What trees grow in Karelia. Vegetation of Karelia. The industrial value of the forest

As the dictionary of V. I. Dahl testifies, taiga is a word of Siberian origin. In the Yakut language, "taiga" means "forest".
Scientists understand the taiga as a vast part of the forest zone, covered mainly coniferous forests from pine, spruce, fir, larch and Siberian cedar (Siberian cedar pine). These forests stretch in a wide strip across the northern part of the territory of Russia, Scandinavia, Canada and the northern regions of the United States.
Within the taiga, forest-tundra light forests, northern, middle and southern subzones and coniferous-broad-leaved forests of odtaiga are distinguished. Hidden forests are characterized by simplicity of layered structure and poverty. species composition plants and animals.

Forests dominated by spruce, fir and Siberian stone pine form a dark coniferous taiga. Under the canopy of such a forest, which barely transmits light, there is no or sparse woodland, the soil is covered with mosses or a bedding of needles. Larch and pine forests form light coniferous taiga. These are predominantly sparse-layer forests, with good illumination, often with well-developed undergrowth and grass-shrub layer. Along the river valleys, the taiga invades the tundra zone, along the mountain ranges into the zone of broad-leaved forests.
Taiga occupies 10% of the Earth's land mass. About 70% of commercial coniferous wood is harvested in it, a lot of medicinal raw materials; a large number of game animals live here and the main base of hunting is located. In the fur preparations of our country, the taiga gives 100% of the harvested sable, 90% of the column, 80% of the squirrel, 50% of the ermine, 40% of the muskrat.
The Karelian taiga, which occupies the western outskirts of the Russian taiga, is distinguished by a certain originality, which is due to the position of the region on the periphery of the Baltic crystalline shield. Millions of years ago, active tectonic processes took place here, caused by earthquakes and volcanic activity. Deep cracks ripped the crystalline foundation into blocks, hills, ridges. Later, about a million years ago, a powerful glacier began to attack this earthly firmament from Scandinavia, which retreated only 10-12 thousand years ago. The glacier leveled the mountains, plowed valleys and hollows, carried strong boulders and blocks for many hundreds of kilometers, ground and redeposited looser rocks.

There are 27 thousand people here. rivers and 62 thousand. lakes, elongated predominantly in one direction from north - west to south - east . The rivers , full of rapids and waterfalls , are swift and seething , as in the mountains . This paradox is a distinctive feature of Karelia. The scientist - geologist aptly called it "a mountainous country with a flat relief." animals and is the main base of hunting. The originality of the geological geomorphological and hydrographic conditions could not but affect the forests - and allowed scientists to single out the Karelian taiga as a special region. Forests cover a little more than half of the territory here. Another third is occupied by swamps and water surfaces. There are relatively many dry and rocky, as well as swampy forests.

Of exceptional importance is the role of numerous edge forests, stretching in endless ribbons along the banks of rivers, rivers and lakes, along the outskirts, swamps and agricultural lands. Here are the best conditions for the growth of plants, the life of animals and birds. In terms of "abundance of life", edge forests far outnumber adjacent lands in the depths of the territory.
The landscape diversity of forests in Karelia is great. If the taiga, in the usual view, is monotonous and gloomy, then the Karelian, on the contrary, has many faces and amazes with a variety of impressions.
The Karelian taiga is divided into two subzones: northern and middle. The border between them runs along the line Medvezhyegorsk Porosozero. The northern taiga passes into the Murmansk region, the southern border of the middle taiga is drawn along the border with the Leningrad region, where the southern taiga begins.
In other words, in the generally accepted economic and economic conception, the middle taiga occupies the territory of southern Karelia, northern middle and northern Karelia.
In the northern taiga predominantly pines grow, but spruce forests are also found; in the middle one , on the contrary , spruce plantations predominate more . Coniferous forests account for 88% of the forested area.

In the middle taiga, small patches of Karelian birch can be found, although it usually grows as single trees among other birches. Karelian birch is one of the very valuable and rare species of wood.
In the south - east of Karelia one can meet larch , maple , small - leafed linden , and elms . And often found in the south of Karelia black alder. The most common in the Karelian taiga are light coniferous pine forests, which occupy more than 65% of the forested area. Pine can grow both on sandy soils and on excessively wet swamps. But she feels most comfortable in conditions of moderate moisture and sufficient mineral richness of soils. Under the cover of a pine forest, a cover of shrubs grows abundantly: blueberries, lingonberries, crowberries, wild rosemary, as well as many forest herbs.

There are much fewer forests dominated by spruce: they account for 23% of the forested area. In the middle taiga, spruce plantations occupy predominantly watershed areas, in the northern well-drained slopes of large ridges and river valleys. Green mosses predominate in the cover of dense spruce forests, blueberries and forest forbs in more sparse ones.
In general, the forests of Karelia predominantly mixed . In pine forests, the share of spruce (up to 30%) and birch (up to 20%) is high, in spruce forests there are a lot of pine and deciduous. Pure (single-species) are only pine forests of the lichen group.
In the age spectrum of the Karelian taiga, forests up to 40 years old (young forests) are currently distinguished, they include more than. Mountains bring a special originality to the vegetation cover of Karelia.

Swamps are a characteristic feature of the Karelian taiga. They are extremely diverse both in size, configuration, and composition of the vegetation cover. Small swamps are found almost everywhere, occupying all depressions in the relief that are not occupied by lakes.
The fauna of the taiga is, admittedly, relatively poor. Karelian taiga inthisrelationnotis anexception. Mammalsherenoted 52 kind. Amongthemthere isandtinyshrews, weighing 2-3 G, andsuchsolidanimals, asElkandbrownbear, weightbefore 300-500 kg.
Behindrecent 70-80 yearsKareliantaigareplenishednearnewspecies. Muskrat, americanminkandraccoondogwerespeciallyissuedherehumanandfastmasteredallland; Europeanbeaver, boarandroeon one's owncamefromLeningradareas, CanadianbeaverfromFinland.

Muchmore variedworldfeathered, numbering 286 species, fromwhichmore 210 nesting. Majorityconstitutebirdsforestlandscapesnear 60%, significantGroup (30%) tiedwithbodies of water, andless 10% speciespreferopen, predominantlycultural, landscapes. Near 50 speciesbirdsenteredinRedbookRepublicKarelia, fromthemtypicallyforestabouthalf.
reptilesandamphibiansinKarelianforestspresentedsmallnumberspeciesandcommonweakly. NumberspeciesinsectsByenotlends itselfaccounting, knownonly, whatthemnotless 010 thousand. 272 kindassignedtorareandincludedagain- stillinRedbookRepublicKarelia. Having receivedgeneralperformanceaboutKareliantaigaandcomponentshercommunitiesplantsandanimals, let's get acquaintedwithseparatethemrepresentatives.

Evgeny Ieshko

Vice-chairman

Presidium of the Karelian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Karelia - a country of lakes, forests and stones

In the land of lakes and forests

Karelia is traditionally called a lake and forest land. Its territory, which is larger in area than Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and Denmark (without Greenland) together, is inhabited by a little more than 700 thousand people. Representatives of many nationalities live here, having a lot in common in their culture. Russians, Karelians, Belarusians and Ukrainians predominate. And for example, such peoples as Vepsians and Ingrians, indigenous to these places, are very few in number today. There is a fear that if the current unfavorable demographic trends continue, they may disappear.

The glaciation of its territory played a significant role in the formation of the modern relief of Karelia, which is characterized by rockiness and a clear orientation of water basins (from northwest to southeast). Intensive melting of the glacier began here about 13 thousand years ago. The ice sheet had a width and length of hundreds of kilometers. The ice finally melted only in the early Holocene. The waters of melting glaciers filled the folds of the rocky relief. As a result, many lakes have formed. The catalog of reservoirs of the republic includes 61 thousand lakes. There are more than 27 thousand rivers in Karelia.

First traces ancient man, who created his settlements on the territory of present-day Karelia, date back to the 3rd millennium BC. In the first half of the next millennium, separate isolated groups already lived along the entire perimeter of Lake Onega. Among the surviving material evidence of this historical period a special role is given to rock carvings - petroglyphs. On the sloping smooth granite rocks of the eastern shore of Lake Onega, hundreds and hundreds of various drawings of an ancient person were found. Art Museum under open sky attracts many tourists and researchers to these lands. Petroglyphs are trying to decipher and, on this basis, to comprehend the worldview of the Neolithic man and, perhaps, to better understand themselves.

virgin forests

For a number of reasons, intensive forestry activities have bypassed the Karelian forests located along the border with Finland. This led to a high degree of preservation of the "islands" of virgin nature. The largest massifs (more than 100 thousand hectares each) of virgin (primary) forests in the west of Eurasia have been preserved only in the Republic of Karelia and the Murmansk region. The age of individual pine trees in such forests reaches 500 years or more. In these areas of the taiga zone of Russia, an appropriate network of specially protected natural areas has been created.

In Karelia, primary forests in the rank of national parks and reserves are preserved on an area of ​​about 300 thousand hectares. It is assumed that about 150 thousand hectares of protected taiga lands should be added to this. To the west of the Russian-Finnish border such large massifs virgin forests not preserved. That is why the primeval forests of Karelia are of global importance.

Virgin forests are an integral part national park"Paanayarvskiy", reserves "Kostomukshskiy", "Pasvik", "Laplandskiy". One of the most precious pearls of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia, which, like a meridian, stretches from north to south along the state border from Barents Sea to the Gulf of Finland, will be the Kalevalsky National Park, which is being created now.

Not only beauty, but also wealth

The nascent industry has become the driving force behind the development of forests in Karelia. At the beginning of the 18th century, deforestation (in particular, for shipbuilding) was mainly selective here. Only around the metallurgical plants practiced clear felling. In the 19th century, the volume of timber harvested grew rapidly. If in 1850 305 thousand m 3 of forest was harvested, then in 1899 - 2.5 million m 3. At the beginning of the 20th century, annual logging in Karelia reached 3 million m 3 , and in the 1960s it exceeded 10 million m 3 . Workpiece records were set and immediately broken. In 1967, an unsurpassed record was set so far - about 20 million m 3.

Today, the AAC in Karelia, which is 9.2 million m 3 , is used by about 65%. The period of reforms that the country is going through has not bypassed the forest industry. Logging in the 90s was greatly reduced, and only in recent times felling intensity starts to rise again. Wood is required by the growing paper-making industry and the construction industry. Timber is an important export product that has an enduring demand on the world market.

With deforestation and change natural landscapes is changing biodiversity flora and fauna. Intensive logging, the development of a network of logging roads, an increased number of pickers of mushrooms and berries - all this worries wild animals. That's why "pushed back" to the north of southern zone wolverine, forest deer, whooper swan and bean goose transfer their nesting places there.

Problems of aquatic communities are also often associated with negative impacts economic activity person. For example, as a result of the construction of hydroelectric power plants, the ecosystems of the Kemi and Vyga rivers have suffered. As a result, the largest populations of Atlantic salmon and other valuable salmon fish in the republic have been lost. Fortunately, these examples are the exception rather than the rule. In general, economic activity in the republic does not have a serious effect on the nature of Karelia. negative impact. Countless picturesque corners of the vast taiga region are pristine and clean. This is facilitated by the fact that Karelia is located at a considerable distance from large sources of pollution located in industrial areas. Central Europe and Russia.

What's in the basket?

The forests of the republic contain rich reserves of medicinal, berry plants and edible mushrooms.

150 species have been identified in the region medicinal plants, of which 70 are used in scientific medicine. Bilberry, lingonberry, bearberry, wild rosemary, erection cinquefoil (galangal), mountain ash, St. John's wort tetrahedral, common raspberry are of the greatest interest for industrial harvesting. Up to 70% of the identified available stocks of medicinal plants fall on the leaves and shoots of lingonberries, blueberries and wild rosemary.

Although the reserves of the main types of medicinal plants are estimated at 10.5 thousand tons, the volume of industrial harvesting of medicinal plants in the republic is currently insignificant - only 5-6 tons per year.

About 100 species of plants suitable for food and about 200 species of honey plants grow in Karelia. Greatest economic importance have blueberries, lingonberries, cranberries and cloudberries. The biological reserves of the berries of these plants amount to 120.4 thousand tons, of which 61.8 thousand tons are available for mass harvesting.

Despite the significant reserves of available berry resources, there are no solid industries for their processing in the republic. Because in in large numbers wild berries are exported outside the republic in unprocessed form. Part harvested berries- 4.5 - 5.5 thousand tons per year - exported. For comparison: for their own needs, the population of Karelia annually also prepares 4-5 thousand tons of berries.

An essential addition to the table local residents are edible mushrooms. In the forests of Karelia, there are about 200 species of edible mushrooms, of which 47 are recommended for harvesting. The local population usually collects no more than 20 species. Of the tubular ones, this is primarily the king of mushrooms - porcini, then aspen, birch, boletus, mossiness mushrooms and goat. In large quantities, the inhabitants of Karelia prepare for the winter in a salty form agaric mushrooms and, above all, real mushrooms, volushki and serushki. The real chanterelle, pine and spruce mushrooms, occasionally found in the southern regions of Karelia, are also highly valued.

In years with an average harvest, the reserves of edible mushrooms in the republic are estimated at 164 thousand tons, in high-yielding years they increase by about 1.5-2 times, in lean years they are 6-7 times lower than the average.

Orchids of Karelia

The flora of Karelia is distinguished by great diversity. Botanists find here plants that are not found, or almost never found, in neighboring countries. Northern Europe, where, with the introduction of new management methods, suitable habitats for these plants disappear. These include, in particular, orchids, representatives of the family of delicate outlandish flowers that usually grow in tropical latitudes. But it turns out that some orchids take root well in the north. In Karelia, 33 species of orchids have been "registered". At the same time, 27 species grow on the territory of the Kizhi archipelago, which is distinguished by unique natural and climatic conditions. Here, for example, such species that have almost disappeared in the countries of Europe grow, such as the lady's slipper, unifolia pulp, green pollelia, Dortman's lobelia.

Orchids of Karelia are, as a rule, small, nondescript plants. An exception are representatives of the genus Venus slipper, numbering about 50 species, of which 4 are found on the territory of Russia. Among them, the real slipper and the large-flowered slipper are the most decorative. Both species are listed in the Red Book of Russia, as well as in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Species. wildlife and flora. By the way, the slipper is real - the first orchid of the temperate zone, taken under protection back in 1878 (in Switzerland). Now this species is protected in all European countries, it is listed in the IUCN Red List.

Seal

Among the inhabitants of the reservoirs of Karelia, the Ladoga seal ( pinniped mammal seal family) can rightly be proud of its status. This is an endemic subspecies. ringed seal, an ice age relic listed in the Red Data Books of Fennoscandia, Ross
ii, karelia and to the list rare species animals of the World Conservation Union.

In freshwater reservoirs, seals live only in lakes Ladoga (Karelia), Baikal (Siberia) and Saimaa (Finland). The presence of a marine relic in the freshwater lake is explained by the origin of Lake Ladoga as a body of water separated from the sea. The Ladoga seal is the smallest subspecies of the ringed seal, whose body length is 110-135 cm. In summer, these animals prefer to stay in the northern part of the lake, where islands, stones and capes are convenient for rookeries in abundance. In winter, the seals go to the shallower southern parts of the reservoir. Many researchers associate the seasonal movements of seals with the migration of fish.

In the early 30s of the last century, the reserves of the Ladoga seal were determined at 20 thousand heads. However, due to predatory fishing (in some seasons, up to one and a half thousand animals were shot), the population of the seal was greatly reduced. This was facilitated by the beginning of the use of nylon nets in the 1950s, when the number of deaths of seals in them reached 700 heads per year. As a result, by 1960, the number of seals in Lake Ladoga decreased to 5-10 thousand heads.

Since 1970, seal fishing in Lake Ladoga has been regulated by setting production limits; in 1975, a ban was introduced on sports and amateur hunting for this animal. Since the beginning of the eighties, the seal has been under protection. Its number does not yet exceed 5,000 heads, while there is a tendency to restore it.

Olonia - goose capital

The coast of Lake Ladoga (the largest freshwater lake in Europe) and the territories adjacent to it are a real "bird's Eldorado". In the spring, at the time of passage through this territory to the North-East along the White Sea-Baltic flyway, huge masses of birds that wintered in Western Europe and Africa. Some of them overcome the space between the Baltic and the White Sea in one non-stop flight (for example, the black goose, some sandpipers). But most other migratory birds make rest and feeding stops along the way. Especially large concentrations in Karelia near the town of Olonets are formed by geese, which find here ideal conditions for feeding in vast fields and excellent, safe places to spend the night in the waters of Lake Ladoga or large swamps filled with melt water. It is this combination that contributes to the fact that very large geese camps are formed here, the most powerful in Northern Europe. Behind spring period here, from 500,000 to 1.2 million individuals are taken into account.

Shungite as a national treasure

Shungites are unique rocks , got its name from the Karelian village of Shunga, located on the shores of Lake Onega. Structural analogues of shungite are not found anywhere in the world. The reserves of the world's only Zazhoginsky deposit of shungite rocks, located in the Medvezhyegorsk region, are estimated at 35 million tons.

Shungite rocks are a natural composite with an unusual structure, in which highly dispersed crystalline silicate particles are uniformly distributed in an amorphous silicate matrix. Shungites also contain carbon in a non-crystalline state. On average, the rock of the deposit contains about 30% carbon and 70% silicates. Shungite has a number of unique properties that determine the scope of its use. Thus, shungite carbon is highly active in redox reactions. Using shungites, one can obtain structural rubbers (rubber plastics), electrically conductive paints, and plastics with antistatic properties. Shungite electrically conductive materials can be used in small scale heaters. power density fire-safe.

Materials based on shungite have radio shielding properties. In addition, shungite has the ability to purify water from organic impurities, in particular from oil products and pesticides, from bacteria and microorganisms. These properties are already being used in a variety of filters. So, in Moscow, shungite filters are used to treat wastewater from the ring road.

The use of shungite preparations is promising in pharmacology and cosmetics. Water infusions on shungite, shungite pastes can have anti-allergic, antipruritic and anti-inflammatory effects. Shungite-based preparations can treat allergic, skin, respiratory, gynecological, muscle and joint diseases.

Green belt Fennoscandia.

The Fennoscandian Green Belt (GGB) concept was born in the early 1990s as a project harmonious combination interests of society and nature. The original idea implied the development of a unified policy in the field of protection environment on both sides of the Russian-Finnish border. This policy is a combination effective management forest resources with the preservation of the unique natural and cultural heritage.

The created FZF is a strip with the largest for of Eastern Europe preserved massifs of virgin (primary) coniferous forests along the Russian-Finnish border. It unites into a single whole both unique natural complexes(virgin forests, rare and endemic species of flora and fauna, key habitats for migratory birds, etc.), and cultural monuments (wooden architecture, rune-singing villages, etc.) of the North-West of Russia and Finland. The Green Belt is of world ecological and historical and cultural significance and deserves to be assigned the status of a "UNESCO World Heritage Site", work on nominating it to the list of World Heritage Sites is actively underway at the present time. The core of the FNA is the already existing and projected protected natural areas (PAs) - 15 on the Russian side with a total area of ​​9.7 thousand km 2 and 36 in Finland with a total area of ​​9.5 thousand km 2. Establishment of the ZPF will contribute to the development international integration in the field of conservation of natural (in particular, habitats and biodiversity of boreal forests) and cultural heritage of Northern Europe, as well as their sustainable use (sustainable management of forest resources, development of small businesses related to non-forest resources and eco-tourism, revival and preservation of cultural traditions, crafts , folklore holidays).

The green belt of Fennoscandia should become a network of protected areas, organically linked to the zones of economic activity. It is intended to be a stimulus for the development of its constituent territories, attracting additional investment in the local economy.

Forests of Karelia

Karelia is a harsh land that has always attracted me with its wild beauty. For a long time I retained my love for its smooth, glacier-turned rocks - “ram's foreheads”, overgrown with twisted pines, for transparent cold lakes, for vast moss swamps, for gloomy spruce and light pine forests, for fast rapids rivers rich in trout and grayling.

Everything here bears traces of the activity of the glacier: both lakes located in the direction of its movement, and swampy hollows that were once lake basins, and smooth ledges of stone, polished by the glacier. rocks, and deposits of glacial rivers - narrow hills (esks) stretching for many kilometers, and powerful accumulations of stones and sand, the so-called moraines.

Several hundred thousand years ago, a giant ice massif dominated here. With an abundance of precipitation and an average annual temperature below zero, the thickness of the ice sheet gradually increased and reached more than a thousand meters.

Imagine dough lying on the table. If you press it with your hands or add a new portion of dough in the center, it begins to spread under pressure, occupying an increasing area of ​​the table. Something similar happened with the glacier: under the pressure of its own gravity, the ice became plastic, "spread", occupying new territories.

Fragments of rocks and stones, frozen into the lower, near-bottom part of the glacier, furrowed, scratched and polished the surface of the earth as they moved. The glacier acted like a giant grater.

Look at the map of Finland and the Karelian ASSR. Numerous lakes cover their territories. Most of the lakes have an elongated shape and, as it were, are elongated from the northwest to the southeast - in the direction of the movement of the glacier. These lake basins are hollowed out by a glacier.

But the climate changed, and the glacier began to melt. Stones that accumulated on its surface or froze into its body settled on the ground and formed hills and ridges of various sizes and shapes. We meet them even now where the glacier once was.

The influence of the glacier also affected the rivers, which are of a rapid nature, and the lakes - clean, deep, both on soils and on vegetation.

Forest, stone and water are found in this region in various combinations. Hundreds and thousands of lakes, dressed with granite, proudly sparkle among the Karelian forests. Cities, towns, villages are surrounded by forests. Everywhere you look, there is a forest.

On elevated parts of the relief, on stony soils or on rocks, and in rare cases on sandy river terraces, lichen forests grow. They are more common in the north of the republic. These forests are called "white moss forests"; their soil is covered with a continuous layer of white lichens (lichens), there is also a lot of heather here.

In trees growing on rocky cliffs, the trunks are “bumpy” - thick at the base, sharply thinning towards the top. Such a forest is not of great industrial value. Another thing is white-moshniki, occupying loose sandy soils along river terraces: they are denser, their canopy is closed. Therefore, the trees in such forests are even and produce hard, small-layer resinous wood.

Another group of forests is represented by green mosses, spruce and pine. They are located on elevated plateaus and gentle slopes with well-developed podzolic soils. There are several types in this group of forests.

Bor-lingonberry is close to white moss. This is a pine forest, with more even trees, well debranched, and developed crowns. Birch and spruce are occasionally found here. In the grass cover, in addition to shiny mosses, there are a lot of lingonberries. Cowberry forests grow on the upper parts of gentle slopes.

Spruce forests-green mosses have a different look. These are dense spruce forests; pine and birch are quite common here. They stand on the gentle lower parts of the slopes. It is assumed that earlier in such places mainly pine forests grew, while spruce, as a more shade-tolerant species, settled under their canopy and is now replacing the “owners”. This is confirmed by the age of the trees: the pine here is usually twenty-five to fifty years older than the spruce. Where “windows” form in the canopy and where more light falls on the soil surface, Christmas trees grow in whole groups. This young replenishment of spruce will eventually completely replace pine. The surface of the soil is covered with shiny mosses, blueberries and lingonberries, and you can often find cuckoo flax.

In addition to green mosses, there is also a group of long moss forests. They are located in the lower parts of the relief. Here is even more wet soil, therefore, the grass cover consists of moisture-loving mosses; the first place among them is occupied by kukushkin flax. In some places, a real marsh moss appears - sphagnum. The moss cover in these forests reaches sixty to eighty centimeters in height (hence the name of the forest - moss "long", long moss). In a continuous carpet of cuckoo flax, gonobobel bushes appear on tussocks.

Dolgomoshniki are both pine and spruce forests. Once in these forests, you are immediately convinced of how unfavorable the conditions for the development of trees are in them. The height of the trees is small: at the age of one hundred and fifty, they do not exceed fourteen meters. The tree canopy is sparse, the trunks are covered with branches, from which, especially in spruce, lichens hang. Willow and juniper bushes often come across under the forest canopy. Arborists consider this type of forest "unproductive". Hunters, on the other hand, quite often look here, finding broods of black grouse and capercaillie here.

I remember my first capercaillie hunt in the Kola forests. Was it in early spring at dawn, just before dawn.

The capercaillie does not hear anything when he "sings", talks, or rather, when he performs the second knee of his uncomplicated song ("skirting"). On this feature of it, hunting on currents is based, when the hunter sneaks up on the capercaillie to the sound of a song.

Having walked a few steps from the fire, my companion, an experienced hunter-forester, and I plunged into pitch darkness. spruce forest. We advanced with great difficulty, often sinking above our knees into the snow. Then it either brightened, or the eyes got used to the darkness, but we began to distinguish the contours of the trees.

We stopped near a fallen spruce and were silent for fifteen minutes. Suddenly my companion abruptly turned his head. “Sings,” I guessed rather than heard.

The first knee of the capercaillie song - a bone click - resembled the impact of celluloid balls when playing ping-pong. At first, these clicks were heard at large intervals. Then they became more frequent and suddenly disappeared. But instead of them, a new, very peculiar sound was soon heard - either a whistle, or a rustle: the capercaillie, as they say, “grinded”. And it's true: as if someone was swiping one knife over another ...

We rushed forward. But, having taken two or three big steps, they stopped in their tracks: the “turning” stopped. The seconds seemed agonizingly long... Then the bird began to sing again. And then I could not stand it: without waiting for the “turning”, I almost ran forward. The snow crunched treacherously, and the capercaillie immediately fell silent. A second later, there was the sound of flapping wings. The grouse has flown away.

Is it possible to describe the grief of a young hunter, who so shamefully frightened (in the language of hunters - “noisy”) a capercaillie, this handsome man of the Karelian forests!

But back to the forests. In the lowlands arises new type forests - sphagnum pine forests. These forests are more like swamps, covered with a rare, undersized pine. The height of the trees does not exceed eleven to thirteen meters, and the thickness is twenty centimeters. The cover in these forests consists of a continuous carpet of swamp moss - sphagnum. On bumps there are rosemary, cotton grass, sedge. The soils here are peaty, swampy, and excessively moist. At first glance it seems that these forests are not old. And when you cut down a tree and count the narrow annual layers, it turns out that it is one hundred and fifty - one hundred and eighty years old.

So, depending on where the forests are located - whether on the tops of hills, on slopes or in lowlands - their appearance changes dramatically. This is mainly because the character of the soil changes with changes in humidity. A sign of this or that type of forest is the grass cover. He very sensitively "responds" to changes in humidity, to the quality of the soil and therefore makes it possible to judge the forest as a whole.

Of course, the forests of the Karelian ASSR are not limited to the listed types. There are also other forests in it, for example, small-leaved birch forests, aspen forests. But the forests described here are the most common in this republic.

The so-called Karelian birch is of particular value to the forests of the Karelian ASSR. Who does not know beautiful light yellow furniture, with original drawing made from her wood!

Karelian birch has been famous for a long time. In the 18th century, the “forest connoisseur” Fokel pointed out that birch grows in Lapland, Finland and Karelia, which “resembles marble inside”.

In Karelian birch, unlike other trees, annual rings are unevenly arranged around the circumference of the trunk. This gives its wood a peculiar structure, reminiscent of a relief map of a mountainous area. And besides, in the wood of the Karelian birch, the pattern of fibers, beautiful color and shine are especially pronounced.

Previously, the uneven development of the growth rings of the Karelian birch was explained by the fact that it grows on stony soil. It has now been established that the Karelian birch is special form warty birch. Just like the common warty birch, it grows in mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, but most often among green moss.

Karelian birch lives mainly in the southern regions of the Karelian ASSR, but is sometimes found in the forests of the Leningrad and Pskov regions, Belarus and the Baltic republics.

Karelia is traditionally called the forest and lake region. The modern terrain was formed under the influence of a glacier, the melting of which began thirteen thousand years ago. Ice sheets gradually decreased, and melt water filled depressions in the rocks. Thus, many lakes and rivers were formed in Karelia.

Virgin forest

Karelian forests are the real wealth of the region. For a number of reasons, forestry activities miraculously bypassed them. This applies to massifs located along the Finnish border. Thanks to this, islands of virgin nature have been preserved. Karelian forests can boast of pine trees that are five hundred years old.

In Karelia, about three hundred thousand hectares forest areas are in the status of national parks and reserves. Virgin trees form the basis of the Pasvik, Kostomukshsky reserves, and the Paanayarvsky national park.

Green wealth: interesting facts

Green moss pine forests settled on more fertile soils, which are represented tall trees. In such a dense forest, the undergrowth is very rare and consists of juniper and mountain ash. The shrub layer is made up of lingonberries and blueberries, but the soil is covered with mosses. As for herbaceous plants, there are very few of them.

Lichen pine forests grow on depleted soils of slopes and rock tops. Trees in these places are quite rare, and the undergrowth is practically absent. The soil covers are represented by lichens, reindeer moss, green mosses, bearberry, cowberry.

Spruce forests are typical for richer soils. The most common are green mosses, consisting almost exclusively of spruce trees, sometimes aspen and birch can be found. On the outskirts of the swamps there are sphagnum spruce forests and long mosses. But for the valleys of streams, marsh-grass with mosses and frail alder and meadowsweet are characteristic.

mixed forests

On the site of clearings and conflagrations, once primary forests are replaced by secondary mixed forest areas, on which aspens, birch, alder grow, there is also a rich undergrowth and grassy layer. But among hardwoods, conifers are also quite common. As a rule, it is a spruce. Exactly at mixed forests in the south of Karelia there are rare elm, linden, maple.

swamps

Approximately thirty percent of the entire territory of the republic is occupied by swamps and wetlands, which form a characteristic landscape. They alternate with forests. Wetlands are divided into the following types:

1. Lowlands, the vegetation of which is represented by shrubs, reeds and sedges.
2. Horses that feed precipitation. Blueberries, cranberries, cloudberries, rosemary grow here.
3. Transitional swamps are an interesting combination of the first two types.

All marshes are externally very diverse. In fact, these are reservoirs covered with intricate mosses. There are also swampy pine areas with small birches, between which dark puddles with duckweed glisten.

Beauty of Karelia

Karelia is a land of extraordinary beauty. Here swamps overgrown with mosses alternate with virgin forests, mountains give way to plains and hills with amazing landscapes, a calm lake surface turns into raging rivers and a rocky seashore.

Almost 85% of the territory is Karelian forests. Coniferous species predominate, but there are also small-leaved ones. The leader is a very hardy Karelian pine. It occupies 2/3 of all forests. Growing in such harsh conditions, it, according to the local population, has unique healing properties, energizing those around it, relieves fatigue and irritability.

Local forests are famous for Karelian birch. In fact, this is a very small and nondescript tree. However, it has gained worldwide fame due to its very durable and hard wood, which resembles marble due to its intricate pattern.

Karelian forests are also rich in medicinal and food herbaceous and shrubby plants. There are blueberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cloudberries, cranberries and lingonberries. It would be unfair not to mention the mushrooms, of which there are a great many in Karelia. The earliest of them appear in June, and already in September the period of picking mushrooms for salting begins - there are waves, bruises, milk mushrooms.

tree varieties

In the Karelian open spaces, pines grow, whose age is at least 300-350 years. However, there are also older examples. Their height reaches 20-25 or even 35 meters. Pine needles produce phytoncides that can kill microbes. Moreover, it is very valuable breed, its wood is good for shipbuilding and just for construction works. And rosin and turpentine are extracted from the sap of the tree.

A completely unique long-lived pine grows in the Marcial Waters, whose age is about four hundred years. She is listed the rarest trees. There is even a legend that the pine was planted by those close to Peter I, but if we take into account its age, then most likely it grew long before that period.

In addition, Siberian and common spruce grows in Karelia. In these conditions, she lives two to three hundred years, and some specimens live up to half a century of age, while reaching 35 meters in height. The diameter of such a tree is about a meter. Spruce wood is very light, almost white, it is very soft and light. It is used for making best paper. Spruce is also called a musical plant. She received this name not by chance. Its smooth and almost perfect trunks are used for the production of musical instruments.

In the Karelian forests, a serpentine spruce was found, which is a natural monument. She represents huge interest for cultivation in park areas.

Larches, common in Karelia, are classified as coniferous trees, but they shed their needles every year. This tree is considered a long-liver, as it lives up to 400-500 years (height reaches 40 meters). Larch grows very quickly, and is valued not only because of its hardwood, but also as a park culture.

In dry spruce and pine forests there are a lot of juniper, which is a coniferous evergreen shrub. It is interesting not only as ornamental plant, but also as a medicinal breed, since its berries contain substances used in traditional medicine.

In Karelia, birches are quite widespread. Here this tree is sometimes also called a pioneer, since it is the first to occupy any free place. Birch lives for a relatively short time - from 80 to 100 years. In the forests, its height reaches twenty-five meters.

Upper Lampi, we were intrigued by the fact that we could not really see it from the trail. Karelian forest It turned out to be very dense and looked like a fairy-tale jungle with old moss-covered trees, or a jungle with flowers taller than human height. But it is curious what the Karelian forest hides. And therefore, as it was decided the day before, my daughter and I went back to the forest to see what kind of mysterious rock it was. You need to walk through such thickets only in closed clothes and be sure to use repellents from ticks, and by the way, there were not very many mosquitoes.

Ivan tea is taller than human growth.

So, we again go along the third path path from. After some time of the way, one gets the impression that the path goes along the slope of a mountain overgrown with forest. On the left is an elevation, and on the right is a lowland and it seems quite deep.

After walking about 1 km, we reached the rock, but it looks more like a stone ridge stretching along the path and overgrown with moss and trees. It’s just that you can’t get close to the rock through thickets of grass and bushes, however, in one place from the terrenkur route, a barely noticeable path leaves to the rock to the left. We would not have noticed it at all if it were not for the red cloth on a tree branch by the path. Someone's label.

We turned onto the path and began to slowly climb up the mossy stones.

Suddenly Nastya exclaims: “Oh, mom, look!” And points back down. Turning back, I was taken aback by surprise. A snag in the form of a mythical buffalo was looking at us with its mouth open. Mystic some. I even got goosebumps. Wow, we passed by this driftwood and did not notice its unusual shape.

But we did not look at the snag for a long time, we were attracted by the more pleasant gifts of the Karelian forest. The slope is full of red currant bushes. Oh, how beautifully these berries sparkle in the sun.

Having risen to the ledge of the ridge, they found a blueberry. Mm, so many blueberries, yummy.

And the Karelian forest, as if inviting us to go forward, revealing its beauty to us. There are so many beautiful bluebell-like flowers here. I wonder what they are called?

We rise after these blue flowers even higher. What bizarre outlines of boulders overgrown with moss and grass. It's like an owl watching you with one eye.

We climbed up. Oh, a birdhouse on a birch. How nice. True, it seems to me that he was nailed a little low.

Yes, there is a whole field different colors! Straight bouquet. And there are strawberries here too.

My daughter loves macro photography. I think she's good at it.

It looks like someone comes here to the mountain quite often. There are traces of a fire and some boards, poles, and it seems like cardboard. As if they were going to build something here, or they are just sitting on these boards by the fire. We did not go there, walked around this place, and ... another birdhouse. Painted this time. Interesting.

We did not have time to go a few steps, two more painted birdhouses. Strange somehow, on a small patch in the forest, 4 birdhouses were counted.

Passed by them to the cliff. I wanted to look down to take photos from the top of this rocky ridge, but the stones overgrown with moss and grass on the edge of the cliff seemed to me a very unreliable support, it was easy to stumble and fall down. Therefore, it turned out only such a photo. At eye level, mountain ash, birch, and spruce rise from behind the edge of the cliff. The height of the ridge in this place is probably 8-10 meters. It is difficult to determine by eye in such wilds.

On the edge of a cliff.

Returning from the cliff, we decided to see the birdhouse, which seemed to us of an unusual shape. Wow, he has a face. And more it looks not like a house for birds, but like an idol, well, a forester. Or goblin?

Interesting, of course, and even funny, but somehow it became uncomfortable. What is this place? Again mystical. And thoughts about the witch's mountain, and about shamanic dances, got into my head. Ugh, these are probably the village boys having fun here.

So, what else is a birdhouse? We need to get out of here, otherwise they completely circled us.

They started going down. We passed next to our recent acquaintance, who at the beginning of the journey struck us with her mystical appearance. There she is to the left of Nastya, from this angle the view of the driftwood is not at all intimidating. An ordinary old log, uprooted.

They didn’t go down the path right away, they walked through the Karelian forest along the foot of the stone ridge, enjoying the riot of greenery and fabulous wilds. Admiring how the rays of the sun break through the crowns of trees.

Here our attention was attracted by a tree trunk, covered with a lichen we had never seen before. Lichen leaves are so large, almost half the size of a palm. By the way, the next day we saw exactly the same lichen in the exposition. It is a type of foliose lichen.

The tree turned out to be a rowan. She leaned over, either from old age, or some kind of mountain ash. There are also Karelian birches, maybe it's Karelian mountain ash. From this mountain ash, one can probably study all types of lichens growing in Karelia. Above the leaf lichen, the rowan trunk is covered with fruticose lichens, epiphytes and moss. Here is an instance! It was like being in a museum.

Having marveled at Karelian forest and thinking to myself a bit of mysticism , began to get out to the path. And by the path, what a beauty - thickets of ferns and flowering meadowsweet.

Here is such a mysterious, informative and tasty acquaintance with Karelian forest. And they ate berries, and admired the flowers, and as if plunged into a fairy tale.