Environmental problems. Combating deforestation Indicate what is not the cause of deforestation

According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), fires are the leading cause of forest death on the planet. At the same time, Russia is the world leader in reducing the area of \u200b\u200bforest territories.

The World Resources Institute, together with a team of experts from the University of Maryland and Google, conducted a study of global forest cover loss in 2011-2013. Scientists have found that the main reason for the destruction of forests in the world is still fire, and in the overwhelming majority of cases they are caused by humans.

Human activities have also caused other reasons for the reduction of the area of \u200b\u200bthe "green lungs" of our planet: industrial logging, forest clearing for agricultural use, construction and mining, as well as death from industrial emissions and deforestation during the construction of hydroelectric power plants.

The leader in the reduction of forest areas is Russia, where more than 4.3 million hectares of forests die annually, mainly due to fires (7.3% of global losses). In general, in the period from 2001 to 2013, the forest area in Russia decreased by 37.2 million hectares.

The restoration of forests in Russian conditions will take at least 100 years, while often felling and burning areas are restored with less economically valuable species. For example, the place of dead conifers is usually occupied by small-leaved species. Also, fires, felling and pollution environmentcaused by humans are destroying rare plants and animals, resulting in catastrophic losses for the planet's biodiversity.

According to official statistics, in our country every year from 1.5 to 3 million hectares of forests are burning. However, scientists and ecologists insist that this figure is underestimated by at least 2-3 times, and in some years by an order of magnitude. For example, in 2010, according to scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences, about 6 million hectares of forests were covered by fires, while the Ministry of Emergency Situations estimated this area at 1 million hectares, and Rosleskhoz - at 2.1 million hectares.

« Data on the areas of fires and the damage they cause are deliberately underestimated at times. This prevents the adoption of the right measures at the local and state levels, both in preparation for a fire hazardous season and in conducting a full-fledged operational fire fighting, and in assessing the damage from fire to the economy and nature of the country ", -notes the expert of the WWF-Russia forest program Alexander Bryukhanov... Recently, there have been signs in the fight against distortion of data on forest fires, but a lot still needs to be done to fully solve the problem.

WWF warns: the fire season has already begun in most constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The Ministry of Emergency Situations and employees of forestry and nature protection structures are fighting forest, steppe and peat fires in the Southern, Central, Volga, Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts. There is an emergency regime in the Trans-Baikal Territory. A special fire-fighting regime was introduced in 7 regions Russian Federation: Bryansk, Kurgan, Smolensk, Amur, Volgograd regions, as well as in the Republic of Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory. The area covered by the fire is measured in tens of thousands of hectares, there were the first cases of fire threats to settlements.

« The huge annual area of \u200b\u200bfires is an indicator of an overall low level of forest management, due, inter alia, to underfunding from the government and a lack of conditions for investment by private companies. The problem of forest fires in the coming years will only grow due to climate change and poor quality forest management", - is talking Nikolay Shmatkov, Head of the WWF-Russia Forestry Program.

In the absence of full-fledged forest protection in the forests of Russia, the main responsibility for preventing a forest fire catastrophe, as in previous years, will mainly depend on the environmental awareness of the population and weather conditions.

The fate of the Russian Forest has been worrying the Russian public for many years. The last forests on planet Earth, which can still be called virgin, clean and untouched, are the forests of Russia. About 2/3 of such forests grow in the Russian Federation (of which 78% are in Siberia, the rest are in the European part of the country). And only about 30% of these forests grow in the United States, Canada, Alaska, and Scandinavia. They absorb about 3 carbon dioxide, which is released into the Earth's atmosphere.

Forests play a key role in the formation of a favorable climate along with the ocean, says Anastasia Makarieva, Ph.D. in physics and mathematics, senior researcher at the Petersburg Institute of Nuclear Physics: "Deforestation leads to the destruction of Russia."

The last forests on planet Earth, which can still be called virgin, clean and untouched, are the forests of Russia. About 2/3 of such forests grow in the Russian Federation (of which 78% are in Siberia, the rest are in the European part of the country). And only about 30% of these forests grow in the United States, Canada, Alaska, and Scandinavia. They absorb about 3 carbon dioxide, which is released into the Earth's atmosphere by 1 million hectares of forest.

Leonid Leonov, the author of the famous novel "Russian Forest", has long defined: the Russian forest is a complex scientific and economic problem of forest management which should be the basis of the activities of Russian society and its power structures.

The abnormally hot summer of 2010 burned, according to various sources, from 430 thousand hectares to more than one million hectares of this Russian forest. One of the main reasons is called the Forest Code of the Russian Federation, which was adopted with a bang in 2006 and entered into force on 01.01.2007. And already in the summer of 2007, one million hectares burned down in fires.

It has already become a rule when the parliamentary majority of United Russia, categorically rejecting any arguments of opponents from other factions, introduces poorly worked out bills to the State Duma. They are unanimously adopted by the deputies of the party in power, and then the society cleans up the "costs" of such legislation. This was the case with the adoption of the new Forest Code of the Russian Federation. Nobody listened to objections, and now "weaknesses in forestry management" (according to the president) are covered by the state at the expense of the budget. Opponents of the new Forestry Code were most frightened by the prospect of changing the status of the national wealth, which is the forest. And, as it turned out, it was not in vain!

If earlier forests were considered exclusively the property of the state, now they have tenants with a rather impressive list of rights and a very modest list of obligations, but for some reason without sanctions for failure to fulfill them. And yet, the main harm of the new Forest Code is that it eliminated the centralized and well-functioning forest protection system. It is impossible to explain this obviously harmful step of the legislators from the point of view of common sense.

Illegal felling, trade in round timber to the right and left, the absence of any measures to restore forests, complete impunity for the consequences of the barbaric treatment of timber - this led to. Obviously, the scale of damage from fires, as well as their duration, could be, as it has become fashionable to say nowadays, "several times" less, if the forests were not in a state of actual ownerlessness. The new forest legislation deprived 170 thousand people of jobs, including about 70 thousand foresters. In particular, if in the Shatura district of the Moscow region, where the fires were especially large-scale, 796 people worked in the forestry of the district in 2004, then by the summer of 2010 there were 62 of them, including a cleaner, a watchman and a janitor. And if earlier it was the foresters with foresters who made fire clearings, created fire reservoirs, cleared the forest of debris and excess wood, monitored the state of the supervised territories, now there is no one to perform their functions. What the fire did not destroy is destroyed by poachers-loggers. And throughout the country, including the immense Siberia, Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, North-West Russia, such a situation has been created with forest wealth. And the concept of the North-West, as you know, includes Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Kaliningrad, Leningrad, Murmansk, Novgorod, Pskov regions and Karelia. And here forest protection is at the same level, and deforestation is also going on without actual restrictions, especially since the proximity of Sweden, Finland, and the whole of Europe with its well-developed road network contributes to export.

In the course of the "forest reform", the Unified Federal Fire Service, which was responsible for forest conservation, was also abolished. And the once powerful Avialesokhrana "crumbled" into the subjects, becoming absolutely incapacitated. The destruction of the forest, and indeed of any other ecosystem, cannot be justified by any “arguments.

In total, the staff of all departments involved in forest protection has decreased four times during this time, and the number of forest fires, even without the results of the anomalous summer of 2010, increased 41 times in the first year of the new law alone, the area of \u200b\u200bareas damaged by fire has increased 547 times. What and how did you save?

The old Forestry Code at least prohibited the felling of cedar, and the new one, which came into force in December 2007 at the final of Vladimir Putin's presidency, does not contain a ban on the industrial harvesting of cedar at all! Therefore, the loggers rushed to "master" the last reserve of commercially valuable timber - our taiga Ussuri (Korean) cedar. As a result, according to the World Fund wildlife, the harvesting of cedar in the Far East for three years exceeded the officially permitted volume by 2.5-3.7 times.

The cedar is the main treasure of the forests of the Far East. In general, trees are the basis of the ecology of the entire taiga, they provide an abundance of food, on which the well-being of forest fauna is based. And whether only the animal world.

One of the authors of this article happened to be born in the early 20s of the last century, and lived for a long time in the Far East, including the regions of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Blagoveshchensk, Lake Khanka, visited the Sikhote-Alin and the Ussuri taiga. I suppose those who have had at least a short touch to this harsh, but equally beautiful land, will agree with my impressions of it.

Remembering the especially difficult thirties, when crop failures hit many territories of the USSR, I dare say that our family, like many other residents of the Far East, survived the most difficult, hungry year of 1933 without tragic losses.

Basically, during these years, the taiga saved us from hunger. His father, a skilled hunter, supplied the family with game. I remember, in a particularly difficult winter, almost every weekend he went into the taiga with a gun and brought either one or two hares, or several squirrels or wood grouses, and in general we were provided with meat. I must say, we liked squirrel meat very much then. Moreover, I remember how numerous flyers were placed around our apartment with skins of fur-bearing animals stretched over them. It was his father who skillfully made, and then handed over these squirrel and hare skins to the shops of "Zagotpushnina", receiving in exchange flour and sugar, which were then very scarce. In addition, in the fall, he took a short vacation and went to the same taiga to harvest cedar nuts. There he knocked cones off the tall cedars, threshed them there, and brought the nuts home. From the grains that we hulled with the whole family from these nuts, my father adapted himself to crush the excellent "lean" cedar oil (which is now considered especially healing) with his own press. Mom used the remaining cake to make "cedar milk" and additives in bread, which she baked with flatbreads from a very small amount of flour mixed with the then commercially available barley and acorn "coffee" and oatmeal (buns were not made from this dough). And these completely black cakes of a special taste somehow replaced real bread for us and, at least for a while, saturating our children's stomachs. When I stretched out by the age of 13-14, and surpassed my older brothers in growth, I had a question : Why did I, the youngest of the brothers in the family, become longer than both of them, and the middle one, Victor, and the eldest, Ivan? And my little sister Tonya, the youngest in the family, was not the smallest in stature!

It was many years after the war that I found the answer to this child's question. Somehow I came across one popular science article about the benefits of pine nuts. From it I learned that this gift of the taiga is not only just a storehouse of a variety of vitamins, including those promoting the development of children's organisms, but also surprisingly rich in various deficient microelements. I even risk listing them : manganese, iodine, copper, titanium, silver, aluminum and others. But it turns out that these nuts are also rich in substances that are now fashionably called antioxidants, that is, they prevent aging of the body! And that is not all. It turns out that nut kernels contain up to 44 percent protein, or 12 times more than chicken meat, and 100 grams of them contain almost 700 kilocalories! So our Far Eastern (Siberian) and Ussuriysk (Korean) cedar, among the many woody plants growing in our country, and even more so in the north of our country, occupies a really special position. It is hardly possible to find another tree that would contain so many positive properties.

So that is why we relatively easily endured the difficult thirties, hungry throughout the country (and not only in Ukraine, where, for some political reasons, they began to consider this disaster as a deliberate "Holodomor"), years. Obviously, not only our growing organisms were successfully replenished then with the necessary components for a kind of acceleration, but, probably, a certain longevity was also laid in us then.

Well, this is already, apparently, from the realm of desires and assumptions. Was with us and family tradition to make various harvesting of fruits of wild plants, berries, mushrooms every year. These preparations saved us not only from hunger, but also from the scurvy raging then in the Far East, especially in its northern regions. From childhood we were accustomed to collecting these "usefulness", and we knew them well. They collected and dried in large quantities mushrooms - boletus, moss and the main mushrooms - porcini and large porcini mushrooms! Camelina and chanterelles were also taken for pickling, but we had a special mushroom delicacy - belyanochki and volushechki. Mom always admonished us to take these mushrooms small, no more buttons from a coat or a copper nickel. And there were so many of them that it was not difficult to fulfill my mother's order.

As you know, the Far East is not rich in fruits. But berries !!! In the nearest taiga, we found strawberry glades, honeysuckle bushes, whole thickets of raspberries, which, in addition to us, were sometimes visited by bears, which adults did not tire of warning us about, although such a meeting, fortunately, did not happen to me personally. We, children, were especially delighted by the tart, oblong-large, green-ripe berry (for some reason, it was called “kishmish” locally, although scientifically it is “actinidia”). Moreover, wild grapes with its deep blue, as if covered with light frost, slightly oblong berries. Collected, of course, also mountain ash and bird cherry - everything went "in business." And further away, to the so-called "berry mari", we went only with adults, although boys from 14-15 years old were also considered "adults" in these cases. From there we brought full "tues" (boxes of birch bark) blueberries, lingonberries, cloudberries. We also went far in the spring to collect wild garlic, this wild-growing broad-leaved plant with a pungent smell and taste of garlic, a real storehouse of vitamin C, the main "doctor" for scurvy. You might think: "Well, just a royal table!" Yes, this taiga, Far Eastern diversity helped not only to survive in difficult years, but also to simply strengthen the health of our growing organisms, and the endurance of adults, and the Siberian cedar is rightfully considered the main thing in this. It is not just a tree, but a natural pharmacist. In it, everything merged into one: needles, resin, wood, and even more nuts containing biologically active substances necessary for the normal functioning of the human body. Cedar is the basis of the Far Eastern taiga. It has a dense crown with thick branches. It can be classified as a slow-growing breed. Cedar begins to bear fruit after an average of 60 years, sometimes even later. Cones are large, elongated, purple at first, and brown to maturity, 5-8 centimeters wide, up to 13 centimeters long. Cones ripen within 14-15 months. Each cone contains from 30 to 150 large nuts. Up to 12 kilograms of pure walnut are obtained from one tree.

Cedar stands are an ecological environment in which favorable conditions have been created for the habitation of many valuable animals and birds. The cedar forests in the Russian Far East are home to 32 species of fur-bearing and 8 species of ungulates, about 80 species of birds. The survival of at least 50 species directly depends on the fruiting of cedar, including wild boar, which is one of the main food objects. amur tiger... Another consequence is a straight, even trunk, which especially attracts poachers.

Now, as a result of unreasonable logging, the most productive areas of cedar in the Khabarovsk Territory and Primorye have disappeared. This was the result of the very "new" Forest Code adopted in 2006, when a seemingly fatal blow was dealt to cedar, the ban on industrial harvesting of cedar disappeared. With the depletion of commercially valuable timber stocks in operational forests, the Far Eastern loggers rushed to "master" the last reserve - protective forests. As a result, in 2009 the largest volume of cedar wood was exported from the Far East in six years, and cedar harvesting exceeded the officially permitted volume by more than 3 times.

Even now, in spite of the government ban, the procurers are cutting timber, exceeding the permitted quotas, acquiring “extra” timber at half the price, illegally obtaining phytosanitary certificates, providing false information about the origin of the goods. In four years, timber worth more than one billion rubles was smuggled abroad.

Deforestation in Primorye has already become a real disaster, where up to 80% of the territory of the region is occupied by forests of extremely diverse composition: coniferous, broad-leaved, small-leaved trees and shrubs. The forested area is 12.3 million hectares. In some areas, much more rational norms are cut down, and in hard-to-reach areas, the forest may not be cut down at all, and sometimes they do not even remember about forest plantations.

Environmentalists are seriously concerned - nothing will come of the unique taiga nature soon - centuries-old cedars, oaks and ash trees are being destroyed. However, regional and municipal authorities believe that the forest is money, and do not miss the opportunity to convert hundreds of cubic meters of valuable timber into currency.

In December 2010, the TV channel Russia-1 aired a story about the illegal felling of the Far Eastern cedar in Primorye.

The essence of this program was that in November 2010 a decree was issued prohibiting the felling of cedar, but here it is being cut mercilessly.

As early as November 19, 2010, the news spread around all the Russian media: “Finally it happened: you can't chop the cedar! The Russian government has taken a giant step towards preserving key Amur tiger habitats by banning the felling of Korean pine. "

However, the same media did not say a word about the fact that over 3 years the government received thousands of requests and demands from environmentalists and public organizations Of the Far East. On the eve of the International Forum on the Conservation of the Tiger on Earth, held at the level of heads of government on November 21-24 in St. Petersburg, a new version of the "List of species (species) of trees and shrubs, the harvesting of which is not allowed" was put into effect Korean cedar. “Banning the felling of Korean cedar is the best gift for the Amur tiger in the Year of the Tiger. A giant step towards preserving the rare cat's key habitats. "It would be better to address this gift to society as well.

This "giant step" i.ethe new version of the "List of species (breeds) of trees and shrubs, the harvesting of which is not allowed", including Korean cedar, was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation on August 2, 2010, but it came into force only on November 12, 2010, and that was timed to coincide with the international forum in St. Petersburg.

So, in the December TV show, it was said that a group of journalists from Moscow arrived in Primorye, and they were being proved that now they are only taking out long-felled trees, even before November 12. But any forester knows that a cut on a cedar tree for 3-4 days is white, and then it turns yellow, but here all the cuts are the whitest, i.e. they are being cut now, driven to China, despite the bans. There are also acts checks that were cut on the first of December, after the ban. Local enthusiasts fight such barbarism, but money is more important to export organizers and those who cover them. The forest went to China and continues to go. Real round timber.

And here is how the vice-president of the Association of Indigenous Minorities of Russia, Pavel Sulyandziga, formulated this situation: “Since November last year, people have not been able to prescribe firewood for themselves - they are not allowed to. For 2 years now, our local community, which has been building housing for residents of the village of Krasny Yar (15 kilometers from Ussuriisk), has not been given a forest for 2 years in a row so that it can build houses in the village. And everything around Krasniy Yar surrenders. And there - people see everything - the most lively, the most expensive forest is cut - and to China, for currency. "

Such deforestation of the Far Eastern forests will lead to a decrease in the habitats of both the Ussuri and Amur tigers, significantly reduce the number of tiger "islands", increase poaching of this valuable animal and may lead to the destruction of its population in general. Local ecologists have long been sounding the alarm about uncontrolled deforestation in Primorye. Illegal logging and timber export has become a disaster, not much worse than fires. According to the Governor Sergei Darkin, poachers annually cut down and remove over 1.5 million cubic meters of timber. A third of the timber exported from the region annually passes through the border illegally, bypassing everyone. Many “forest” cases are initiated for violations of the law in Primorye. However, this is only part of the violations identified. In addition, it is not known how many of these cases have a judicial perspective and how many will be "ruined" in court.

Despite the fact that the Russian Government has taken a "giant step" towards preserving the key habitats of the Amur tiger by banning the felling of Korean cedar, by another decision of the regional authorities ... The most valuable areas of the Ussuri taiga are put up for sale, the habitat of the Amur tiger, the Far Eastern leopard and other "Red Data Book" animals, caused a real shock among specialists. According to environmental organizations, this could lead to an environmental disaster.

Well, no matter how worried the public is about this, no matter what "giant steps" our government takes, if the worship of the "golden calf" and not reason became the main thing, then, as the eastern sages said: "... and the caravan goes ! ”, That is, the destruction of forest wealth is in the hands of poachers who are not burdened with responsibility for this.

We can only assume what the coming summer 2011 will bring us, when the tragedies of the past summer have not been forgotten, when dead wood remained uncleared from last year's fires, when there are no noticeable shifts in forest protection. But this assumption is no easier. There is still time to urgently restore state ownership of forests, tested by time and forest protection, and the strict procedure for forest protection and forest reproduction, and the strictest criminal liability for the plundering of the Russian forest.

It is time to take a truly giant step in this important matter for the life of Russia.

It's time to sound the alarm!

Alexander Vasilievich Pyltsyn, full member of the Academy of Military Historical Sciences

Antonina Vasilievna Ruzha, honored Economist of the Russian Federation, Labor Veteran

Introduction

1 the fate of forests

2 the problem of forest destruction

2.1. Radiation exposure - a consequence of the destruction of the forest

2.2 Death and deforestation

2.3 Forest and tourism

2.4 Forest fires

3 global solution to the problem of deforestation

Conclusion

List of sources used

Attachment 1

Introduction

Today, the problem of forest destruction is in one of the first places in the global problems of mankind. For Russia, scientific, technical and informational cooperation on the interaction of forests and climate is of considerable interest. The phenomenon of mass destruction of forests is widespread throughout the European territory of Russia and in Siberia. It is in the context of the drying up of forests throughout the northern hemisphere. In our country, these issues are closely monitored by the Russian Center for Forest Protection with an extensive network of 41 regional branches. The biotic causes of this process have been reliably identified. At the same time, a number of problems remain unresolved:

There is no forecast of the development of massive forest drying and assessment of the consequences of this phenomenon.

The relationship between forest drying and climate change... Although this hypothesis remains practically uncontested.

The entire complex of reasons for the drying up of spruce forests has not been fully identified.

From the preliminary assessments of the current situation, it follows that the existing methods and means cannot change the growing dynamics of mass dryings. In a number of regions, the problem is beginning to acquire an extremely acute economic, social and environmental character. Only in the Arkhangelsk region in the North-West of Russia, the zone of active drying up covered valuable forests with a total stock of coniferous wood of about 400 million cubic meters. In the heart of one of the key forest regions of Northern Europe, a huge "powder keg" is being formed, which, when a number of factors combine, can become a source of a powerful salvo emission of CO2 into the global atmosphere. An urgent complex research is required, the result of which can be the adoption of cardinal decisions. The above points are very sensitive for the economy and ecology of the European Community. Probably, a consolidated opinion is needed here. It is obvious to us that massive deforestation is not a purely Russian problem. The scale of this phenomenon is pan-Eurasian and panboreal. Therefore, international cooperation in research, assessment and coordination of efforts to minimize its negative consequences is imperative.

The problem of deforestation is not new. A lot has already been said about it, books and articles have been written, but mostly it is considered together with other environmental problems. Therefore, I would like to combine all the available material on this issue in one abstract, in connection with the significance of this problem for humanity. It considers not only anthropogenic factors affecting the number and quality of forests, but also natural ones. For example: various harmful fungi and insects, fires (peat ignition). The ways of combating anthropogenic and natural factors that negatively affect forest areas are also noted.

1. The fate of forests

Forest is a multilevel biosocial system where countless elements coexist and influence each other. These elements are trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants and other flora, birds, animals, microorganisms, soil with its organic and inorganic components, water and microclimate. The planet's forests are a powerful source of atmospheric oxygen (1 ha of forest releases 5 tons of oxygen into the atmosphere per year). Do not think that only tropical rainforests are important globally. On the territory of Russia there is a unique forest area - the Siberian taiga, which supplies oxygen not only to its region, but also to North America (where about 95% of its own forests were destroyed). Oxygen produced by forests and other components of the Earth's vegetation is important not only in itself, but also in connection with the need to preserve the ozone screen in the Earth's stratosphere. Ozone is formed from oxygen by exposure to sunlight. Its concentration in the stratosphere is steadily decreasing under the influence of chlorofluorinated hydrocarbons (refrigerants, components of plastics, etc.). Despite the restrictive and prohibitive measures currently adopted on an international scale (for example, the Montreal Protocol on Chlorofluorinated Organic Compounds), which, moreover, are not implemented everywhere, ozone will be further destroyed over a number of years only by compounds already released into the atmosphere, slowly rising into the stratosphere. ... This contributes to the growth of the "ozone hole", which, spreading from South Pole, reached the latitude of Tierra del Fuego and "covered" in 2000 the settlement of Punta Arrenas (Chile).

Providing life-giving oxygen, which counteracts the formation of the "ozone hole", forests also absorb carbon dioxide, converting it into biomass in the process of photosynthesis (100 m2 of forests absorb 400 kg of CO2 per year). Industry releases significant amounts of this gas, one of the main culprits " greenhouse effect", Which threatens global warming (already begun), a shift of the planet's agricultural zones to the poles, waterlogging of land areas with permafrost, melting of glaciers, flooding of coastal cities, more and more frequent cataclysms (hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.). Forests also absorb noise, mitigate seasonal temperature fluctuations, inhibit strong winds, and facilitate precipitation. Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest has already led to a reduction in the length of the rainy season, threatening catastrophic consequences for agriculture. The list of reasons why the forests of the planet are vital to us could be continued.

However, it is not only pragmatic considerations that should motivate us to conserve forests. Conserving forests is part of a broader biocentric biodiversity conservation program. Only the tropical rain forests of the Amazon, Congo Basin, Southeast Asia contain about 1.7 million species of plants and animals.

The forest takes us to the world of beauty (it has bio-aesthetic value), in it we are imbued with the greatness of living nature, we enjoy at least a relatively uncontaminated landscape. Moreover, artificially planted forest plantations on the site of felling (often of a park type), with all the efforts of their creators, are often completely dependent on human care, a semblance of natural, virgin forests.

Sadly, forests have been destroyed in recent decades at about a rate of 1 ha per day, and reforestation on each hectare takes 15-20 years. During the existence of civilization, more than 42% of the entire original forest area on the planet has been liquidated, and, of course, forests are being destroyed at an increasing rate. So, for the period 1955-1995, about 40% of tropical forests were cut down. At the current rate of destruction (about 15 million hectares per year), tropical rainforests will be completely destroyed between 2030 and 2050. A similar fate will befall the Siberian taiga even earlier than this date, if its unrestrained exploitation, in which foreign companies (for example, CFMG from the USA, as well as Chinese enterprises), participate, is not stopped. In general, coniferous forests are decreasing in Russia, which are replaced by less valuable small-leaved forests. In many regions, more timber is harvested; Mountain forests, which are difficult to renew and grow slowly, are especially affected.

2. The problem of forest destruction

The problem of forest destruction, like environmental problems in general, is closely related to global political issues modernity. This connection is two-way: along with the undoubted influence of the environmental situation on political decisions, in general on politics, there is also a reverse impact of the political situation in the world on the environment in certain regions of the world. As for the forests of the planet, in most cases they are liquidated not on a whim, but in order to survive, not to die of hunger. The world is divided into the developed countries of the West, where less than 1 billion people ("golden billion") live in conditions of economic prosperity, and all other developing countries ("the third world"), the resting place of the rest, more than 5 billion people. An estimated 1.3 billion people in these countries live in poverty; 840 million people, including 240 million children, are hungry or malnourished (2). Making up about 20% of the world's population, the "golden billion" controls about 85% of the goods and resources of mankind.

Both categories of countries contribute to the destruction of the bios (albeit for different reasons). But specifically, the destruction of forests is directly carried out on the territory of the countries of the "third world"; wealthy Western countries that previously destroyed most their forests, are now busy with their restoration, "reclamation", zealously protect the remains virgin forests and newly created plantations from pollution (for example, in Germany, a real campaign was launched against the “forest extinction” - Waldsterben). However, the inhabitants of developing countries are not up to environmental considerations, when they have to provide themselves with food with an enormous increase in population by archaic means (up to the method of sowing cultivated plants in clearings, fertilized by the ashes of burnt trees, known to us from history textbooks). We add that this method is unproductive in the rainforests of the tropics, because the layer of nutrient humus in their soils is very thin; after 2-3 harvests, the soil is depleted and it is necessary to destroy a new section of the forest. Rampant exploitation natural resources, including forests, is facilitated by the significant financial indebtedness of the third world countries in relation to creditors from the countries of the “golden billion”, so that the “golden billion” is indirectly responsible for the fate of the forests of the “third world”, on which its own depends survival. Measures were proposed to remove or postpone part of the debt from developing countries, subject to their obligatory observance of the norms of protecting forests and, in general, the bio-environment.

Acting in concert with the Club of Rome, the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and a number of other international organizations - including non-governmental ones - B.I.O. under the leadership of A. Vlavianos-Arvanitis proposes, in a more general sense, the adoption of measures on the problems of developing countries, because these days these problems have acquired global significance. Whether such events will have real force or will remain mostly "good wishes" in the face of the omnipotence of transnational corporations, as the "environmental pessimists" fear, depends largely on the victory or defeat of biopolitics (and similar socio-ecological, "green" and other currents ) on the ethical front. It is among those who have real political power and / or economic power that it is necessary to develop a new ethics based on a sense of responsibility for all forms of bios, an understanding of the fragility and interconnectedness of all life on Earth. Vlavianos-Arvanitis refers to efforts in this direction as bio-diplomacy.

2.1 Radiation exposure - a consequence of forest destruction

The death of forests due to strong irradiation throughout history since the beginning of the atomic era (about 50 years) was noted on the traces of radioactive fallout from the Kyshtym and Chernobyl radiation accidents and occurred as a result of exposure to high levels of radiation in the first 1-2 years after the accident.

In total, the area of \u200b\u200bcompletely dead forest stands was no more than 10 km2. The proportion of forests that died from radiation damage in the entire history of the nuclear industry is 0.3-0.4% of the scale of annual forest destruction in the country (2-3 thousand km2).

2.2. Death and deforestation

One of the causes of forest destruction in many parts of the world is acid rain, the main culprits of which are power plants. Sulfur dioxide emissions and long-range transport result in such rainfall far from emission sources. In Austria, eastern Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden, more than 60% of the sulfur deposited on their territory comes from external sources, and in Norway even 75%.

Other examples of long-range transport of acids are acid rain on remote Atlantic islands such as Bermuda and acid snow in the Arctic.

Over the past 20 years (1970 - 1990), the world has lost almost 200 million hectares of forest, which is equal to the area of \u200b\u200bthe United States east of the Mississippi.

A particularly great environmental threat is posed by the depletion of tropical forests - the "lungs of the planet" and the main source of the planet's biological diversity. About 200 thousand square kilometers are cut down or burned there every year, which means that 100 thousand species of plants and animals disappear. This process is especially fast in the richest rainforest regions - Amazon and Indonesia.

British ecologist N. Meyers came to the conclusion that ten small areas in the tropics contain at least 27% of the total species composition of this class of plant formations, later this list was expanded to 15 "hot spots" of tropical forests, which should be preserved in whatever the cost.

In developed countries, acid rain caused damage to a significant part of the forest: in Czechoslovakia - 71%, in Greece and Great Britain - 64%, in Germany - 52%.

The current forest situation is very different across continents. If in Europe and Asia the forest-covered areas slightly increased in 1974-1989, in Australia they decreased by 2.6% in one year. Even greater degradation of forests is taking place in individual countries: in Cote d'Ivoire, forest areas have decreased by 5.4% over the year, in Thailand - by 4.3%, in Paraguay by 3.4%.

2.3. Forest and tourism

Since ancient times, the forest has always attracted a large number of hunters, berry and mushroom pickers and those who simply want to relax. With the development of mass tourism in our country, the number of forest visitors has increased so much that it has become a factor that cannot be taken into account when protecting the forest. Millions of people in summer time, especially on Saturdays and Sundays, they go to the suburban forests to spend their weekends or vacations in the bosom of nature. Thousands of tourists hike along the same routes. In the suburban forests, you can often find whole tent cities with a large population. Visitors to the forest make major changes in its life. To set up tents, undergrowth is cut down, young shoots are removed, broken and destroyed. Young trees perish not only under fires, but also under axes, or even under the feet of numerous visitors. The forests, often visited by tourists, are so thoroughly littered with cans, bottles, rags, paper, etc., and bear traces of large and small wounds that this adversely affects natural reforestation. They carry and carry bouquets of flowers, branches of greenery, trees, bushes. The question is, what will happen if each of those who come to the forest picks only one branch, one flower? And it is no coincidence that after a number of years of poaching towards nature in our, especially suburban, forests, many once in an abundance of growing plants, shrubs and trees have disappeared. In the spring, tens of thousands of townspeople rush to the forests for bird cherry and lilac. They are not satisfied with modest bouquets. Armfuls, brooms, often on the roofs of cars. How can you not envy the delicate taste of the Japanese, who believe that the bouquet is spoiled if there are more than three flowers in it.

Not the last place in causing damage is the custom of decorating Christmas trees. If we accept that one holiday tree falls on 10-15 residents, then it becomes clear to everyone that, for example, big city this cozy tradition costs tens, or even hundreds of thousands of young trees annually. Low-forested areas are particularly affected. The presence of even one person does not leave a trace for the forest. Picking mushrooms, flowers and berries undermines the self-renewal of a number of plant species. A fire for 5-7 years completely incapacitates a piece of land on which it was decomposed. The noise frightens off various birds and mammals, prevents them from raising their offspring normally. Broken branches, notches on trunks and other mechanical damage to trees contribute to their infestation by pests.

It should be reminded once again: the forest is our friend, disinterested and mighty. But he, like a person whose soul is wide open, requires both attention and care from a careless, thoughtless attitude towards him. Life without a forest is unthinkable, and we are all responsible for its well-being, we are responsible today, we are always responsible. Recreational loads are classified as safe, including both low and maximum allowable loads, hazardous and critical and catastrophic. A load at which irreversible changes do not occur in the natural complex can be considered safe. The impact of such loads brings the natural complex to the II or III stages of digression. The load corresponding to stage II is conventionally called "low", since the natural complex is able to withstand a large load without losing its restorative strength. The maximum permissible recreational load leads the natural complex to the III stage of digression. If a natural complex passes from stage III to stage IV of digression, that is, "steps over" the boundary of stability, recreational loads are considered dangerous. Critical loads correspond to the IV stage of phytocenosis digression. Catastrophic loads lead the natural complex to the V stage of digression, in which connections are disrupted, both between natural components and between their constituent parts.
Different types of natural complexes with different structure and character of interconnections between morphological units react differently to any external influences, including recreational loads. Therefore, a load that is safe for one type of natural complex may become dangerous or even critical for another type. The main task of forestry in green areas is to preserve and improve the health and protective properties of forests, and to create favorable recreational conditions for mass recreation of the population.

2.4. Forest fires

Among the important abiotic factors affecting the nature of communities formed in the ecosystem, fires should be attributed. The fact is that some territories are regularly and periodically exposed to fires. In coniferous forests growing in the southeastern United States, and treeless shrouds, as well as in the steppe zone, fires are very common. In forests where fires occur regularly, trees usually have thick bark, which makes them more resistant to fire. Some pine cones, such as Banks pine, release seeds best when they are heated to a certain temperature. Thus, the seeds are sown at a time when other plants are congested. The number of forest fires in one from the regions of Siberia over two centuries: In some cases, the soil after fires is enriched with nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium. As a result, animals grazing in areas exposed to periodic fires receive more nutritious food. Man, preventing natural fires, thereby causes changes in ecosystems, the maintenance of which requires periodic burnout of vegetation. At the present time, fires have become a very common means of controlling the development of forest areas, although the public consciousness can hardly get used to this idea. Protecting forests from fires. The forests of the Earth suffer severely from fires. Forest fires annually destroy 2 million tons of organic matter. They cause great harm to forestry: the growth of trees decreases, the composition of forests deteriorates, windbreaks intensify, soil conditions and windbreaks worsen, soil conditions deteriorate. Forest fires promote the spread of harmful insects and wood-destroying fungi. World statistics claims that 97% of forest fires are caused by humans and only 3% are caused by lightning, mainly ball lightning. The flame of forest fires destroys both flora and fauna on its way. In Russia, great attention is paid to protecting forests from fires. As a result of measures taken in recent years to strengthen preventive fire-fighting measures and the implementation of a set of work on the timely detection and extinguishing of forest fires by aviation and ground forest fire units, the forest area covered by fire, especially in the European part of Russia, has significantly decreased.

However, the number of forest fires is still high. Fires occur due to careless handling of fire, due to a deep violation of fire safety rules during agricultural work. The increased risk of fires is created by littering of forest areas. (4)

3. Global solutions to the problem of forest destruction

From the above, we can conclude that a lot affects the massive destruction of forests in the world. With the global problem of this issue, a global solution must also be found.

Looking at how the forest, and therefore humanity, perishes, we often do not notice that we ourselves are to blame for this. Radiation exposure, deforestation, its littering and destruction with industrial waste, numerous fires - all this is the human factor of destruction. What is the solution to all this?

At the present time, the rights of the forest state protection have been significantly expanded to combat violators of the fire regime in forests, to bring officials and citizens to justice who violate fire safety requirements. In inhabited areas with intensive forestry, forest protection from fires is provided by forestry enterprises and their specialized units - fire and chemical stations. In total, there are about 2,700 such stations in the country. To increase the fire resistance of forests, work is being carried out on a large scale to fire-fighting the forest fund, systems of fire breaks and barriers are created, a network of roads and water bodies, forests are cleared of debris. Sunburns occurring in the forest are detected mainly with the help of fire-observation stationary points, as well as forest guards during ground patrols. The forest fire divisions are armed with tankers, all-terrain vehicles, ground meters and foam generators. Cord explosive charges are widely used, as well as artificially induced precipitation. Television equipment is being introduced to facilitate the work of observers. It is envisaged to use infrared aircraft detectors to detect combustion centers from the air in conditions of strong smoke. The information obtained from artificial satellites Earth. The introduction of computer-assisted optimal operating modes for aviation forest protection units will contribute to the increase in efficiency in detecting and extinguishing forest fires. In sparsely populated areas of the North, Siberia and the Far East, helicopters and airplanes with teams of paratroopers and paratroopers-firemen are used to protect forests. A solution introduced into the soil in a timely manner at the border of the burning area can be a barrier to a forest fire. For example, a solution of bischofite, cheap and harmless. An important section of fire prevention is well-organized fire propaganda using radio, print, television and other media. Forestry workers familiarize the population, forestry workers and expeditions, vacationing tourists with the basic requirements of fire safety rules in the forest, as well as with the measures to be applied in accordance with current legislation to persons who violate these rules. Protecting the forest from harmful insects and diseases. To protect forest plantations from damage, preventive measures are used to prevent the appearance and mass reproduction of forest pests and to identify diseases. Destructive control measures are used to destroy pests and diseases. Prevention and extermination fight provide effective protection of plantations, provided that they are timely and correctly applied. Protective measures are preceded by forest entomological examination, the establishment of the places of distribution of harmful insects and diseases. On the basis of the data obtained, the question of the advisability of using certain protective measures is being decided.

Forest protection measures. The main tasks of forest protection are its rational use and restoration. Measures for the protection of forests in low-wooded areas are acquiring more and more importance in connection with their water protection, soil protection, sanitary and recreational role. Particular attention should be paid to the protection of mountain forests, as they perform important water regulation and soil protection functions. With proper forestry management, re-felling on a particular site should be carried out no earlier than 80 - 100 years, when full maturity is reached. An important measure for the sustainable use of forests is the fight against wood loss. Often, significant losses occur during timber harvesting. Branches and needles remain in the felling sites, which are a valuable material for the preparation of coniferous flour - a vitamin feed for livestock. Waste from logging is promising for the production of essential oils.

The forest is very difficult to restore. But still, the forest is being restored on felled areas, sowing on unforested areas, and low-value plantations are being reconstructed.

Along with artificial forest growing, work on natural forest regeneration (leaving seedlings, caring for self-seeding of economically valuable species, etc.) is widespread. Much attention is paid to the preservation of undergrowth in the process of forest felling. New technological schemes of logging operations have been developed and introduced into production, which ensure the preservation of undergrowth and young growth during forest exploitation. A significant factor in increasing the productivity of forests and enriching their composition is the development of new valuable forms, hybrids, varieties and introduced species. The study of the form diversity and the selection of economically valuable forms is carried out on a new theoretical basis, based on the analysis of the pheno- and genotypic structures of natural populations and the selection on the basis of a comparative analysis of biotypes with certain valuable traits. When selecting valuable forms in nature and evaluating hybrids, attention is drawn to plants that have not only high productivity by the age of quantitative or technological ripeness, but also plants that are characterized by high growth intensity in the initial period of ontogenesis. They are required for high intensity plantations with short cutting revolutions. Plantations are a special independent form of plant growing in forestry for obtaining a certain type of product (wood, twig, chemicals, medicinal raw materials, etc.). Intensive agrotechnical measures are used on the plantations. They serve as a powerful lever for the intensification and specialization of forestry production.

Conclusion

A forest appears only under certain conditions - a sufficient density of the stand, corresponding to the flora and fauna, formed communities, interconnected organisms living in a given territory.

Forest is one of the main types of land cover, the source of the most ancient material on earth - wood, a source of useful plant products, animal habitat. We must take care of it, because without forests and plants there will be no life on Earth, since, first of all, the forest is the source of oxygen we need. But for some reason, few people remember this, chopping wood for sale and trying to cash in on it. Everything that has been stated above is just lofty words that we take care of the forest, take care of it, and so on. Any person who has traveled outside the city at least several times will simply laugh at these words, because we see how our forests are being cut down. For example, near Vyborg timber is being cut down for sale in Finland, it is necessary to see the state of the felling: everywhere there is bark, branches, rotten trunks, everything is hacked by cars; it is unlikely that anything will grow in this clearing in the future. I believe that in our country there is a lot of talk about this problem, but in reality nothing is being done, since the government is busy with “more important” issues, and the forest can wait. In the meantime, other countries, which are more attentive to their forest resources, are buying up our forest at bargain prices, the new Russians will build their dachas in sanctuaries, go to the same sanctuaries and reserves to hunt in jeeps. And when our government has time to resolve this issue, it will be too late.

Humanity needs to realize that the destruction of a forest is a degradation of the environment. It is a greater threat to our future than military aggression, that over the next few decades, humanity is able to eliminate poverty and hunger, get rid of social vices, revive culture and restore architectural monuments, if only there is money, and it is impossible to revive the destroyed nature with money. It will take centuries to halt its further destruction and postpone the approach of an ecological catastrophe in the world. (5)

You can only offer everyone to take care of the forest and the surrounding nature:

not to litter forests with household and industrial waste, spontaneous dumps;

to stop numerous construction projects in forest areas of summer cottages, cottages, roads, including spontaneous and uncontrolled ones;

not to damage and destroy forests as a result of industrial pollution;

not uncontrollably unauthorizedly not to cut trees for household needs;

protect from forest fires;

work more intensively to restore forests after felling;

enhanced control over tourists, hunters, mushroom pickers, berry pickers;

remove rotting wood more often;

try to stop the natural destruction of old forests, etc.

List of sources used

1. A.V. Oleskin Biopolitics, The political potential of the Sov. biology // Athens BIO 1993

2. M.I. Lebedeva, I.M. Ankudimova Ecology // Publishing house of the Tambov state. technical university (TSTU) 2002

3. Fellenberg G. Pollution of the natural environment. Introduction to ecological chemistry // translated from German. - M. Mir 1997

4.http: //vuzlib.net

5.www.ibrae.ac.ru

6.www.pila.pp.net.ua

Attachment 1

About the forests of the Moscow region

Prominent Russian scientist-forestry Mikhail Mikhailovich Orlov still in late XIX century wrote: “Forestry, like any other, is only when the object of the economy, in this case, the forest, loses the property of unlimited and completely accessible utility and becomes a value. Such a moment occurs with a certain population density and a more or less high degree development of culture in general ". Now, more than a century later, there is much talk about the need to switch forestry to a multipurpose basis, taking into account the recreational, ecological and other functions of the forest. It is reasonable to assume that in real life Such a transition is also primarily possible where the ecological and recreational functions of the forest lose their properties of unlimited usefulness and become valuable for a large part of the population. First of all, this concerns the most densely populated regions of Russia, for example, the Moscow region (Moscow and Moscow region), which surpasses all others in terms of population density and industrial development. Of course, for the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of this region, it is not the woody but the ecological and recreational resources of the forest that are important. And forestry - if it is focused on meeting the needs of the inhabitants of the region - will involuntarily be forced to take into account the special value of these "non-timber" resources of the Moscow region forests. In short, forestry will be forced to "face people."

However, in order to do this, one must at least know which problems related to forests and forest use in the Moscow Region are of the greatest concern to its inhabitants, whether they are satisfied modern system the use and protection of the forests near Moscow, which they themselves are ready to do to preserve them.

For this purpose, Greenpeace Russia in August-September 1999 conducted a corresponding survey of residents of Moscow and the Moscow region. A total of 709 people were interviewed on the streets and in other public places; Such a sample, of course, cannot be considered representative for a full-fledged sociological study, however, in general it gives a picture of the attitude of residents of the Moscow region to the problems of forests and forest management. Some of the questions asked and results (proportion of relevant responses).

How often do you visit the forests of the Moscow region? This question was asked primarily to assess the significance of answers to other questions. The answers were distributed as follows: constantly (on average, several times a week) - 18%; on average once a week throughout the year - 13%; on average, once a week during the summer, the rest of the time less often - 23%; constantly during vacation, the rest of the time much less often - 10%; several times a year - 15%; I visit it occasionally - 14%; I don't visit at all - 4%; other answer options - 3%.

Thus, for 54% of the respondents (who chose the first three answers), the forests near Moscow play a very significant role in life and, obviously, are one of the main places of recreation (and for some, work). Based on the results of the survey, the number of residents of Moscow and the Moscow region who visit the forests near Moscow at least in the summer at least once a week can be estimated at at least 9 million people. This is hundreds of times more than the total number of workers in the forest and woodworking industries in the region, which is a clear evidence of the importance of the "non-timber" functions of the Moscow region forests for the residents of the capital region.

In your opinion, is clear cuttings permissible in the Moscow Region? This question was asked in connection with the fact that the overwhelming majority of calls and letters received by Greenpeace Russia from residents of Moscow and the Moscow region, related to "forest" issues, relate specifically to clear cuttings. That is why it was important for us to assess the extent to which the inhabitants of the capital region generally consider it permissible to carry out such felling in the forests near Moscow. The answers to this question were distributed as follows: not permissible under any conditions - 29.6%; permissible only in exceptional cases during the elimination of the consequences of fires, mass reproduction of pests or diseases - 60.1%; permissible in some cases, including as commercial events - 3.0%; permissible away from roads, settlements and places of mass recreation - 2.1%; admissible without special restrictions - 0.6%; other answer options - 0.4%. Found it difficult to answer 4.2% of the respondents. Thus, 89.7% of the respondents believe that clearcutting in the Moscow region is permissible in exceptional cases or not at all.

In this regard, a question arises for the management and staff of the Central and Moscow forest management enterprises, which are currently conducting regular forest management in most forestry enterprises of the Moscow region and planning, as before, the absolute dominance of clear felling for final use - do they want to take into account the opinion of the majority of residents of the region and to plan, at least where the state of forests allows it, gradual and selective felling instead of clear-cut?

What ecological problems of the Moscow region forests do you consider the most important? There were several possible answers to this question, so the total amount of percentages given below significantly exceeds 100%. The respondents identified the following as the most important environmental problems of the Moscow Region's forests: littering of forests with household and industrial waste, spontaneous dumps (78% of the respondents); construction of summer cottages, cottages, roads in forests, including spontaneous and uncontrolled (55%); damage and destruction of forests as a result of industrial pollution (41%); uncontrolled unauthorized felling of trees for household needs (34%); forest fires (33%); too intensive logging (32%); unsatisfactory work on reforestation after felling (30%); too intense uncontrolled impact of tourists, hunters, mushroom pickers, berry pickers (26%); littering of forests with rotting wood (19%); logging along the banks of rivers, streams and lakes and in water protection zones (19%); a large number of summer cottages on drained peatlands and in other places of increased fire hazard (14%); natural death of old forests (6%). Other problems were indicated as the most important by three percent of respondents, and another 2% of respondents found it difficult to answer this question.

The answers to this question are very revealing. The residents of the capital region consider the three most important environmental problems to be those that the state forest management bodies (formally an environmental agency) practically do not pay attention to or that arise largely due to the activities of these bodies (such as, for example, forest land allotments for various construction occur with the consent of the bodies forestry management). Forest fires - despite the fact that the survey was conducted immediately after the end of one of the most "firefighting" summer seasons of recent decades - were ranked only in fifth place in importance. The same "ecological problems" that are traditionally considered by the forestry service as the most important (littering of forests with rotting wood and natural destruction of old forests as a consequence of "lack of felling") are at the bottom of the list and only a small part of the respondents are considered important. Of course, this discrepancy can be attributed to the "lack of professionalism of ordinary citizens." But is there a forestry service in the Moscow region that does not consider it necessary to solve the ecological problems of forests, which are important for most of the population?

Do you think it is necessary to create new specially protected natural areas (SPNA) in the Moscow region, completely excluded from commercial forest use? Several (not mutually exclusive) answers were also allowed to this question.

The answers were distributed as follows: yes, it is necessary to create new protected areas with a protected regime of protection - 52%; yes, with a ban on all types of felling and any construction - 45%; yes, with the ban only for final felling and construction - 20%; no, there is no need to create new protected areas - 3%. Other answers were offered by 1% of the respondents, 6% found it difficult to answer this question.

The answers to this question do not need special comments. The official position of the Moscow Region Forest Service, which has been successfully opposing the creation of new reserves, natural monuments and natural parks in the Moscow Region over the past ten years, is shared by only 3% of the respondents in Moscow and the Moscow Region. And in this direction, the activities of the regional forest management do not meet the interests of the majority of citizens.

What do you think should be public participation in forest management in the Moscow region? The answers were distributed as follows: representatives of the public should not interfere in any way in forest management - 8%; representatives of the public should assist state forest management bodies in fulfilling their tasks of forest protection and reforestation - 41%; the public should have access to all non-commercial information on the state and use of forests and be able to independently control the activities of state forest management bodies - 48%. 3% of respondents found it difficult to choose one of these answer options.

Special comments are again unnecessary: \u200b\u200bthe overwhelming majority of the respondents want the activities of state forest management bodies to be controlled by members of the public.

How often have you met in the forests of the Moscow region with employees of the state forest guard (not engaged in forest felling) over the past two years? The answers to this question (the questionnaires of those who do not visit the forests were not taken into account) were distributed as follows: very often (almost every visit to the forest) - 0.8%; often - 1.8%; several times - 6.6%; once - 8.3%; never met - 76.6%. 1.4% offered other answers (for example, "I met, but absolutely drunk" or "I know one forester, but I don't know how often he is in the forest"). 4.1% of the respondents found it difficult to answer this question.

The answers to this question are extremely important. They allow us to assert that the state forest protection in the Moscow region, if it has not yet ceased to exist, is more than ever close to it. The reorientation of the Russian forestry service to an independent commercial activity in timber harvesting under the guise of intermediate felling led to the fact that the foresters simply did not have the time (and desire) to visit their bypasses and protect the forests in any way. By the way, the author of this review has already heard from the workers of the Moscow Region forestry enterprises and about the direct prohibitions (so far orally) by the directors of the forestry enterprises or foresters to protect forests and attend their rounds during working hours, avoiding work on the "income felling". To be fair, it remains to add that in most other regions the situation with forest protection is hardly better.

How do you feel about the introduction in Moscow and the Moscow region of a special tax on citizens and legal entities to improve the financing of forestry authorities for the protection of forests in the Moscow region, including forest parks? The answers to this question were distributed in the following (I must say, somewhat unexpected) way: the introduction of a 1% tax is supported by 14.7% of the respondents; 0.5 percent - 9.3%; 0.25 percent - 10.9%; 0.1 percent - 14.8%. 24.1% of respondents disagree with the introduction of such a tax. 9.9% offered other answers (mainly, they agree with the introduction of such a tax, if a system is created to prevent theft of the collected money); 15.9% of the respondents found it difficult to answer this question.

In general, it is obvious that the majority of residents of the capital region are ready to financially support the protection of the Moscow region forests to one degree or another. Thus, in principle, the solution to many financial problems of forest protection is quite possible - it remains only to determine the possible forms of implementation of such financial support (in addition to tax, it can also be such forms as concluding lease agreements for forest plots with dacha cooperatives or with municipal authorities to organize recreational use forests). Having solved these issues, it is possible to find a real way to force forest guards to take up the actual protection of forests everywhere.

Simultaneously with this survey, a study was carried out of the possibility of holding a regional referendum in order to adopt the Law of the Moscow Region, which includes the following wording:

On the territory of the Moscow Region, all types of clear cuttings are prohibited, with the exception of felling of dead plantations, clearing of burnt forests and areas damaged by natural disasters.

State forestry management bodies are obliged to ensure the protection of the forests of the Moscow region from pollution with industrial and household waste and their cleaning from littering no later than within 1 month from the moment the fact of littering was discovered. If the culprit of littering is unknown, the cleaning of the state forest fund from littering is carried out at the expense of the state forestry management bodies.

The transfer of forest lands to non-forest lands for purposes not related to forest management, and construction on the territory of the forest fund of the Moscow region can be carried out only after the holding of the Moscow regional referendum on each case of such a transfer.

Of course, from a legal point of view, these formulations are faulty (given that forests are federal property, and most of the issues related to their use cannot be resolved at the regional level). However, it was important for us to evaluate the very possibility of holding a regional referendum in the Moscow region to address those forest management issues that are of the greatest concern to its residents.

Greenpeace Russia already has experience in holding regional referendums in a number of constituent entities of the Russian Federation on various issues and is now considering the possibility of using this experience to solve the burning problems of forest management in the Moscow region.

The answers of the interviewed residents of the Moscow region about their attitude to the referendum were distributed as follows:

ready to officially put their signature on the subscription list of the initiative group for holding such a referendum 40% of the respondents;

do not agree to put their signature in support of the referendum, but are ready to take part in it, if it is held 38% of the respondents;

22% of the respondents do not agree to either sign in support of the referendum or to take part in it.

These survey results show that in the Moscow region it is quite possible to collect the number of signatures provided for by the current legislation in order to organize a regional referendum in order to adopt the Moscow region law on forests.

Key provisions that can be adopted at a regional referendum (taking into account the existing distribution of forest management functions between federal and regional authorities) are currently being worked out. However, I would like to hope that we will not have to resort to this extreme and very expensive way for the region to turn the forestry service to face the people - after all, now, after the end of the election campaign and the self-liquidation of the Kedr movement, in which some leaders of the Moscow Forestry Administration took an active part, foresters near Moscow should have more time for real work and solving painful problems.

Scientists have long been talking about the harmful effects of technological progress on nature. Climate change, melting ice, decline in the quality of drinking water have a very negative impact on people's lives. Environmentalists around the world have long sounded the alarm about pollution and destruction of nature. Deforestation is one of the most important. Forest problems are visible especially in civilized states. Environmentalists believe that deforestation has many negative consequences for the Earth and humans. Without forests there will be no life on Earth, this must be understood by those on whom their preservation depends. However, wood has long been a commodity that is expensive. And that's why the problem of deforestation is being solved with such difficulty. Perhaps people just do not think that their whole life depends on this ecosystem. Although for a long time everyone revered the forest, giving it often magical functions. He was the breadwinner and personified the life-giving power of nature. He was loved, the trees were treated with care, and they answered our ancestors in the same way.

Forests of the planet

In all countries, in every corner of the world, massive deforestation is being carried out. The problem of the forest is that with the destruction of trees, many more species of plants and animals die. Violated in nature. After all, the forest is not only trees. This is a well-coordinated ecosystem based on the interaction of many representatives of flora and fauna. In addition to trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, lichens, insects, animals and even microorganisms are of great importance in its existence. Despite mass felling, until now forests occupy about 30% of the land area. This is over 4 billion hectares of land. More than half of them are rainforests. However, the northern ones, especially the coniferous ones, are also of great importance in the ecology of the planet. The richest green countries in the world are Finland and Canada. In Russia, there are about 25% of the world's forest reserves. Least of all trees remained in Europe. Now forests occupy only a third of its territory, although in ancient times it was completely covered with trees. And, for example, in England they are almost gone, only 6% of the land is given for parks and forest plantations.

Rainforests

They occupy more than half of the entire territory of green spaces. Scientists estimate that about 80% of animal species live there, which can die without a familiar ecosystem. However, deforestation of tropical forests is now progressing at an accelerated pace. In some regions, for example in West Africa or Madagascar, about 90% of the forest has already disappeared. A disastrous situation has developed in the countries South Americawhere more than 40% of trees have been cut down. The problems of tropical forests are not only a matter of the countries in which they are located. The destruction of such a huge array will lead to an ecological disaster. After all, it is difficult to assess the role that forests play in the life of mankind. Therefore, scientists around the world are sounding the alarm.

The meaning of the forest

Using forests for human benefit

Green spaces are important for humans not only because they regulate the water cycle and provide all living things with oxygen. The forest is home to about a hundred fruit and berry trees and bushes, as well as nuts, more than 200 species of edible and medicinal herbs and mushrooms. Many animals are hunted there, such as sable, marten, squirrel or black grouse. But most of all man needs wood. It is because of this that deforestation occurs. The problem of the forest is that without trees, the entire ecosystem dies. So why does a person need wood?

Deforestation

Forest problems arise when it happens uncontrollably, often illegally. After all, forests have been cut down for a long time. And over 10 thousand years of human existence, about two-thirds of all trees have disappeared from the face of the Earth. They began to cut down the forest especially a lot in the Middle Ages, when more and more space was required for construction and farmland. And now every year about 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed, and almost half of them are places where no man's foot has ever set foot. Why is the forest cut down?

• to free up space for construction (after all, the growing population of the Earth needs to build new cities);
• as in ancient times, the forest is cut during slash-and-burn agriculture, making room for arable land;
• the development of animal husbandry requires more and more space for pastures;
• forests often interfere with the extraction of minerals that are so necessary for mankind for technological progress;
• and finally, wood is now a very valuable commodity used in many industries.

What kind of forest can be cut down

The disappearance of forests has long attracted the attention of scientists. Different states are trying to somehow regulate this process. All woodlands were divided into three groups:

Types of deforestation

In most states, forest problems are of concern to many scientists and government officials. Therefore, at the legislative level, felling is limited there. However, the fact is that it is often carried out illegally. And although this is considered poaching and is punishable by heavy fines or imprisonment, the massive destruction of forests for profit is growing. For example, almost 80% of deforestation in Russia is illegal. Moreover, timber is mainly sold abroad. What are the official types of felling?

What damage does deforestation cause

The ecological problem of the disappearance of the so-called "lungs" of the planet is already worrying many. Most people believe that this threatens with a decrease in oxygen supplies. This is true, but this is not the main problem. The scale that deforestation has now assumed is striking. A satellite photo of the former woodlands helps to visualize the situation. What can this lead to:

• the ecosystem of the forest is destroyed, many representatives of flora and fauna disappear;
• a decrease in the amount of wood and plant diversity leads to a deterioration in the quality of life of most people;
• the amount of carbon dioxide increases, which leads to the formation of a greenhouse effect;
• trees cease to protect the soil (leaching of the top layer leads to the formation of ravines, and the lowering of the groundwater level causes the appearance of deserts);
• the moisture content of the soil increases, due to which swamps are formed;
• scientists believe that the disappearance of trees on the slopes of the mountains leads to the rapid melting of glaciers.

The researchers estimate that deforestation is causing the global economy up to $ 5 trillion in damage per year.

How are forests cleaned?

How is deforestation done? The photo of the area where recently felling took place is an unsightly view: bare area, almost devoid of vegetation, stumps, spots of fireplaces and strips of exposed soil. How does it work? The name "felling" has survived from the time when trees were felled with an ax. Now, chainsaws are used for this. After the tree has fallen to the ground, branches are chopped off and burned. The bare trunk is taken away almost immediately. And they move it to the place of transportation by dragging, hitting it to a tractor. Therefore, there remains a strip of bare land with torn out vegetation and destroyed undergrowth. Thus, young growth is destroyed, which could revive the forest. At this place, the ecological balance is completely disturbed and other conditions are created for vegetation.

What happens after the felling

In open space, absolutely different conditions are created. Therefore, a new forest grows only where the felling area is not very large. What prevents young plants from getting stronger:

• The light level changes. Those undergrowth plants that are used to living in the shade die.
• Other temperature conditions. Without tree protection, there is a sharper fluctuation in temperature, frequent night frosts. This also leads to the death of many plants.
• An increase in soil moisture can lead to waterlogging. And blowing moisture from the leaves of young shoots with the wind does not allow them to develop normally.
• Root dieback and forest floor decomposition release many nitrogenous compounds that enrich the soil. However, those plants that need just such minerals feel better on it. The fastest growing raspberries or willow trees grow in clearings, birch or willow shoots develop well. Therefore, the restoration of deciduous forests proceeds quickly, if people do not interfere in this process. But coniferous trees grow very poorly after felling, since they reproduce by seeds for which there are no normal conditions for development. Deforestation has such negative consequences. Solution to the problem - what is it?

Solving the problem of deforestation

Environmentalists suggest many ways to conserve forests. Here are just a few of them:

• the transition from paper to electronic media, waste paper collection and separate waste collection will reduce the use of wood for paper production;
• the creation of forest farms, which will grow those with the shortest maturation period;
• a ban on logging in protected areas and increased penalties for this;
• raising the state duty for exporting timber abroad to make it unprofitable.

The disappearance of forests does not yet concern an ordinary person. However, many problems are associated with this. When all people understand that it is forests that provide them with a normal existence, maybe they will be more careful with trees. Each person can contribute to the revival of the world's forests by planting at least one tree.

The fate of woodlands

Forest is a multilevel biosocial system where countless elements coexist and influence each other. These elements are trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants and other flora, birds, animals, microorganisms, soil with its organic and inorganic components, water and microclimate. The planet's forests are a powerful source of atmospheric oxygen (1 ha of forest releases 5 tons of oxygen into the atmosphere per year). Do not think that only tropical rainforests are important globally. On the territory of Russia there is a unique forest area - the Siberian taiga, which supplies oxygen not only to its region, but also to North America (where about 95% of its own forests were destroyed). Oxygen produced by forests and other components of the Earth's vegetation is important not only in itself, but also in connection with the need to preserve the ozone screen in the Earth's stratosphere. Ozone is formed from oxygen by exposure to sunlight. Its concentration in the stratosphere is steadily decreasing under the influence of chlorofluorinated hydrocarbons (refrigerants, components of plastics, etc.). Despite the restrictive and prohibitive measures currently adopted on an international scale (for example, the Montreal Protocol on Chlorofluorinated Organic Compounds), which, moreover, are not implemented everywhere, ozone will be further destroyed over a number of years only by compounds already released into the atmosphere, slowly rising into the stratosphere. ... This contributes to the growth of the "ozone hole", which, spreading from the South Pole, reached the latitude of Tierra del Fuego and "covered" in 2000 the settlement of Punta Arrenas (Chile).

Providing life-giving oxygen, which counteracts the formation of the "ozone hole", forests also absorb carbon dioxide, converting it into biomass in the process of photosynthesis (100 m2 forests absorb 400 kg of CO2 per year). Industry releases significant amounts of this gas, one of the main culprits of the "greenhouse effect", which threatens global warming (already begun), a shift of the planet's agricultural zones to the poles, waterlogging of land areas with permafrost, melting of glaciers, flooding of coastal cities, more and more frequent cataclysms (hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.). Forests also absorb noise, mitigate seasonal temperature fluctuations, inhibit strong winds, and facilitate precipitation. Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest has already led to a reduction in the length of the rainy season, threatening catastrophic consequences for agriculture. The list of reasons why the forests of the planet are vital to us could be continued.

However, it is not only pragmatic considerations that should motivate us to conserve forests. Conserving forests is part of a broader biocentric biodiversity conservation program. Only the tropical rain forests of the Amazon, Congo Basin, Southeast Asia contain about 1.7 million species of plants and animals.

The forest takes us to the world of beauty (it has bio-aesthetic value), in it we are imbued with the greatness of living nature, we enjoy at least a relatively uncontaminated landscape. Moreover, artificially planted forest plantations on the site of felling (often of a park type), with all the efforts of their creators, are often completely dependent on human care, a semblance of natural, virgin forests.

Sadly, forests have been destroyed in recent decades at about a rate of 1 ha per day, and reforestation on each hectare takes 15-20 years. During the existence of civilization, more than 42% of the entire original forest area on the planet has been liquidated, and, of course, forests are being destroyed at an increasing rate. So, for the period 1955-1995, about 40% of tropical forests were cut down. At the current rate of destruction (about 15 million hectares per year), tropical rainforests will be completely destroyed between 2030 and 2050. A similar fate will befall the Siberian taiga even earlier than this date, if its unrestrained exploitation, in which foreign companies (for example, CFMG from the USA, as well as Chinese enterprises), participate, is not stopped. In general, coniferous forests are decreasing in Russia, which are replaced by less valuable small-leaved forests. In many regions, more timber is harvested; Mountain forests, which are difficult to renew and grow slowly, are especially affected.

The problem of forest destruction

The problem of forest destruction, like environmental issues in general, is closely related to the global political problems of our time. This connection is two-way: along with the undoubted influence of the environmental situation on political decisions, in general on politics, there is also a reverse impact of the political situation in the world on the environment in certain regions of the world. As for the forests of the planet, in most cases they are liquidated not on a whim, but in order to survive, not to die of hunger. The world is divided into the developed countries of the West, where less than 1 billion people ("golden billion") live in conditions of economic prosperity, and all other developing countries ("the third world"), the resting place of the rest, more than 5 billion people. An estimated 1.3 billion people in these countries live in poverty; 840 million people, including 240 million children, are hungry or malnourished (2). Making up about 20% of the world's population, the "golden billion" controls about 85% of the goods and resources of mankind.

Both categories of countries contribute to the destruction of the bios (albeit for different reasons). But specifically, the destruction of forests is directly carried out on the territory of the countries of the "third world"; The rich countries of the West, which previously destroyed most of their forests, are now busy with their restoration, "reclamation", prudently protecting the remnants of virgin forests and newly created plantations from pollution (for example, in Germany a real campaign was launched against the "forest extinction" - Waldsterben). However, the inhabitants of developing countries are not up to environmental considerations, when they have to provide themselves with food with an enormous increase in population by archaic means (up to the method of sowing cultivated plants in clearings, fertilized by the ashes of burnt trees, known to us from history textbooks). We add that this method is unproductive in the rainforests of the tropics, because the layer of nutrient humus in their soils is very thin; after 2-3 harvests, the soil is depleted and it is necessary to destroy a new section of the forest. The unrestrained exploitation of natural resources, including forests, is facilitated by the significant financial indebtedness of the Third World countries in relation to creditors from the countries of the “golden billion”, so that the “golden billion” is indirectly responsible for the fate of the “third world” forests, from which his own survival also depends. Measures were proposed to remove or postpone part of the debt from developing countries, subject to their obligatory observance of the norms of protecting forests and, in general, the bio-environment.

Acting in agreement with the Club of Rome, the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and a number of other international organizations - including nongovernmental organizations - B.I.O. under the leadership of A. Vlavianos-Arvanitis proposes more generally plan to take action on the problems of developing countries, because these days these problems have acquired global significance. Whether such events will have real force or will remain mostly "good wishes" in the face of the omnipotence of transnational corporations, as the "environmental pessimists" fear, depends largely on the victory or defeat of biopolitics (and similar socio-ecological, "green" and other currents ) on the ethical front. It is among those who have real political power and / or economic power that it is necessary to develop a new ethics based on a sense of responsibility for all forms of bios, an understanding of the fragility and interconnectedness of all life on Earth. Vlavianos-Arvanitis refers to efforts in this direction as bio-diplomacy.

Radiation exposure - a consequence of the destruction of the forest

The death of forests due to strong irradiation throughout history since the beginning of the atomic era (about 50 years) was noted on the traces of radioactive fallout from the Kyshtym and Chernobyl radiation accidents and occurred as a result of exposure to high levels of radiation in the first 1-2 years after the accident.

In total, the area of \u200b\u200bcompletely dead forest stands was no more than 10 km 2. The proportion of forests that died from radiation damage in the entire history of the nuclear industry is 0.3-0.4% of the scale of annual forest destruction in the country (2-3 thousand km 2).

Death and deforestation

One of the causes of forest destruction in many parts of the world is acid rain, the main culprits of which are power plants. Sulfur dioxide emissions and long-range transport result in such rainfall far from emission sources. In Austria, eastern Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden, more than 60% of the sulfur deposited on their territory comes from external sources, and in Norway even 75%.

Other examples of long-range transport of acids are acid rain on remote Atlantic islands such as Bermuda and acid snow in the Arctic.

Over the past 20 years (1970 - 1990), the world has lost almost 200 million hectares of forest, which is equal to the area of \u200b\u200bthe United States east of the Mississippi.

A particularly great environmental threat is posed by the depletion of tropical forests - the "lungs of the planet" and the main source of the planet's biological diversity. About 200 thousand square kilometers are cut down or burned there every year, which means that 100 thousand species of plants and animals disappear. This process is especially fast in the richest tropical rainforest regions - the Amazon and Indonesia.

British ecologist N. Meyers came to the conclusion that ten small areas in the tropics contain at least 27% of the total species composition of this class of plant formations, later this list was expanded to 15 "hot spots" of tropical forests, which should be preserved in whatever the cost.

In developed countries, acid rain caused damage to a significant part of the forest: in Czechoslovakia - 71%, in Greece and Great Britain - 64%, in Germany - 52%.

The current forest situation is very different across continents. If in Europe and Asia the forest-covered areas slightly increased in 1974-1989, in Australia they decreased by 2.6% in one year. Even greater degradation of forests is taking place in individual countries: in Cote d'Ivoire, forest areas have decreased by 5.4% over the year, in Thailand - by 4.3%, in Paraguay by 3.4%.

Forest and tourism

Since ancient times, the forest has always attracted a large number of hunters, berry and mushroom pickers and those who simply want to relax. With the development of mass tourism in our country, the number of forest visitors has increased so much that it has become a factor that cannot be taken into account when protecting the forest. Millions of people in the summer, especially on Saturdays and Sundays, travel to the suburban forests to spend their weekends or vacations in the bosom of nature. Thousands of tourists hike along the same routes. In the suburban forests, you can often find whole tent cities with a large population. Visitors to the forest make major changes in its life. To set up tents, undergrowth is cut down, young shoots are removed, broken and destroyed. Young trees perish not only under fires, but also under axes, or even under the feet of numerous visitors. The forests, often visited by tourists, are so thoroughly littered with cans, bottles, rags, paper, etc., and bear traces of large and small wounds that this adversely affects natural reforestation. They carry and carry bouquets of flowers, branches of greenery, trees, bushes. The question is, what will happen if each of those who come to the forest picks only one branch, one flower? And it is no coincidence that after a number of years of poaching towards nature in our, especially suburban, forests, many once in an abundance of growing plants, shrubs and trees have disappeared. In the spring, tens of thousands of townspeople rush to the forests for bird cherry and lilac. They are not satisfied with modest bouquets. Armfuls, brooms, often on the roofs of cars. How can you not envy the delicate taste of the Japanese, who believe that the bouquet is spoiled if there are more than three flowers in it.

Not the last place in causing damage is the custom of decorating Christmas trees. If we assume that there is one holiday tree for 10-15 residents, then it becomes clear to everyone that, for example, in a big city this cozy tradition costs several tens, or even hundreds of thousands of young trees annually. Low-forested areas are particularly affected. The presence of even one person does not leave a trace for the forest. Picking mushrooms, flowers and berries undermines the self-renewal of a number of plant species. A fire for 5-7 years completely incapacitates a piece of land on which it was decomposed. The noise frightens off various birds and mammals, prevents them from raising their offspring normally. Broken branches, notches on trunks and other mechanical damage to trees contribute to their infestation by pests.

It should be reminded once again: the forest is our friend, disinterested and mighty. But he, like a person whose soul is wide open, requires both attention and care from a careless, thoughtless attitude towards him. Life without a forest is unthinkable, and we are all responsible for its well-being, we are responsible today, we are always responsible. Recreational loads are classified as safe, including both low and maximum allowable loads, hazardous and critical and catastrophic. A load at which irreversible changes do not occur in the natural complex can be considered safe. The impact of such loads brings the natural complex to the II or III stages of digression. The load corresponding to stage II is conventionally called "low", since the natural complex is able to withstand a large load without losing its restorative strength. The maximum permissible recreational load leads the natural complex to the III stage of digression. If a natural complex passes from stage III to stage IV of digression, that is, "steps over" the boundary of stability, recreational loads are considered dangerous. Critical loads correspond to the IV stage of phytocenosis digression. Catastrophic loads lead the natural complex to the V stage of digression, in which connections are disrupted, both between natural components and between their constituent parts.
Different types of natural complexes with different structure and character of interconnections between morphological units react differently to any external influences, including recreational loads. Therefore, a load that is safe for one type of natural complex may become dangerous or even critical for another type. The main task of forestry in green areas is to preserve and improve the health and protective properties of forests, and to create favorable recreational conditions for mass recreation of the population.

Forest fires

Among the important abiotic factors affecting the nature of communities formed in the ecosystem, fires should be attributed. The fact is that some territories are regularly and periodically exposed to fires. In coniferous forests growing in the southeastern United States, and treeless shrouds, as well as in the steppe zone, fires are very common. In forests where fires occur regularly, trees usually have thick bark, which makes them more resistant to fire. Some pine cones, such as Banks pine, release seeds best when they are heated to a certain temperature. Thus, the seeds are sown at a time when other plants are congested. The number of forest fires in one from the regions of Siberia over two centuries: In some cases, the soil after fires is enriched with nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium. As a result, animals grazing in areas exposed to periodic fires receive more nutritious food. Man, preventing natural fires, thereby causes changes in ecosystems, the maintenance of which requires periodic burnout of vegetation. At the present time, fires have become a very common means of controlling the development of forest areas, although the public consciousness can hardly get used to this idea. Protecting forests from fires. The forests of the Earth suffer severely from fires. Forest fires annually destroy 2 million tons of organic matter. They cause great harm to forestry: the growth of trees decreases, the composition of forests deteriorates, windbreaks intensify, soil conditions and windbreaks worsen, soil conditions deteriorate. Forest fires promote the spread of harmful insects and wood-destroying fungi. World statistics assert that 97% of forest fires are caused by humans and only 3% are caused by lightning, mainly ball lightning. The flame of forest fires destroys both flora and fauna on its way. In Russia, great attention is paid to protecting forests from fires. As a result of measures taken in recent years to strengthen preventive fire-fighting measures and the implementation of a set of work on the timely detection and extinguishing of forest fires by aviation and ground forest fire units, the forest area covered by fire, especially in the European part of Russia, has significantly decreased.

However, the number of forest fires is still high. Fires occur due to careless handling of fire, due to a deep violation of fire safety rules during agricultural work. The increased risk of fires is created by littering of forest areas. (4)

Global solutions to the problem of forest destruction

From the above, we can conclude that a lot affects the massive destruction of forests in the world. With the global problem of this issue, a global solution must also be found.

Looking at how the forest, and therefore humanity, perishes, we often do not notice that we ourselves are to blame for this. Radiation exposure, deforestation, its littering and destruction with industrial waste, numerous fires - all this is the human factor of destruction. What is the solution to all this?

At the present time, the rights of the forest state protection have been significantly expanded to combat violators of the fire regime in forests, to bring officials and citizens to justice who violate fire safety requirements. In inhabited areas with intensive forestry, forest protection from fires is provided by forestry enterprises and their specialized units - fire and chemical stations. In total, there are about 2,700 such stations in the country. To increase the fire resistance of forests, work is being carried out on a large scale to fire-fighting the forest fund, systems of fire breaks and barriers are created, a network of roads and water bodies, forests are cleared of debris. Sunburns occurring in the forest are detected mainly with the help of fire-observation stationary points, as well as forest guards during ground patrols. The forest fire divisions are armed with tankers, all-terrain vehicles, ground meters and foam generators. Cord explosive charges are widely used, as well as artificially induced precipitation. Television equipment is being introduced to facilitate the work of observers. It is envisaged to use infrared aircraft detectors to detect combustion centers from the air in conditions of strong smoke. Information obtained from artificial earth satellites is used. The introduction of computer-assisted optimal operating modes for aviation forest protection units will contribute to the increase in efficiency in detecting and extinguishing forest fires. In sparsely populated areas of the North, Siberia and the Far East, helicopters and airplanes with teams of paratroopers and paratroopers-firemen are used to protect forests. A solution introduced into the soil in a timely manner at the border of the burning area can be a barrier to a forest fire. For example, a solution of bischofite, cheap and harmless. An important section of fire prevention is well-organized fire propaganda through radio, print, television and other media. Forestry workers familiarize the population, forestry workers and expeditions, vacationing tourists with the basic requirements of fire safety rules in the forest, as well as with the measures to be applied in accordance with current legislation to persons who violate these rules. Protecting the forest from harmful insects and diseases. To protect forest plantations from damage, preventive measures are used to prevent the appearance and mass reproduction of forest pests and to identify diseases. For the destruction of pests and diseases, exterminatory control measures are used. Prevention and extermination fight provide effective protection of plantings, provided they are used in a timely and correct manner. The protective measures are preceded by forest entomological examination, the establishment of the places where harmful insects and diseases are spread. On the basis of the data obtained, the question of the advisability of using certain protective measures is being decided.

Forest protection measures. The main tasks of forest protection are its rational use and restoration. Measures for the protection of forests in low-wooded areas are acquiring more and more importance in connection with their water protection, soil protection, sanitary and recreational role. Particular attention should be paid to the protection of mountain forests, as they perform important water regulation and soil protection functions. With proper forestry management, re-felling on a particular site should be carried out no earlier than 80 - 100 years, when full maturity is reached. An important measure for the sustainable use of forests is the fight against wood loss. Often, significant losses occur during timber harvesting. Branches and needles remain in the felling sites, which are a valuable material for the preparation of coniferous flour - a vitamin feed for livestock. Waste from logging is promising for the production of essential oils.

The forest is very difficult to restore. But still, the forest is being restored on felled areas, sowing on unforested areas, and low-value plantations are being reconstructed.

Along with artificial forest growing, work on natural forest regeneration (leaving seedlings, caring for self-seeding of economically valuable species, etc.) is widespread. Much attention is paid to the preservation of undergrowth in the process of forest felling. New technological schemes of logging operations have been developed and introduced into production, which ensure the preservation of undergrowth and young growth during forest exploitation. A significant factor in increasing the productivity of forests and enriching their composition is the development of new valuable forms, hybrids, varieties and introduced species. The study of the form diversity and the selection of economically valuable forms is carried out on a new theoretical basis, based on the analysis of the pheno- and genotypic structures of natural populations and the selection on the basis of a comparative analysis of biotypes with certain valuable traits. When selecting valuable forms in nature and evaluating hybrids, attention is drawn to plants that have not only high productivity by the age of quantitative or technological ripeness, but also plants that are characterized by high growth intensity in the initial period of ontogenesis. They are required for high intensity plantations with short cutting revolutions. Plantations are a special independent form of plant growing in forestry for obtaining a certain type of product (wood, twig, chemicals, medicinal raw materials, etc.). Intensive agrotechnical measures are used on the plantations. They serve as a powerful lever for the intensification and specialization of forestry production.