V.I. Turusov, A.A. Lepekhin
Research Institute of Agriculture of the Central Black Earth strip the V.V. Dokuchaeva, pos. 2 uchastka Instituta imeni V.V. Dokuchaeva, Talovskii r-n, Voronezhskaya obl., 397463, Russian Federation
Summary. In the end of May, 1892 after a severe drought in 1891, it was organized a “Special expedition … for testing and consideration of various methods and receptions of forestry and water management in the steppes of Russia” under the leadership of Professor V.V. Dokuchaev. “...The goal of the expedition is to improve the natural conditions of agriculture with the streamlining of water management in the steppe zone of Russia through forest and irrigation works” – formulated V.V. Dokuchaev itself. He supposed the “planting of forest in steppe with different service objectives for agriculture” to be the main link in the system of the “restoration” of the steppes. During the period of the expedition (1892-1899) 58 protective plantations were laid in Kamennaya Steppe on the area of 103 hectares. The first plantations demonstrated the following disadvantages: large thickness (more than 10 thousand plants per a hectare) and width (43-65 m), small areas of forested fields (7-25 ha), failed schemes of mixing of trees and bushes, etc. They discovered the ways to the improvement of techniques forest cultivation in the steppe. For the first time in the history of the protective afforestation in the arid steppe they began to widely use oaks and conduct improvement fellings. Then they laid new plantations bordering the field area of 60-120 ha. The width of the belts did not exceed 16-20 m. Types of creation of forest belts was constantly being developed. Further plantations were narrowed to 10-15 m with the area between belts of 80-100 hectares. Today in Kamennaya Steppe there is a permanent experiment for almost all known techniques for forest plantations establishment and keeping them from planting up to 120 years of age, where you can visually follow the whole evolution of forest complex, its mistakes and achievements.
Keywords: drought and soil erosion control, protective forest plantations, generation of forest belts, improvement fellings.
Author Details: V.I. Turusov, D.Sc. (Agr.), corresponding member of the RAS, director (e-mail: Этот адрес электронной почты защищён от спам-ботов. У вас должен быть включен JavaScript для просмотра.); A.A. Lepekhin, Cand. Sc. (Biol.), leading research fellow.
For citation: Turusov V.I., Lepekhin A.A. Protective Forest Cultivation in Kamennaya Steppe. Dostizheniya nauki i tekhniki APK. 2016. V.30. No.7. Pp. 56-58 (in Russ.).