousand hectares, incl. covered forest- 515.6 thousand hectares;
• Piedgorny - foothills forests Altai, total area forests 836.3 thousand hectares, incl. covered forest 646.6 thousand hectares.

The predominant breeds in forests of the Altai region are coniferous - 54% (including cedar - 1.9%), small-leaved - 46%. Average age forests State Forest Fund - 66 years, incl. coniferous - 80 years and deciduous - 48 years. The timber reserve of the entire forest fund is 494.85 million m3, incl. State Forest Fund - 400.08 million m3.

The average annual growth reaches 6.5 million m 3, of which coniferous trees account for 3.5 million m 3 and deciduous trees - 3 million m 3.

The estimated cutting area for the main use is 2040 thousand m 3, incl. for coniferous farming - 331 thousand m3.

The intensity of forest use 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 Class 1 and 2 natural fire hazards mainly include band burs(middle class 1.8) and Priobsky forests(average class 2.6), in which a large number of dry coniferous plantations are concentrated forests, young coniferous trees and forest crops.

As a result of intensive use forests, especially in the Ob massifs, the area of ​​young coniferous forests has decreased, the area of ​​mature and overmature plantings has increased, dangerous phenomenon replacement of coniferous species with less valuable deciduous ones.

The project “Ribbon pine forests of Altai - a unique natural heritage of Russia”, supported by the Russian Geographical Society, is nearing completion. Its goal was to preserve the natural complexes of Altai ribbon forests, their landscape and biological diversity. Currently, the processing of the rich factual material collected during the expeditions is being completed, but it is already possible to summarize the preliminary results of the project.

Seen from space

If you look at a satellite image of the south of Western Siberia, the eye is involuntarily drawn to several dark green stripes of forest parallel to each other, sharply contrasting with the surrounding agricultural landscapes. Upon closer examination, you can see that there are four such stripes 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 vastness of the Kulunda Plain. Two more sections of pine forest are very small, traditionally called selections, more like not ribbons, but like emerald islands, lost in a sea of ​​endless fields.

For the Altai Territory, strip 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 ancient drainage with thick sand deposits, according to the most common version, left by water flows 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 that strip burs are unique 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 wood for the inhabitants of the steppe zone; have a softening effect on the climate of the surrounding areas (near the ribbon forests there is approximately 50 mm more precipitation than in treeless areas), and are a traditional place for recreation, picking berries and mushrooms.

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

In secluded places far from settlements, in the shade of centuries-old pines, you can find a whole bouquet of northern orchids - from the inconspicuous at first glance nest flowers and lady's slippers to the spectacular lady's slippers. The role of ribbon pine forests is significant in preserving the populations of such globally rare animal species included in various red books as the imperial eagle, greater spotted eagle, white-tailed eagle, eagle owl, black stork, and other vulnerable bird species.

Need a special approach

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

The first specially protected natural areas (reserves of regional significance) were created in ribbon forests back in the 60-70s of the last century. At that time, paramount importance was given to the reproduction of hunting and commercial species of animals; later, pine forest reserves received the status of complex (landscape) ones. However, until now, the main type of economic activity - logging - was carried out in forest reserves in the same mode and with the same intensity as in all other areas of the forest that do not have the status of specially protected natural areas. This could not but affect the condition of the protected objects.

Thus, until quite recently, the southern part of the Kulundinsky ribbon forest (Zavyalovsky reserve) was the only territory in the world where the nesting group of the Greater Spotted Eagle was preserved in numbers larger than that in all of foreign Europe, and 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's habitats have been destroyed. Therefore, the preservation of the remaining valuable areas is of particular importance. It is obvious that reserves, or even just their individual parts (where habitats of rare species still remain), require a special approach.

Thanks to grant support from the Russian Geographical Society, this year a large-scale survey of the territories of regional reserves located in ribbon forests was carried out. The main idea was to identify areas with the maximum density of “Red Books” for their subsequent allocation into specially protected zones of nature reserves and specially protected forest areas.

The research was attended by 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 Problems of the SB RAS, the Tigirek Nature Reserve, the Altai State University, students, volunteers (including schoolchildren - participants program “Adopt a Reserve”, implemented by the Geblerov Ecological Society and the Tigirek Nature Reserve).

On the territory of the Kasmalinsky reserve, more than 270 growing points of 13 species of plants and fungi included in the Red Books of Russia and the Altai Territory were discovered (feather feather grass, captillaria capulata, three-notched lady's sage, orchis capulata, lady's slippers, grandiflora and drip, sparassis curly and other rare and endangered species). Within the same reserve, occupied nesting areas of the Imperial Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle and Eagle Owl were found.

To date, a scientific justification for changing the regime of protection and environmental management has already been prepared for the Kasmaly Nature Reserve, in particular, the allocation of a special protection zone where key habitats of rare species and reference areas of natural complexes of the Kasmaly ribbon forest will be preserved.

In the Kulundinsky reserve, more than fifty growing points of five plant species listed in the Red Books of Russia and the Altai Territory have been identified. Complexes of sphagnum bogs, rare for belt forests, were noted. Of significant value are the tracts of old-growth pine forests located along the edges of the forest near the fairly extensive steppe areas preserved in this part of the region. It is precisely such places, due to the ecotone effect, that are strips of concentration of biological diversity, including serving as refuges for rare and endangered species of plants and animals.

Mamontovsky and Kornilovsky nature reserves, thanks to the combination of large lakes and forest complexes, are extremely important for preserving the habitats of rare and endangered species of large feathered predators. Here are the nesting areas of such species included in the Red Data Books of Russia and the Altai Territory as the white-tailed eagle, golden eagle, imperial eagle, greater spotted eagle, eagle owl, great gray owl, as well as such a rare forest bird as the black stork. Undisturbed areas of old-growth pine forests on the border with wetlands are subject to special protection here. In the crowns of the largest patriarch pines, rare birds build their massive nests, and in lakes and swamps they obtain 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 belt forests of the region; The most environmentally valuable areas have been identified within the above-mentioned reserves. Currently, justifications and proposals for improving the protection regimes of pine forest reserves are being finalized.

It should be noted that the authorized government body - the Main Department of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Altai Territory - supported the initiative of the environmental community to strengthen the protection of pine forest ecosystems. Currently, documentation is being prepared to change the regime of the Kasmalinsky reserve in terms of limiting forest felling. In addition, this year three new natural monuments have been created within the Barnaul ribbon forest; projects for the creation of two more monuments have received a positive conclusion from the state environmental assessment.

The results of the project “Ribbon pine forests of Altai - a unique natural heritage of Russia” will be in demand in real environmental practice and will serve the sustainable conservation of ribbon pine forests in all their diversity.

The material was prepared by the head of the project “Ribbon pine forests of Altai - a unique natural heritage of Russia” Lyudmila Nekhorosheva.

The flora of the Altai region is rich and diverse. The vegetation here was influenced by geological history development of the territory, climate, and peculiar relief. Almost all types of vegetation of northern and central Asia, Eastern Kazakhstan, and the European part of Russia are found in Altai. Forests cover most of the Altai region. They grow here the only tape machines in the entire territory of Russia pine forests - a unique natural formation, the likes of which are not found anywhere on our planet. Origin strip 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 and the Ob flowed again into the seas of the Arctic Ocean, pine trees began to grow in the sand-filled hollows of the ancient runoff.

This is how 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 Kulundinskaya lowland.

The woody plant world of the mountainous part of Altai is richer than on the plain. They grow here cedar-fir forests with admixtures of birch and in large quantities - pine trees. This is the so-called black taiga, which is not found in other forest areas of the country. In the black taiga there are many growing shrubs - raspberries, rowan, viburnum, currants, bird cherry.

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

Larch forests are light and clean and resemble natural parks in which each tree grows separately. The shrub undergrowth in deciduous forests is dense, and the surface of the ground in such a forest is covered with a continuous grass carpet.

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

Cedar wood is highly valued - light, durable and beautiful, it is widely used in folk crafts for the manufacture of various products. From cedar planks they make furniture, containers for food products, and make a pencil board. Pine nuts are extremely popular, from which 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 balsam.

In the forests of the Altai Territory, deciduous trees are most often found birch, aspen and poplar. In the flat part of Altai, both birch and mixed groves are found everywhere - small groves of trees of these species with abundant shrubs.

Several dozen species of shrubs grow in the region, many of which produce edible berries - raspberries, blackberries, currants, honeysuckle, blueberries, lingonberries. Beautiful in early spring mountain slopes covered with blooming bright crimson-violet evergreen maralnik (Siberian wild rosemary, Daurian rhododendron).

Thickets are common juniper, cinquefoil, meadowsweet. The region is famous for its abundant thickets of useful shrubs - sea ​​buckthorn, which produces berries from which valuable products are made medicine- sea buckthorn oil. On taiga meadows with mountain herbs, bees collect exceptionally aromatic honey, the fame of which is known far beyond the borders of our country. In spring and early summer, the plains and slopes of the Altai mountains are beautiful carpet of colorful flowers: bright orange lights, dark blue and pink tulips, blue bells, carnations, daisies, white and yellow buttercups. From medicinal plants on the territory of the Altai Territory, the most famous are maralium and golden root (Rhodiola rosea), bergenia and valerian, dandelion and marin root, spring adonis, licorice, etc. Over ten species relict plants grows in Altai. Among them - European hooffoot, brunera, sweet woodruff, circe. Found high on the slopes of the Altai mountains edelweiss.

The vegetation of Kamchatka is determined by a number of important factors: geographical location territory, the impact of a humid oceanic climate, predominantly mountainous terrain, the history of landscape development, the strong impact of volcanism and related phenomena.

Corresponding to the latitude of the peninsula coniferous forests from Cajander larch and Ayan spruce , so common in the mainland of the Far East, were largely destroyed in Kamchatka during the glaciation, which ended about 10 thousand years ago. Currently, they are distributed mainly in the Central Kamchatka depression, fenced from the east and west by high mountain ranges. Here, as an admixture to coniferous forests, they grow aspen and white-trunked birch .

On the eastern coast (the mouth of the Semyachik River) there is a small area coniferous forest, educated Sakhalin fir .

The main forest-forming species in the mountain forests and plains of Kamchatka is Erman birch , also called stone birch . It forms pure rare birch forests, so-called “park” forests. Near the seashore or at the upper border of the forest in the mountains they give way to stone birch forest from low-growing trees with bizarrely curved trunks.

More varied in set tree species are floodplain forests where they meet hairy alder, sweet poplar, choicenia , several varieties ive .

Common in the shrub layer of forests rowan elderberry, cedar and alder dwarf trees, blue honeysuckle and Chamisso, blunt rose hips, Siberian juniper . IN river valleys, on waterlogged soils, thickets are common beautiful willow Andspear-shaped, meadowsweet .

On the slopes of the mountains in the subalpine zone dominate dwarf cedar and shrubby alder (elf dwarf) , often forming impenetrable thickets. They are accompanied by shorter shrubs: golden and Kamchatka rhododendron, Bover's meadowsweet, arctic willow .

Even higher the bushes give way to belt of mountain tundras, in which spread out low-growing shrubs and shrubs predominate, alpine meadows, interspersed with extensive snowfields, stone screes and placers, rocks, where plants are found in small scattered groups or singly.

Meadows to one degree or another, widespread in all altitudinal zones.

One of the plant groups characteristic of Kamchatka is thickets of tall grass, often reaching 3 m in height. They are usually located along the valleys of rivers and streams, in valleys, on slopes in places where groundwater is close. Most often these are clean thickets meadowsweet Kamchatka , which is often mixed with Woolly hogweed, Kamchatka hogweed, forest carrot grass, hemp-leaved ragwort, Kamchatka thistle etc. Sometimes such tall grass develops under the canopy of a stone birch forest, but here it is usually lower.

forb meadows widespread on river terraces, forest edges, clearings, edges of swamps, coastal slopes in both forest and subalpine zones. Reed meadows predominate in clearings between alder thickets in the subalps. Widespread in the mountain tundra belt short grass alpine meadows.

Swamps are found throughout the altitudinal profile, but are most common in the forest belt. Swamps are mainly located in the Western Kamchatka Lowland, in the valleys of large rivers in Central and Eastern Kamchatka.

In low-lying areas seashore, on sea spits and sandy coastal ramparts there is a strip of seaside meadows, turning into mixed-grass meadows and Shikshevniks.

The most complete altitudinal zonation of vegetation is expressed on the volcanoes and mountains of Central Kamchatka: spruce forests found at an altitude of 300 m above sea level (occasionally higher), larch forests and white birch forests- up to 500 m, stone birch forests- from 300 to 800 m.

Higher, up to 1200 m above sea level, they dominate bush thickets from alder and cedar elfin wood , which replace mountain tundra and then - sparse vegetation high mountain deserts.

Average height zones eternal snow in the mountains of Central Kamchatka is 2400-3500 m above sea level. In other areas, this border is much lower, and the belt of spruce, larch and white birch forests is completely absent. Disturbances in zonation and the placement of plant groups in unusual conditions are quite common in Kamchatka. Sometimes there are vast areas within the forest belt shrub tundra. Sometimes along mountain terraces in places sheltered from the wind, groves of Erman's birch are found within the subalpine belt. In Southern Kamchatka, due to the cross-effects of air masses from the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the ocean, the climate is more humid and cold than in the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky region. The snow melts here and plants develop much later. The boundaries of all altitudinal zones are lower.

Impact of volcanism on vegetation is expressed in a variety of manifestations. Thus, as a result of the explosion of the Ksudach volcano in 1907, dozens of square kilometers to the north of it the vegetation was completely destroyed. Currently, part of this area is occupied by almost lifeless pumice-slag fields, in other areas lichen tundra has developed, alder thickets and (only in river valleys) stone birch forests are being restored. Large disturbances of vegetation occur as a result of large eruptions, outpouring of lavas, mudflows, activity of dry rivers, etc.

According to the latest data flora of Kamchatka includes 90 families, over 300 genera and about 1300 species. The latest glaciations led to the extinction of a number of heat-loving species, but they also contributed to the massive penetration of many arctic-alpine and even alpine species into Kamchatka. Modern Kamchatka flora is formed by species with various types distributions, among which circumpolar, Far Eastern and Asian-American predominate. There is also a small group of endemics - plants found only in Kamchatka.

The most numerous are representatives of three families: Compositae, cereals and sedges . Less rich in number of species pink, ranunculaceae, carnation, cruciferous, rush, willow, heather, saxifrage. Other families contain up to 20 species, and many of them are represented by only one or two plant species.

The Okhotsk region belongs to the forest-tundra zone, the predominant species is larch, the forest stands are characterized by uniform composition and open forest. The forests of the Okhotsk region do not form continuous massifs; under the influence of harsh climatic conditions, they grow in small areas depending on the relief and slope exposure. The forest area is 2,500.7 thousand hectares, or 18% of the district’s territory, and taking into account the clearings with dwarf cedar in the undergrowth, the percentage of forest cover will be 34%. A significant part of the territory is covered with mosses and lichens.

Vegetation

The region's territory is located in different natural areas. One of its main wealth is forests, which occupy more than half of the area (forest cover in the region is 62.9%) and make up 17% of the forest area of ​​the Far East. The vegetation of the region is rich and varied. Its main features are the abundance of plant species and the contrast of vegetation cover. The flora includes about 2000 species of higher plants, of which 21 rare species are listed in the Red Book. Here representatives of several floras converge, mutually penetrate and mix: Manchurian, Okhotsk-Kamchatka, East Siberian, Pacific and Mongol-Daurian, that is, plants of three climatic zones coexist - subarctic, temperate and subtropical.
IN quaternary period geological history, when a significant part of the Eurasian continent was subject to glaciation, the warming breath of the Pacific Ocean stopped the advance of ice in the Amur region. Thanks to this, such plants of the Tertiary period as Amur grapes, Actinidia kolomikta, Schisandra chinensis, Komarov lotus and many others have been preserved. And from the north, larch, Siberian spruce, and dwarf cedar penetrated into the region. This is how the plants of the north and south came together.
The richest and most diverse Manchurian flora consists of heat-loving plant species, the closest relatives of which are distributed in the subtropics, partly even in the tropics of East Asia, as well as in the corresponding zones of North America. Representatives of this flora - Amur velvet, Manchurian walnut, Chinese lemongrass, Amur grape, Korean pine pine, Eleutherococcus senticosus and many others - are distributed mainly in the east of the Zeya-Bureya and Arkharinskaya plains, along the spurs of the Bureya ridge and the Lesser Khingan and much less often on the islands and floodplains of large rivers. The East Siberian flora is poorer and more monotonous, prevailing in the north-west of the region, in the upper and middle parts of the Zeya basin and the upper reaches of the Amur, its main representatives are Gmelin larch (Daurian) and Siberian spruce. In the goltsy and subgoltsy altitudinal belts of mountainous regions there are representatives of the Pacific flora - dwarf cedar, Cassiopeia, several species of rhododendrons, including Redovsky rhododendron, listed in the Red Book, siversia, chokeberry chokeberry. The Mongol-Daurian flora is represented by plant species of steppe origin - bicolor lespedeza, Baikal and Far Eastern feather grass, Siberian tansy, Baikal skullcap. They are usually found in steppe areas of the Zeya-Bureya Plain. Some representatives of this flora are also found on the southern slopes of the Amur-Zeya Plain. The Okhotsk-Kamchatka flora, widespread in the east and northeast of the region, is less diverse. It contains many ancient species - Ayan spruce, white fir, several species of birch, known under the combined name stone. They form taiga forests, similar to the taiga forests of the Pacific coast of North America. There are three natural vegetation zones in the Amur region: coniferous forests(taiga), mixed or coniferous-deciduous forests and forest-steppe (or East Asian prairies).

Vegetable world Altai (flora)
Completed by: Marina Gennadievna Shabanova, teacher primary classes MBOU Sarasinskaya secondary school, Sarasa village Altai region Altai Territory 2014

The flora of the Altai region is rich and diverse. The vegetation here was influenced by the geological history of the territory's development, climate, and peculiar relief. Almost all types of vegetation of northern and central Asia, Eastern Kazakhstan, and the European part of Russia are found in Altai. Forests cover most of the Altai region. The only ribbon pine forests in the entire territory of Russia grow here - a unique natural formation, the likes of which are not found anywhere on our planet.

The origin of ribbon pine forests has an interesting history, 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 and the Ob flowed again into the seas of the Arctic Ocean, pine trees began to grow in the sand-filled hollows of the ancient runoff. This is how 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 Kulundinskaya lowland.

The woody plant world of the mountainous part of Altai is richer than on the plain. Cedar-fir forests with admixtures of birch and large quantities of pine grow here. This is the so-called black taiga, which is not found in other forest areas of the country. Many shrubs grow in the black taiga - raspberries, rowan berries, viburnum, currants, and bird cherry.

A very common tree in Altai is larch. Larch wood is hard and durable, retains its qualities well both in the ground and in water. Larch is a valuable building material: it is used to build houses that can last for centuries, make dams, build bridges, piers, and use it to make railway sleepers and telegraph poles. Larch forests are light and clean and resemble natural parks in which each tree grows separately.

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

In the forests of the Altai Territory, the most common deciduous species are birch, aspen and poplar. In the flat part of Altai, both birch and mixed groves are found everywhere - small groves of trees of these species with abundant shrubs.

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

Thickets of juniper, cinquefoil, and meadowsweet are often found. The region is famous for its abundant thickets of useful shrubs - sea buckthorn, which produces berries from which a valuable medicine - sea buckthorn oil - is made.

In taiga meadows with mountain herbs, bees collect exceptionally aromatic honey, the fame of which is known far beyond the borders of our country. In spring and early summer, the plains and slopes of the Altai mountains present a beautiful carpet of colorful flowers: bright orange lights, dark blue and pink tulips, blue bells, carnations, daisies, white and yellow buttercups.