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The countries are leaders in forest area. Forest resources of the world. What are the consequences of deforestation

Forests are a source of structural materials and raw materials that have multi-purpose purposes; source of biological resources.

World forest resources are characterized, first of all, by indicators of forest cover, forest area and standing timber stock.

The forest area indicator reflects the size of the territory covered by forests, including per capita. Forest cover shows the ratio of forest area to common territory countries. Growing wood stocks are usually determined by multiplying the average amount of wood (in cubic meters) from 1 m 2 to the area occupied by forests.

The total forest area in the world is 4 billion hectares. The largest area of ​​forests remains in Eurasia. This is about 40% of all world forests and almost 42% total stock wood, including 2/3 of the volume of wood from the most valuable species. Australia has the least forest cover. Since the continents vary in size, it is important to consider their forest cover. According to this indicator, it ranks first in the world South America. When economically assessing forest resources, such a characteristic as timber reserves is of paramount importance. On this basis, the countries of Asia, South and North America are distinguished. Leading positions in this area are occupied by countries such as Russia, Canada, Brazil and the USA. Bahrain, Qatar, Libya, etc. are characterized by a virtual absence of forests. Most forested area accounts for the countries of Latin America (930 million hectares), the CIS (810 million hectares), Africa (720 million hectares), North America (680 million hectares) and foreign Asia (540 million hectares). Here in selected places(Asian part of Russia, Canada, tropical countries of South and Southeast Asia, equatorial Africa, countries of the Amazon basin and Central America) forests are located in huge continuous tracts (forest cover is very high and sometimes reaches 75-95%).

IN overseas Europe forests occupy a relatively small area (160 million hectares) and are located mainly in its northern part (France, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Norway). The most wooded of European countries Finland (59%) and Sweden (54%). The forested area of ​​Australia and Oceania is also small - 160 million hectares. This region of the world also has the lowest forest cover (20%).

The forests of the world form two huge forest belts - northern and southern. The northern forest belt is located in a zone of temperate and partly subtropical climate. It accounts for half of the world's forests and almost the same share of all timber reserves. The most forested countries within this belt are Russia, the USA, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. The southern forest belt is located mainly in the tropical and equatorial climate. It also accounts for about half of the world's forests and total timber supply. They are concentrated mainly in three areas: the Amazon, the Congo Basin and Southeast Asia.

IN lately catastrophically fast convergence occurs tropical forests. They are under threat of complete destruction. Over the past 200 years, the forest area has decreased by at least 2 times. Every year, forests are destroyed on an area of ​​125 thousand km 2, which is equal to the territory of countries such as Austria and Switzerland combined. The main causes of forest destruction are: expansion of agricultural land and deforestation for timber use. Forests are being cut down due to the construction of communication lines. The green cover of the tropics is being destroyed most intensively. In most developing countries, logging is carried out in connection with the use of wood for fuel, and forests are also burned for arable land. Forests in highly developed countries are shrinking and degrading from air and soil pollution. Massive drying out of tree tops occurs due to their damage by acid rain. The consequences of deforestation are unfavorable for pastures and arable land. This situation could not go unnoticed. The most developed and at the same time forest-poor countries are already implementing programs to preserve and improve forest lands. Thus, in Japan and Australia, as well as in some Western European countries, the area under forests

remain stable, and depletion of the forest stand is not observed.

The forest has great importance for life on Earth, it is a source of raw materials in various sectors of the economy (construction, woodworking, hydrolysis, pulp and paper industries, etc.) Wood is widely used both as fuel and in everyday life.

The forests of Russia, the world's leader in reserves (81.6 billion m3 or over 23% of world reserves) and area (771.1 million hectares) of forest resources, cover almost half (45%) of the country's territory. Coniferous species predominate (larch, pine, spruce, cedar, fir), which account for 82% of all wood reserves in the country, 16% are soft-leaved (aspen, birch, alder) and 2% are hard-leaved (oak and beech) breeds Forests are mainly concentrated in eastern regions- about 80% of their reserves fall to Siberia and Far East. Particularly rich in forests Krasnoyarsk region And Irkutsk region, Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories, Amur region. The forests in these areas are not only large in reserves, but also have a high quality composition (larch, pine, cedar, rare broad-leaved species).

In the rest of Russia, the European North (Komi Republic and Karelia, Arkhangelsk and Volgograd regions) and the Urals (Perm and Sverdlovsk regions) are distinguished by forest resources. In all the above-mentioned areas, active forest development is underway. Russia is also ahead of many countries in the world in terms of forest area per capita. This figure here is 3 hectares, while in the world as a whole it is 0.8 hectares, in foreign Europe - 0.3 hectares, in foreign Asia - 0.2 hectares, in Africa - 1.3 hectares, North America- 2.5 hectares, Latin America- 2.2 hectares, Australia and Oceania - 6.4 hectares. Russia also stands out in terms of the size of timber harvesting and transportation.

In Russia, as in countries Northern Europe, North and Latin America, Asia and Africa, forests suffer greatly from deforestation (currently, in the world as a whole, the volume of harvesting approximately corresponds to the annual increase in wood -3.6 billion m 3) forest fires, acid rain and other phenomena. As a result, the area of ​​forests on Earth is decreasing annually (up to 0.6% per year), which creates a real threat of their complete destruction.

Wood is one of the world's most essential renewable resources. And wood, both in ancient times and now, is used to make various building materials, interior components and other things people need. Of course, the forest can recover much more slowly than it is cut down by people.

The luckiest countries are those countries that have the most forests. That is, roughly speaking, while one area is being cut down, the rest are already growing rapidly. There are countries where there are practically no forests at all, and there are states where forests occupy the main part. In total, the forest area on the planet exceeds four billion hectares. Those countries with large timber reserves are included in the ranking.

10. India, 65 million hectares of forest

It would seem that the territory of this country is not so much, but, for some reason, India is already in tenth place in the ranking. The fact is that Indian forests are located in subtropical and tropical zone, that is, deciduous moist forests.

They grow much faster than the familiar oaks, pines and birches. Moreover, in India they are growing sacred trees, which are prohibited from cutting down by the laws of this state. There are a lot of nature reserves where there are even restrictions on entry. Even though trees are sacred, they are still considered a natural resource. There have been repeated news reports that unprotected forests are often cut down. India became the leader in logging in 2010.

9. Peru, 70 million hectares of forest

Not a well-known state. Located in South America. Jungles, broad-leaved forests, which not only grow quickly, but are practically not cut down by anyone.

Peru's population is small, which means there are few domestic consumers. Peru is a small country, the Amazon River flows only through a small part of it, where forests usually grow more intensively.

8. Indonesia, 90 million hectares of forest

Small state, but the forest area is also good. Just like in Peru, the forest is practically not cut down and there is no foreign trade in forest resources. The forests are broad-leaved and tropical, so they grow quickly and in large quantities. Indonesia also has many nature reserves where deforestation and hunting are prohibited.

7. Republic of the Congo, 135 million hectares of forest

The African state of Congo is ahead of Indonesia, as it has more territory, and the forests are already closer to the equatorial areas. A huge number of reserves (15% of the entire territory) do not allow poachers to cut down trees. Wet equatorial forests They grow even faster than the others.

The soils of the Congo allow forests to grow, since this state stands on the largest river of the same name, which feeds the entire coastal zone with water. Also, this geographical location is characterized by heavy equatorial rains.

6. Australia, 165 million hectares of forest

Similar to the Congo, the number of nature reserves is very large: many sacred places that, according to local residents, should not be visited at all. Sometimes the punishment is death.

The vegetation of this continent corresponds to the types of subequatorial and equatorial forests. It is ahead of the previous leader, most likely due to the difference in territories. Australia has one of the most big trees in the world - eucalyptus. Industrial significance have approximately 100 species of woody plants.

5. People's Republic of China, 200 million hectares of forest

Despite very frequent incidents in terms of poachers, it is in fifth place in the ranking of leaders in timber reserves. Vegetation is transitional: subtropical and tropical. There are also areas where temperate forests predominate.

The same forest performs two functions at once, one of which is growing silkworm for the extraction of the famous Chinese silk. The relatively large area of ​​China is not characterized by heavy forest cover, since the population density is off the charts.

4. USA, 305 million hectares of forest

Vegetation of temperate latitudes is characteristic of this country. It is important to note that the forests of the USA are almost the same as Taiga, only smaller in size. The forest is almost never cut down, and on top of that, liability for neglect of nature has been tightened. Such forests are characterized by cedars, birches, oaks, pines, spruces and other valuable species. In general, Americans themselves are thrifty, they buy everything they can and save their own.

Do not forget that there are also a lot of forests on the Alaska Peninsula, only they are characterized by a more forest-tundra feature. One of the most large forests USA is a National Forest. It is considered a federal land.

3. Canada, 310 million hectares of forest

Almost the lowest population density is characteristic of Canada. Canadian forest seems endless to many locals. It is precisely the low population density that is associated large number forests, since part of Canada is a tundra zone where practically nothing grows. The forests, like those of the USA, are taiga in Russia.

The most popular plant in this country is the Canadian maple, the image of which is featured on the national flag. The most extensive are the Laurentian and Eastern forests of Canada.

2. Brazil, 480 million hectares of forest

In general, the geographical location is very beneficial for its citizens. Brazil occupies about forty-eight percent of the area of ​​all of South America. Many archipelagos and islands. Brazil's forests belong mainly to tropical and equatorial zones.

It comes in second place in the ranking, since the forests are growing quickly and the territory is larger than those listed tropical countries. The largest river in South America, the Amazon, also flows here, feeding a huge amount of soil. In addition, forests in Brazil are almost never cut down.

1. Russian Federation, 810 million hectares of forest

World leader in timber reserves. This state has always had a lot of forests, despite very frequent poaching (this also applies to foreign poachers) deforestation, pollution, intensive sale and use of wood. Most big forest in Russia - Taiga. It is located from Ural mountains all the way to the Far East. The taiga is still sparsely populated and in some places has not even been studied.

In addition to the Taiga, there are other large forests in Russia, for example the forests of the Caucasus, Central regions and so on. Large rivers and lakes, a large territory of the country, fertile layer, protection of nature reserves and national parks– all this is favorable for the growth of forests.

These include: wood, mushrooms, berries, medicinal plants, fruits, etc. Also, part of these resources can be considered their useful properties, such as protection from natural disasters and soil erosion, health improvement, climate regulation, etc.

Importance and use of forest resources

Forests cover more than 26% of the land surface, which is just over 3.8 billion hectares. The world's total forest resources are negatively impacted by deforestation, resulting in a global net loss of forests of approximately 8 million hectares per year. However, in parallel with deforestation, some regions are experiencing an increase in forest areas, due to natural processes or the planting of new plantings.

World forest resource map

Ecology and problems of use of forest resources

Deforestation began thousands of years ago, and the wood was used to build ships and houses. However, over the past 20 years, more than 300 million hectares of tropical forest (more than the size of India) have been destroyed for agriculture, mining or urban development. Due to active human activity, forest resources have lost about 50% of the area, which in itself significantly disrupts the global carbon cycle.

Estimates from the World Resources Institute have shown that at current rates of tree cutting, about 40% of today's intact forests will disappear within 10-20 years. Their loss will reduce the number of trees absorbing carbon dioxide, and, in addition, cut trees release accumulated carbon.

Causes of forest disappearance

The main reasons for the disappearance of forests are:

  • agricultural activities (growing agricultural products, cattle breeding, etc.);
  • logging industry;
  • mining and oil production;
  • construction of large hydroelectric dams (which result in the flooding of vast forested areas);
  • unwise policies that increase forest exports;
  • global warming (deforestation contributes to global warming, and this in turn leads to the disappearance of forests that are unable to adapt to climate change);
  • forest fires (every year 6-14 million hectares of forests disappear from fires);
  • illegal deforestation (accounting for almost 70% of total deforestation);
  • use of forests for heat generation (mainly in undeveloped regions).

What are the consequences of deforestation?

Deforestation (and the destruction of their natural functions) causes many serious problems:

  • Tree loss exacerbates global warming

Protection and rational use of forests natural resources provides the following steps:

Regulated and planned tree felling

One of the main causes of deforestation is commercial logging. Although trees are considered an inexhaustible and renewable natural resource, when exploited on a very large scale, their restoration may not be possible.

With this approach, only mature and useless trees are used for felling, and the area of ​​the felled area does not exceed 1/10 of the total. Then, young trees are planted in their place, which will perform all the necessary functions much better.

Forest fire control

Destruction or loss of forests due to fires is quite common. This is due to the easy flammability of trees and the difficulties in controlling and extinguishing fire. Sometimes a fire starts due to natural factors(lightning strike, friction of trees in strong winds or abnormal heat), however, in most cases this occurs due to the intentional or unintentional participation of people.

In order to save forests from fires, it is necessary to adopt the latest fire fighting techniques, which include comprehensive actions And special training firefighters, as well as maximum provision of modern equipment.

Reforestation and afforestation

Whenever trees are cut down, the treeless area is subject to reforestation. In this case, both natural and artificial methods can be used. Likewise, any forested area that has been destroyed by fire or mining must be restored.

In addition to all this, it is necessary to introduce promising afforestation programs. New forest areas will not only increase the total area of ​​forest resources, but will also help create an ecological balance. For afforestation, trees must be selected according to local geographical conditions.

Control of deforestation for agricultural and residential purposes

Most of today's agricultural land and land under human settlements was once forests that were cleared of trees and began to be actively used. Currently, this process has reached a stage where further deforestation will harm the entire ecosystem. To preserve forests, it is necessary to develop an alternative method that will not harm the ecological system, and at the same time, satisfy all the necessary needs of humanity.

Forest protection

Active government involvement in forest conservation

To preserve forests at the state level, it is necessary to introduce regional and national programs for rational use and forest protection, identify areas for reforestation, regulate the commercial use of forests, create National parks, encourage afforestation, and create short-term and long-term visions effective use forests

ROME, September 7 – RIA Novosti, Natalia Shmakova. Russia is the country with the largest forest area, accounting for 20% of the world's forests, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015 report released on Monday.

The study, which covers 234 countries and territories and is released every five years, assesses the status and analysis of changes in the world's forests. In particular, the report notes that the latest data shows an encouraging trend towards lower rates of deforestation, reduced carbon emissions from forests and increased capacity for sustainable forest management.

Rosleskhoz: illegal logging increased by 21% in 2014At the same time, the largest volumes of illegal logging were detected in the Irkutsk (562.7 thousand cubic meters), Sverdlovsk (97.5 thousand), Vologda (65.6 thousand), Leningrad (44.6 thousand), Kirov (42.8 thousand) regions.

The FAO report names the ten richest countries in forests, accounting for about 67% of the world's forest area. In addition to Russia, which retains first place in the share of forests in the total area, the list of countries also includes Brazil, whose share in the total forest area is 12%, Canada (9%) and the USA (8%), and China closes the top five (5%).

Speaking about how forests and forest management have changed over the past 25 years, experts note that although they have “changed significantly,” in general, this period has been marked by a number of positive results.

“Although globally, the world's forest resources continue to decline as populations grow and demand for food and land increases, the rate of net forest loss has decreased,” the document says.

Thus, since 1990, forest area has decreased by 3.1% - from 4.1 billion hectares to 3.99 billion in 2015. At the same time, the annual loss of natural forest area, which represents the bulk of the world's forest resources, has slowed: while in 1990-2000 the net loss of area was 8.5 million hectares per year, then in the last five years this figure has dropped to 6.6 million hectares.

"These changes are the result of declining rates of forest conversion in some countries and expansion of forest area in others. Net change in forest area appears to have stabilized over the past ten years," the experts say.

At the same time, the FAO report indicates that although natural forest decline is now occurring at a slower pace, “its area is likely to continue to decline, especially in the tropics.” This is explained by the fact that forests will be converted to agricultural land. Thus, “the largest share of forest loss is expected in Latin America, followed by Africa, with forest growth projected in all other regions.”

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the total area of ​​forests in the world exceeds 3.4 billion hectares or 27% of the earth's land area. FAO estimates are based on the determination that all ecological systems with tree cover density of at least 10% in developing countries and at least 20% in developed countries are identified as forests.

In addition, according to the accepted methodology for classifying forests, 1.7 billion hectares of land occupied by tree and shrub vegetation must be added to this area. More than half of the world's forest area (51%) is located in four countries: Russia - 22%, Brazil - 16%, Canada - 7%, USA - 6%

The FAO estimate of the total timber stock in the world's forests was compiled from data from 166 countries, which contain 99% of the world's forest area. In 2000 it amounted to 386 billion cubic meters.

The total amount of aboveground woody biomass in the world is estimated at 422 billion tons. About 27% of aboveground woody biomass is concentrated in Brazil and about 25% in Russia (due to area).

The average amount of woody biomass per hectare of forests on the planet is 109 tons/ha. The maximum amount of woody biomass per hectare was recorded for South America as a whole. The largest supply of wood per hectare is also noted here (in Guatemala - 355 m3/ha). The countries of Central Europe also have very high wood reserves per hectare (in Austria - 286 m3/ha).

The global forest assessment is based on information provided by each country to FAO based on a recommended format. It is also customary to combine these data according to the identified forest growth zones: tropical, temperate and boreal zones based on the conditional division of the surface of the globe into physical-geographical zones.

Forest zones are natural land areas of boreal, temperate, subtropical, tropical, subequatorial and equatorial belt, in the natural landscapes of which forest trees and shrubs predominate. Forest zones are common in conditions of sufficient or excessive moisture. The most typical climate for forest growth is humid or humid. According to

According to the geomorphological classification, the climate of areas with excess moisture is considered humid, when precipitation exceeds the amount of moisture that goes into evaporation and seepage into the soil, and excess moisture is removed by river runoff, which contributes to the development of erosive landforms.

The typical vegetation of landscapes with a humid climate is forest. There are two types of humid climate: polar - with permafrost and phreatic - with groundwater.

The world's tropical forests cover an area of ​​1.7 billion hectares, which is about 37% of the land area of ​​countries located in the tropical zone of our planet. Subequatorial monsoon forests grow in the tropical zone, uh quatorial tropical rainforests, tropical humid evergreen forests, tropical humid deciduous and semi-deciduous forests, including mangrove forests and savannas.

All forests of this belt of earth develop on the so-called red soils - ferrallitic soils that formed on the weathering crust of the ancient landmass of the earth, which underwent deep weathering (ferrallitization), as a result of which almost all primary minerals are destroyed. The humus content in the upper horizon of these soils ranges from 1-1.5 to 8-10%. Sometimes ferruginous armored crusts form on the soil surface.

Ferrallitic soils are common in South and Central America, Central Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Northern Australia. After deforestation, Hevea plantations are created on these soils to harvest natural rubber, oil or coconut palms, as well as a classic set of tropical crops: sugar cane, coffee, cocoa, banana, pineapple, tea, black and white pepper, ginger, etc. culture.

Forest zones of the temperate zones of the Northern and Southern hemispheres include the taiga zone, the zone mixed forests, zone of deciduous forests and monsoon forests temperate zone.

Characteristic feature forest zones temperate zones are seasonal natural processes. Coniferous and deciduous forests with a relatively simple structure and a small variety of plant cover are common here. Podzolic and brown earth types of soil formation predominate.

Temperate forests cover an area of ​​0.76 billion hectares in five regions of the world: eastern North America, most of Europe, the eastern part of the Asian subcontinent, a small part in the Middle East and Patagonia (Chile).

Boreal forests grow in the latitudinal zone between arctic tundra and temperate forests. The total area of ​​forest lands in the boreal belt of the planet is estimated at 1.2 billion hectares, of which 0.92 billion hectares are closed forests, including 0.64 billion hectares of forests called operational ones.

Boreal forests grow mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. Their total area in North America and Eurasia is almost 30% of the total forest area of ​​the planet.

In general, the area of ​​boreal forests accounts for 82.1% of the total forest area of ​​the six countries in which they grow. In Canada, boreal forests are 75% of forests, in the USA (Alaska) - 88%, in Norway - 80%, in Sweden - 77%, in Finland - 98% and in Russia - on average about 67%.

Tropical forests are characterized by a thick weathering crust and intense runoff. The subzone of permanently moist forests is dominated by evergreen forests with exceptional species diversity on red-yellow lateritic soils. In the subzone of seasonally wet forests, along with evergreen forests, deciduous forests on red ferrallitic soils are common.

Zones of equatorial tropical forests are distributed on both sides of the equator in South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the islands of Oceania. In the zones of equatorial forests, there is almost no seasonal rhythm of natural processes, moisture is abundant, temperatures are constantly high, rivers are high-water, soils are laterite podzolized, and along the sea coasts there are mangrove communities.

The forest growing here is commonly known as tropical evergreen rain forest. This forest has become a symbol of the struggle for forest conservation and conservation biological diversity, since they are multi-tiered tree formations growing in conditions of year-round moisture and have a high density of animal population, especially in the upper tiers of the forest.

On globe There are already less than 1 billion hectares of such forests left (718.3 million hectares), mainly in Brazil, i.e. about 41% of the total tropical forest area or about 16% of the planet's forest area.

Subequatorial monsoon forests are common in Central and South America, Africa, southern Asia and northeastern Australia. In these zones, the climate is characterized by the dominance of equatorial monsoons. The dry season lasts 2.5-4.5 months. The soils are red-colored lateritic. Mixed deciduous-evergreen and deciduous forests predominate.

Moist tropical evergreen, semi-deciduous and deciduous forests are the predominant type of vegetation in the eastern sectors of the continents within the tropical zones of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres (southern Florida, Central and South America, India, Madagascar, Southeast Asia, Australia, islands of Oceania and the Malay Archipelago. They occupy mainly the windward slopes of mountain areas. The climate is tropical humid or seasonally humid with the dominance of humid oceanic trade winds.

According to the Forest Information System (FORIS), created by FAO, of the total area of ​​tropical forests (1756.3 million hectares), lowland forests account for 88%, montane forests – 11.6% and high-mountain areas not occupied by woody vegetation – 0.4%. Among lowland tropical forests, the largest area is occupied by rain evergreen tropical forests (718.3 million hectares in 1990), the forest cover of these territories is 76%. Following them are tropical tropical deciduous forests, the area of ​​which is 587.3 million hectares (forest cover 46%). Dry deciduous tropical forests occupied only 238.3 million hectares (forest cover 19%). The area of ​​mountain forests was 204.3 million hectares (forest cover 29%).

Land released from virgin rainforest for agricultural use quickly loses its fertility. Abandoned farmland is overgrown with so-called secondary tropical forest within a few years; secondary after virgin.

The most typical feature of tropical secondary forest is that it is depleted and fairly uniform in environmental characteristics species composition trees - edificators.

Tree species of the secondary tropical forest are characterized by relative light-lovingness, rapid growth and the ability to effectively disperse seeds, i.e. less dependent on consortia with seed-dispersing animals than trees in primary tropical forests. But as the secondary forest develops, it becomes increasingly closer in appearance to the parent formation.

Tropical forests are heterogeneous. The total number of woody plants in tropical forests exceeds four thousand. Moreover, the number of main forest-forming tree species exceeds 400 species. Therefore, the tropical forest is a complex mosaic of evergreen, semi-evergreen (semi-deciduous), mixed, deciduous and coniferous forests, which is formed under the influence of orographic and edapho-climatic factors.

The edapho-climatic types of tropical forest formations such as savannas, bamboo thickets, and mangrove forests stand apart.

Unlike other forest formations, the species composition of natural mangrove forests is small. The mangrove trees themselves, which determine the specific appearance of this formation, are species of two families Rhizophoraceae (genus Rhizophora and Bruguiera) and Verbenaceae (genus Avicennia); the core of the formation is formed by 12-14 species of mangrove trees.

It is believed that with the help of mangrove forests, not only the consolidation, but also the growth of the land masses of the countries of the Pacific region occurs.

The mangrove forests of the world have been studied quite well and in detail. This is largely due to their diverse and ecologically important role, ranging from the creation of specific conditions for the reproduction and habitat of numerous marine and freshwater fish, crustaceans, etc., up to the use of mangrove wood for fuel, charcoal (from Rhizophoza), processing etc.

In the countries of the Asia-Pacific region with their ancient civilizations, artificial mangrove forests are also widespread, in which up to 40% are Melaleuca leucadendra trees.

A significant part of the planet's population lives in the forested subtropical zone. It is formed by a collection of forest natural areas subtropics of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, sometimes considered as zones of monsoon mixed forests, of which the Mediterranean zones are a typical example. Forest subtropical zones characterized by mild winters, year-round vegetation of plants, significant differences in landscapes on slopes of different exposures.

The composition of tree species in temperate forests in different regions of the world is quite similar; it is dominated by maple, birch, juniper, chestnut, oak, beech, willow, magnolia, pine, spruce, fir, etc. The classic appearance of European temperate forests is most fully represented by pure and mixed beech and birch forests.

Beech never enters the growing zone of subtropical or boreal forests, unlike birch. The second group of species that shape the appearance of temperate forests are oaks. In total, there are more than 250 species of oaks in the genus Quercus, of which 111 species are widespread. Unlike beech, oak also penetrates into subboreal regions. For example, Quercus robur extends deep into the continental regions of Eurasia, and Quercus mongolica extends to the boreal regions of the Far East and Eastern Siberia and northeastern regions of China. However, only 6...7 species of oak are capable of reaching 50 O northern latitude. The main part of this group of species does not rise above 30 to the north. O- 35O northern latitude.

The picture of the appearance of forests growing in temperate zones, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, is completed by numerous species of birch (46 species are widespread), alder (23 species), willow (145 species) and poplar (41 species).

In North America, most of the temperate forests stretch from east coast inland to 95 O western longitude, and in some places even further to the west. This lane is bounded north by 45 O northern latitude and from the south – 30 O northern latitude. Among the most common tree species in this strip, in addition to a limited set of conifers, there are 37 species of oak, 13 species of willow, 11 species of juniper, 10 maples, 8 magnolias, 6 birches, 5 species each of alder and walnut, 4 species each ash, chestnut, poplar, linden, elm, 2 types of honey locust, hornbeam, elm and more than 40 other types of tree species.

In Europe, temperate forests grow from Atlantic coast deep into the continent up to the boreal forest belt. The exception is the forests of the Iberian and Peloponnesian peninsulas, which are more characterized by the Mediterranean subtropical type of forest cover, although in some places there are islands of coniferous and deciduous forests of the temperate zone.

Such a far advance of temperate forests in Europe is due to the influence of the Gulf Stream, which forms a specific Atlantic type climatic conditions even in continental Europe.

The species composition of temperate forests in Europe is poorer than in North America. It includes, in addition to several species of pine, fir and spruce, 35 species of willow, 18 oak, 9 maples, 4 species each of birch, alder and poplar, 3 species each of ash, linden and elm, 2 species each of beech and hornbeam, one type of juniper, plane tree and chestnut and about 20 other types of tree species.

The third largest area occupied by temperate forests is the eastern part of Asia. These forests grow not only on the Asian mainland, starting from the eastern coast of Japan and Chinese seas, located from the river valley. Yangtze, partially reaching even the Kamchatka Peninsula (60 O northern latitude). On the mainland they are located over a vast area between 30 O and 50 O northern latitude and between 125 O and 115 O east longitude. These temperate forests also grow in Japan, especially in the northern and central parts.

The species composition of forests in Eastern Asia is the most numerous in the temperate zone. A significant part is made up of coniferous species; by the end of the 1970s, more than 1,200 species were described in the world.

In the temperate zone northern hemisphere More than half of the world's coniferous species grow, including 80 species of pine, about 50 spruce (according to some sources from 36 to 80 species), 40 fir, about 60 juniper, 6 larch, 12 cypress and 4 types of cedar.

Breed composition deciduous trees in temperate forests, with the exception of larch, there are more than 800 species. There are especially many species of willow - 97 species, maple species - 66, magnolia - 50, chestnut - 45, birch - 36, poplar - 33, hornbeam - 25, oak - 18 species.

In the Middle East, temperate forests, especially deciduous forests, represent the southeastern branch of European forests, extending through the Dardanelles into the Asian subcontinent. They stretch in a narrow strip across the northern part of Anatolia (Türkiye). Approaching the Iranian Plateau, this strip of forest expands to the south to 30 O northern latitude, covering the eastern part of the Black Sea region. In the foothills, in the lower and middle parts of the spurs of the Caucasus, deciduous and coniferous forests, characteristic of the temperate zone, also grow. The species composition of this part of the forests is very close to European forests.

The world's smallest temperate forests occur in Patagonia, in southern Chile. They stretched from 37 O up to 55 O southern latitude, occupying mainly river valleys and leeward hill slopes. Their breed composition is small, including 47 species. The largest group is 10 species of Nothofagus of the family Fagaceae and 8 species of Myrceugenia of the family Myrthaceae.

The main appearance of boreal forests is determined by coniferous species. In North America there are 12 species, including 5 species of pine, 3 species of spruce, one species each of fir, hemlock and thuja. In Eurasia there are 14 species, of which 3 are pine, 4 are fir, 3 are spruce and 2 are larch. But due to the biological specificity of these species, the species composition of boreal forests includes a significant number of deciduous trees, mainly birch, aspen, and poplar. Depending on the degree of continental climate, certain tree species receive an advantage in the species composition.

The growing zone of boreal forests in Russia includes tundra, forest-tundra, subzones of the northern and middle taiga, and also partly the subzone of the southern taiga. The state forest fund of the country is distributed between these territories as follows:

§ subzone of tundra light forests - 14% of the forest fund area, including 17% of the forest area and 13% of the forested area, i.e. the forests themselves;

§ northern taiga subzone - 10% of the total forest area, 9% of the forested area and 8% of the forested area;

§ middle taiga subzone - 33%, 38% and 41%, respectively;

§ southern taiga subzone - 18%, 20% and 20%, respectively.

A separate accounting unit within the forests of group I of Russia includes tundra forests, geographically located in the forest-tundra zone. It should be noted that the boundaries of the forest-tundra zone and the tundra forests do not coincide: the tundra forests of Russia are currently a conditional economic unit, while the forest-tundra is a unit of geographical zoning of the territory.

In the mountains and adjacent plains of the taiga regions of Eastern Siberia and the Far East, forests formed mainly by larch are common. IN mountainous areas forest-tundra and tundra, in addition to larch forests, there are also open birch forests, thickets of willows, shrubby birches and often Siberian juniper.

In the mountainous regions of the forest-tundra and tundra of Eastern Siberia and the Far East, thickets of dwarf cedar are common, rising in the mountains to the subalpine belt. These tree species grow in the northern upper limit of their distribution woody vegetation, including on the coasts of the Okhotsk and Bering Seas, on the Kuril Islands and on Sakhalin Island.

But in the northern latitudes of Russia, the upper limit of forest vegetation can also be represented by spruce forests and stone birch forests.


The full version of the work was published in 2001: Strakhov V.V., Pisarenko A.I., Borisov V.A. Forests of the world and Russia // M., In the collection: Bulletin of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation “Use and protection of natural resources of Russia”, M., 2001, No. 9, pp. 49-63;