Increasing Biodiversity of Russian Taiga Forests by Creating Mixed Forest Cultures of Scots Pine and Siberian Larch

Abstract

Studies were conducted in the Padunsky forest area of the Bratsk district of the Irkutsk region in order to identify the influence of self-sowing that appears in the young growth of Scots pine, created by sowing or planting due to the self-seeding of Scots pine, which can be proved by the age of test trees that are less than 1–3 years old than the forest cultures. Birch and aspen appear in the composition, Siberian larch and Siberian pine appear in a small amount, and at some test plots, silver birch takes up to six units. Such forest cultures require thinning to avoid changing to soft-leaved species. The parameters of the macroscopic structure of Scots pine wood and the thickness of the bark at the base of the trunks, depending on the age of forest cultures, have been determined. To solve the choice of the most effective method of reforestation and increase the economic value of the young stands formed in various types of forest-growing conditions, the effectiveness of various methods and technologies of reforestation has been evaluated. As a result of the work performed, it was established that regardless of the year when the forest cultures are created, self-seeding always appears in the plantations. The smallest amount of self-sowing appeared on relatively poor fresh soils in the cowberry-grass type of forest. The greatest amount of self-seeding can be seen in the motley grass type forests with relatively rich wet soils.