Анализ ограничений лесопользования на особо охраняемых природных территориях и в малонарушенных лесах Республики Карелия - The analysis of wood harvesting restrictions in conservation areas and old-growth forests of the Republic of Karelia

An analysis of the current state and wood harvesting restrictions in officially existing and planned conservation areas as well as unofficial old-growth forests of the Republic of Karelia is provided in this paper. Old-growth forests are suggested by NGOs and these forests do not have wood harvesting restrictions according to Russian legislation. However, environmentally responsible forest industries companies do not procure wood from these forests.In the beginning of 2006 Karelia has 215 official conservation areas with the total area of 933.2 thousand ha (6.3% of the total forest fund of Karelia). All types of fellings are prohibited in 58 official conservation areas (448.1 thousand ha or 3% of the forest fund of Karelia). Final fellings (or clearcut) are prohibited in 23 official conservation areas (151.1 thousand ha or 1% of the forest fund of Karelia). The rest of the conservation areas (345 thousand ha or 2.3% of the forest fund of Karelia) have no restrictions for wood harvesting. Three officially planned conservation areas (105.6 thousand ha or 0.7% of the forest fund of Karelia) have been clearly recognized; the Kalevalsky national park (74 thousand ha) has restrictions for wood harvesting. NGOs have suggested 40 detached areas of old-growth forests (approximately 980 thousand ha or 6.6% of the forest fund of Karelia). The major areas of old-growth forests are located in Kemsky, Muezersky, Kostomukshsky, Pudozhsky, Pialmsky Piaozersky, Sosnovetsky, Chupinsky and Yushkozersky leskhozes. Locations of conservation areas and old-growth forests are shown in the whole Karelia, at forest district ( leskhoz ) and at forest block ( kvartal ) levels

Northwest Russian Forest Sector in a Nutshell

Myös verkkojulkaisuna ISBN 978-951-40-2342-2 (PDF

DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR WOOD HARVESTING PLANNING IN RUSSIA

Abstract: Extraction of wood by cut-to-length harvesting method (CTL) is becoming a common practice in Russia. Logging companies are faced a large number of options for CTL planning, but they have limited knowledge of the potential in CTL logistics. Objective is to develop a decision support system (DSS) for CTL analyzing at a company level. DSS provides the comprehensive view on the benefits and limitations of different CTL options for making sound short and long term decisions. DSS has been constructed in MapInfo environment using C++ for coding/simulation. The system generates delivery plans, which reduce the CTL costs and rationalize the usage of machinery fleet

Assessment of hunting pressure on Arctic-nesting shorebirds: first results from the Northeast of Russia

Conservation of Arctic migratory birds is based on a holistic approach that considers all habitats of a species within its annual life cycle. Hunting for Arctic-nesting shorebirds in the Northeast of Russia can negatively impact Arctic shorebird populations, especially endangered species. The Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative (AMBI) program was initiated by CAFF in 2015 to improve the conservation status of declining of Arctic migratory bird populations. BirdsRussia began a project to assess hunting pressure on the Arctic shorebirds nesting in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway in 2019 in Kamchatka. This is the first project focused on estimating hunting pressure on Arctic shorebirds in Russia. Its methodology is based on an anonymous survey of hunters. The result showed that about 45,000 shorebirds were hunted per year in Kamchatka, of which 37,000 are Whimbrel, about 1,600 of large and medium-sized shorebirds other than Whimbrel, and about 6,000 small shorebirds of different species. Hunters often do not distinguish between different shorebird species, and by mistake they shoot many birds of protected species; in addition, they often shoot mixed flocks. Such shooting threatens the endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper and other protected shorebirds, such as the Far-Eastern Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit and others

Tara Distance of the Novo-Ishim Defensive Line: results of the comprehensive study in 2021

The paper features the results on the issues of existence and functioning of the Tara Distance of the Novo-Ishim (Presnogorkovskaya) defensive line of the XVIII century on the territory of the modern Omsk region. The purpose of the work is to summarize the results of comprehensive studies of a part of the Siberian fortified lines of the XVIII century. To achieve this purpose, the authors set and solved the following tasks: the study and systematization of already available data about the Tara Distance of the Novo-Ishim defensive line according to archival and published materials; field archaeological works on the search, fixation and determination of the borders of Tara Distance fortifications as archaeological sites; setting the identified cultural heritage objects on the state protection

The charge-assisted hydrogen-bonded organic framework (CAHOF) self-assembled from the conjugated acid of tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)methane and 2,6-naphthalenedisulfonate as a new class of recyclable Brønsted acid catalysts

The acid–base neutralization reaction of commercially available disodium 2,6-naphthalenedisulfonate (NDS, 2 equivalents) and the tetrahydrochloride salt of tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)methane (TAPM, 1 equivalent) in water gave a novel three-dimensional charge-assisted hydrogen-bonded framework (CAHOF, F-1). The framework F-1 was characterized by X-ray diffraction, TGA, elemental analysis, and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The framework was supported by hydrogen bonds between the sulfonate anions and the ammonium cations of NDS and protonated TAPM moieties, respectively. The CAHOF material functioned as a new type of catalytically active Brønsted acid in a series of reactions, including the ring opening of epoxides by water and alcohols. A Diels–Alder reaction between cyclopentadiene and methyl vinyl ketone was also catalyzed by F-1 in heptane. Depending on the polarity of the solvent mixture, the CAHOF F-1 could function as a purely heterogeneous catalyst or partly dissociate, providing some dissolved F-1 as the real catalyst. In all cases, the catalyst could easily be recovered and recycled

Modelling the potential non-breeding distribution of Spoon-billed Sandpiper Calidris pygmaea

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper Calidris pygmaea is a ‘Critically Endangered’ migratory shorebird. The species faces an array of threats in its non-breeding range, making conservation intervention essential. However, conservation efforts are reliant on identifying the species’ key stopover and wintering sites. Using Maximum Entropy models, we predicted Spoon-billed Sandpiper distribution across the non-breeding range, using data from recent field surveys and satellite tracking. Model outputs suggest only a limited number of stopover sites are suitable for migrating birds, with sites in the Yellow Sea and on the Jiangsu coast in China highlighted as particularly important. All the previously known core wintering sites were identified by the model including the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, Nan Thar Island and the Gulf of Mottama. In addition, the model highlighted sites subsequently found to be occupied, and pinpointed potential new sites meriting investigation, notably on Borneo and Sulawesi, and in parts of India and the Philippines. A comparison between the areas identified as most likely to be occupied and protected areas showed that very few locations are covered by conservation designations. Known sites must be managed for conservation as a priority, and potential new sites should be surveyed as soon as is feasible to assess occupancy status. Site protection should take place in concert with conservation interventions including habitat management, discouraging hunting, and fostering alternative livelihoods.Additional co-authors: Christoph Zockler, Graeme M Buchana

Estimation of Machinery Market Size for Industrial and Energy Wood Harvesting in Leningrad Region

The recent and coming development of forestry practices in Northwest Russia includes fast implementation of cut-to-length (CTL) harvesting, transfer of technology, introduction of commercial thinnings and energy wood harvesting. The market size for industrial and energy wood harvesting machinery was assessed for the Leningrad region. The logging machines fleet consisted of about 700 machines for traditional tree-length technology and 120 harvesters and forwarders for CTL technology. The domestic machinery fleet is obsolete; manufacture of domestic forest machinery has dropped in both quantity and models, and thus imported CTL machinery is replacing domestic tree-length machinery. The results indicate that the market for CTL machinery could be 21 harvesters, 32 forwarders and 26 short-wood trucks per year and could increase to up to 30 – 40 machines each in the future. The maximum need for the machinery in the Leningrad region could be 50 – 60 harvesters, forwarders and short-wood trucks per year if allowable cut and commercial thinnings were realized in full scale. The market for energy wood harvesting machinery could be 4 biomass forwarders, 11 mobile chippers and 13 wood chip trucks per year and could be 6 and 15 – 20 machines per year in the future, respectively. The maximum need could be 30 – 40 biomass forwarders, mobile chippers and wood chip trucks per year. Only one third of the logging enterprises in the region had enough leased forest resources for applying the highly productive mechanized CTL technology. These 41 forest enterprises would need 270machines, consisting of 90 harvesters, 100 forwarders and 80 short-wood trucks. Thirty-seven enterprises would need about 50 biomass forwarders and chippers and 60 wood chip trucks for energy wood harvesting. Sixty percent of the forest leasers had enough forest resources and could be users of Nordic CTL technology if allowable cut was utilized completely and if commercial thinnings were done in full scale. These 68 enterprises would need about 500 conventional logging machines, consisting of 160 harvesters, 190 forwarders and 150 short-wood trucks, and about 300 energy wood harvesting machines, consisting of 100 biomass forwarders, 100 chippers, and 110 wood chip trucks. In addition, the ten largest enterprises would need half of the total fleet

Effect of Bogie Track and Slash Reinforcement on Sinkage and Soil Compaction in Soft Terrains

A study of the effect of bogie wheel track and slash reinforcement on the sinkage (as rut depth) and soil compaction (as bulk density) of silt loam soil was carried out in spring and autumn at two harvesting sites in Russia. A Ponsse ELK forwarder loaded with 16 m3 of timber, fitted and unfitted with bogie tracks, was repeatedly driven on forest soil for 1–10 passes. The degree of sinkage and soil compaction was measured at two soil moisture contents: moist (W = 80%) and wet (W = 93%) after each pass. A John Deere 1410 forwarder loaded with 16 m3 of timber, and fitted and unfitted with bogie tracks, was driven on forest soil covering a 15 kg/m2 slash layer for 1–10 passes. The degree of soil compaction was measured at moist soil (moisture content W = 88%). The results indicated that on forest silt loam soil the bogie track decreases sinkage in comparison with a conventional wheel with a tire: the maximum rut depths reached were 0.48 m vs. 0.71 m (–0.23 m) on wet and 0.22 m vs. 0.40 m (–0.18 m) on moist soils by the 10th pass (160 m3 of extracted timber), respectively. The track influence on soil compaction varied and was mixed. Bulk density increased up to 1.30 g/cm3 vs. 1.24 g/ cm3 (+0.06 g/cm3) on moist soil and it was almost the same on wet soil by the 10th pass, respectively. The slash reinforcement constrained rut-forming and soil compaction after all forwarder passes. Cubic regressions between average rut depth and bulk density and cumulative volume of extracted timber were derived for forest silt loam soil with different moisture contents. Bogie track and particularly slash reinforcement are necessary for environmentally sensitive wood harvesting by the CTL system on soft soils