Barnaul tape forest

Bor is located on the Priobskoye Plateau , on the left bank of the Ob River , stretching 550 km from the city of Barnaul in the direction from north-east to south-west. Administrative boron is located mainly in the Altai Territory. The width of the boron, almost throughout its length, ranges from 8 to 10 km. In the south-west of the region, between the villages of Volchikha and Novojevir , the ribbon of boron is connected to the neighboring Kasmalinsky boron forest , forming Gatsky boron . This area of ​​the unique forest is a specially protected natural area and is allocated to the Egoryevsky reserve ^[2] .

Tape forest formed on the sandy ancient alluvial sediments left over from the last ice age . It is believed that here were the ancient channels of the Ob , which then skirted a giant glacier and carried its waters to the west, towards the modern Irtysh ^[1] . The thickness of sandy deposits here reaches 300–400 m. The fertile layer formed on sandy deposits is mainly represented by sod-podzolic soils .

In addition to pine , as the main species of boron vegetation, in the upper tier grow birch and aspen , but as a rule in hollows, in places of deforestation and former burns . On the banks of Barnaulka, willow and poplar are often found. In the middle tier of boron grows many shrubs, including berries: viburnum , currant , bird cherry , raspberry , blackberry , sea ​​buckthorn , blueberry , ashberry , buckthorn , hawthorn , dogrose , lingonberry , and cranberries in the swamps . In the lower tier there are grassy plants : fern , horsetail, wintering , spurge, cypress , berry , strawberry , buttercup , in open areas - feather grass . In the bog swamps - reed and sedge . Mosses and lichens are common. In summer and autumn, after heavy rains, white mushrooms , wild mushrooms , chanterelles , milk mushrooms , mushrooms and other edible mushrooms grow.

Separate plant species, both rare and endangered, are included in the Red Book of the Altai Territory, for example: the comb shield , male guard , snow white water lily , tetragonal water lily , large-flowered slipper , nestling bloom , helponiferous hawthorn , calla marsh .

The fauna of the pine forest is very diverse. Elk , Siberian roe deer , hare , fox , wolf , chipmunk , squirrel , lynx , badger , ermine , wild boar , muskrat , beaver and other animals are found here. A multitude of birds inhabit the forest: nightjar , woodpecker , great tit , Muscovite , kite , owl , mountain ash , hoopoe , nuthatch , waxwing , thrush , starling , sparrow , gray crow , magpie , cuckoo , bullfinch , black-headed gull , large feathery - grouse , owl In the forest near Novichihi , a black stork is occasionally found. The common viper , the lizard , are characteristic representatives of reptiles . Amphibians inhabit the marshes and coasts of the lakes: the gray toad and the frog .

With the arrival of Russian settlers in Altai in the 18th century and the development of silver-smelting , timber was harvested in the forest to burn charcoal and produce pine tar . No one was engaged in reforestation work then. Since 1747, Barnaul Bor, like all the forests of Altai, was in the possession of the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty . Only in 1840 , when the Forest Part was formed in the board of the Altai Mining District and forest guards were organized, after the establishment of forest dachas (in Barnaul Bor - Bakhmatovskaya and Barnaulskaya), proper forestry management was started. According to the results of the classification of the forests of the Altai District in the late XIX century, the Barnaul Bor was attributed to exhausted and destroyed summer cottages, where at least 70% of the area was young growth or the territory was bare without the possibility of natural afforestation.

In the pre-revolutionary years of the 20th century, the lands belonging to the Cabinet were leased out to the peasants with the right of redemption for a long-term, but this did not spread on the territory of strip forests. To protect the forest from unauthorized miners, cordons , volatile detachments were created, strikers acted. Peasants who lived near boron had to pay for building timber, for the right to hunt and fish, to pick berries and mushrooms, and in cases of arbitrariness to pay fines , penalties to the treasury . The cabinet contained a sawmill at the site of a closed silver smelter in Barnaul.

In the early years of the Soviet government, measures were taken to prevent the destruction of the forest, there were forest guards, there were forest districts . Since November 1929, the forest areas have been transformed into forestry. Already in the post-war years, after the formation of the Ministry of Forestry of the USSR , technical re-equipment of forestry enterprises was taking place - equipment and not only logging equipment, but also fire-fighting equipment began to flow into the leshozes, fire and chemical stations were built, fire observation towers were built. In the 50s and especially in the 60s, campaigns to protect the forest from diseases and pests were repeatedly carried out, the so-called aviation chemical control methods were used — pollination using airplanes with DDT and hexachlorane dust — which gave minimal positive results and caused enormous environmental damage. live in the forest.

According to the new Forest Code , the owner of the forest is the state, and the main structural subdivision in the field, which is entrusted with the task of using the forest, its protection and reforestation - forestry . Currently, boron is located in the areas of responsibility of several forest areas (Barnaul, Pavlovsk, Rebrikhinskoe, Novichikhinskoe) of the Forest Administration of the Altai Territory of the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz) . Leskhoz ceased to exist and, according to the current legislation, all forestry activities are carried out by tenants . In each forest area there are such economic entities, as a rule, with a private form of ownership. In Barnaul Bor, large tenants are private enterprises belonging to the holding company Altailes ^[3] .

Tape burs are traditionally the most significant natural object in the Altai Territory: the media compare the attitude of the residents of the region with the ratio of the population of the Baikal region to Lake Baikal ^[1] .

There are many recreation centers, health resorts and summer camps in Bor.

In the upland part of Barnaul, in Soviet times, boron was gradually cut down due to the deployment of an increasing number of medical and health institutions. Over the past 20 years there has been an even more active practice of issuing land plots in boron for the construction of private households, both within the city and in its suburbs. Bor is a favorite vacation spot of the population of the region, which is not the best effect on the ecological condition of the forest. After picnics, vacationers often leave household waste in the forest. In the vicinity of Barnaul , near the settlements of Yuzhniy , Vlasiha , Chernitsk , Borzovaya Zaimka , numerous spontaneously organized garbage dumps can be found. Since July 2012, a group of enthusiasts from the social network Vkontakte has been conducting environmental clean-up campaigns on a weekly basis within the city of Barnaul ^[4] .

Great damage brought fires. In 1952, boron strongly burned out in its central part. In 1997 , in the south-west, boron was also badly damaged by forest fires . In the dry summer of 2012, there were isolated fires. The World Wildlife Fund has developed a special program for the restoration of the forest.

In 2017, the media reported on the alleged illegal development of a tape bur under the guise of "temporary structures" capital multi-storey cottages owned by representatives of local elites ^[1] . Among them are judges, deputies, officials and entrepreneurs close to power ^[1] .

• Tape burs - a unique treasure of nature
• Altai Flowers. Barnaul tape forest