The original version of this article was prepared in March 2004 and offered for publication to the Byelorussian forest newspaper. However, the editor could not publish the matter, referring to the large volume of the text. There is a high urgency and actually of the theme of stopping the practice of mass planting artificial monocultures within the protected area of Belovezhskaya Pushcha (in the way it is done in timber enterprises). This has become a standard practice in the National Park over the last years. Therefore I sent this article to the website «Belovezhskaya Pushcha — XXI Century».
One of the serious problems in Belovezhskaya Pushcha is the forest renewal changing and absence of a new generation of basic forest tree species like the pine, oak, maple, ash and linden. This was caused by the intensive hunting economy over the last 40 years. In 1957 the State Reserve «Belovezhskaya Pushcha» was reorganized into a State Protected Game Ground (SPGG). The basic aim of this new body became breeding wild ungulate species for hunting purposes. First of all red deer served high-rank communist party officials as a hunting object. For this purpose a system of biotechnical measures was organized. It was targeted at a maximized increase in the number of animals. At that time people liked to express that it should be possible «to see an animal face behind each single spruce tree». Special fodder glades, a fodder platform and salt-pots were created. All your round the animals were artificially fed with grains and root plants. The number of predators was reduced. At that time Belovezhskaya Pushcha was well protected against poachers. One can say that the regime of protection of the SPGG was very similar to that of the reserved territory. This was appreciated later as a positive element of the activities within the SPGG. All these measures quickly brought the planned effect within the SPGG.
In the 1970's and 80's the number of wild ungulates reached its maximum in Belovezhskaya Pushcha: 2800 red deer, 2200 wild boar and 1800 animals of roe deer. The optimal density of these species was exceeded by 3 to 5 times.
Long term overpopulating resulted in a near complete destruction of the undergrowth and the young generation of pine, oak, ash, maple and linden by wild ungulates in the central part of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. These species made up the main component of their diet. More resistant species like hornbeam existed as «bushes» for decades since they had no opportunity to reach heights above the «animal snout» as the top branches were eaten yearly during winter time. Scientists noted that in the 1970's and 80's red deer even began to eat spruces. This testified a shortage of natural tree-branch forages for wild animals, since spruce is no food for wild ungulates if a balanced base of fodder is available.
Overpopulation of the Pushcha by wild ungulates broke succession processes as well as natural changes of forest ecosystems. In coniferous and mixed forests spruces began to prevail in the second tree layer. Spruce started to supersede pine even on sandy soils. This is not a typical phenomenon in this region, which is located at the southern edge of the natural habitat of spruce. Hornbeam shaped a second layer in oak forests. After disintegration of such forest associations an intensive turf-process goes on in the open space of glades, because the renewal of young forest falls short. This results in the appearance of open sites within the forest, which can not be covered by a young forest generation over decades since wild ungulates intensively consumed young pine and deciduous trees. This essential change which is made in the composition and structure of the original forest types is a real threat for the future of the forest, since natural succession cycles are violated.
A program to reduce the density of wild ungulates was started in Belovezhskaya Pushcha seven years ago. Artificial feeding was reduced, first of all in the center of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. At that time hunting in the Pushcha was open to any person who wished to satisfy his hunting interests after payment of a certain sum of money based on a pricelist. Simultaneously he contributed to reduction of the density of the animals. To the present time the number of animals is reduced, although it has remained to be a little higher as was recommended by scientists. According to them red deer and wild boar should number about 1000 animals (per species) and roe deer 500 animals.
The wood reacted to these changes. Young renewal covered many sites. But a simple reduction of the density of herbivorous animals was not enough to reach the goal of successful regeneration. Still, the damage made to the young forest generation by ungulates was considerable, since their density remained to be high in relation to the poor stock of fodder. Freshly sprouted young trees were most sensitive to damage caused by eating. Further, long absence of forest renewal on glades and clear cutting sites resulted in the growth of a strong layer of litter-turf, which interfered with a successful germination of seeds. That is why a program of assistance to forest renewal should be elaborated as an additional measure to reduction of wild ungulates.
This question is not as easy as one may think it is. Within Specially Protected Natural Territories (SPNT), which Belovezhskaya Pushcha is, traditional forestry management methods are not appropriate usually. In fact such standard forestry methods are not acceptable especially in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. This forest is a Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage site of Mankind. The value of Belovezhskaya Pushcha and all of its specific titles reflect the unique presence of a natural
The main principle of economic activities implemented in such unique natural complexes as Belovezhskaya Pushcha should be — DO NOT HARM MUCH! Only those ways and methods out of all possible management technologies should be applied which cause the least violations to Belovezhskaya Pushcha Primeval Forest. Management practice should correspond to the natural process as much as possible. Human behaviour must be very cautious and accurate in the reserved forest, in the way a surgeon deals with a laser scalpel as he operates a vital organ. This is the alphabet of the business of wildlife protection. In his novel «Russian wood» the well known writer Leonid Leonov wrote about it a long time ago already. And other classic men of wildlife protection, G. Kozhevnikov, A. Semenov-Tyan-Shanski, V. Taliev, I. Borodin and others, did the same.
The primeval
According to tradition clear sanitary cuttings are not conducted in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. In the Regulated Nature Zone only dead trees should be felled, while no cuttings are applied in the Wildness Protection Zone, which covers 18 percent of the Pushcha. Even on former centers of bark beetle infestation with numerous dying spruces, quite big numbers of old pines, oaks and other species remain after sanitary fellings are conducted. One part of them will keep dying, the other part of them will survive. It are those trees, which experience the ecological accident of destruction of the forest community they belong to. They are aged 250 to 300 years. They are called the elite genetic fund of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. By time these sites where many spruces were cut, are gradually covered by vegetation and by young forest with a complicated composition, structure and well varied age classes. Inside the new forest stands young trees are growing side by side with those giants of 300 to even 600 years old. This has been a law for life over millenniums in the history of Belovezhskaya Pushcha Primeval Forest!
If furrows are made in order to plant trees artificially, the top roots of these giants are often damaged and thus they weaken and die. Moreover the natural vegetation and the soil cover on the area are strongly damaged when plantation of the artificial forest is applied. This is why a specific promoting system for forest renewal must be developed specially for the Pushcha and its reserved woods. This system must take all varieties of forest associations and soils into account.
Unfortunately managers of the National Park have been ignoring such principles over a period of seven years. In 1994 a mass infection of bark beetle broke out. Therefore a program was developed to afforest forest sites infected by the insect, after the infected trees were cut. The selected method of afforestation was… artificial planting of monocultures of pine, using ploughs to make furrows. It means they chose an approach of afforestation which is characteristic for timber enterprises, although a great variety of different methods on forest renewal is available. In Belovezhskaya Pushcha a Scientific Council functions and it consists of the most outstanding ecological scientists of the country. However, the program of artificial afforestation was not even proposed for examination by the Scientific Council. Nobody asked the opinion of scientific ecologists, who were staff of Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park. Everything was done privately in secret.
The area of the first artificial plantings made was small. Tractors were brought into the primeval forest and furrows were made with ploughs. While doing so, the roots of giant pines and oaks aged 200 to 300 years as well as roots of surviving spruces aged 100 to 150 years old were broken. The structure of the soil was damaged as sand was moved up to the surface. In a single word — the picture turned out quite unattractive.
Moreover tree seedlings produced in the Pruzhany timber enterprise were used for the artificial plantings. This is another infringement to principles of wildlife science. Only local material should be used for afforestation on Specially Protected Natural Territories, in order to preserve native genes. The situation is especially strange, as shortly before a plantation of pine seedlings had been set up in the forest nursery itself as a part of the GEF Project «Belovezhskaya Pushcha Forest Biodiversity Protection» in 1992 to 1995. Seeds were specially collected from giant trees in Belovezhskaya Pushcha for this nursery.
Soon after the first «successes» of afforestation were reported to the head office a republican seminar was held in the Pushcha for leaders and experts of the reserves and national parks of the country. I remember there were many heads. Ivan Titenkov, former Manager of the Property Management Department of the President of the Republic of Belarus, led the seminar personally. Local forestry engineers proved without any doubt that only artificial plantings, planted in furrows, would save Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Scientists were not allowed to speak about…
A year passed by. It became clear to everyone, also to the «all knowing» local engineers, that some things turned out to be a little different. First of all, numerous deer destroyed forest plantations in many places. And secondly, a successful self-sown natural regeneration of pine and other trees as the stubble of beard appeared after a season with a rich yield of seeds. Seed producing trees survived the fellings beside and under them and then actively produced seeds, which have good characteristics for growth at the open space available. Nature itself restored the forest according to its own patterns. Nature did not need any destructive methods, which are typical in timber enterprises.
However, it was too late to step back. The program, which would last five years, was accepted and authorized, so it had to be implemented. A rigid machine of a commanding administration had started to work. In order to prove the «correctness» of the program, it was decided to fence out plantations from the influence wild animals. Much force and means were spent to construct such fences, but what could be done about it? The GEF Project had recommended an optimization of the density of wild ungulates by reducing their numbers, to prevent consumption of the young forest generation by animals. This recommendation was not honoured clearly.
In the summer of 1997 a new seminar was held with the same attendants. Once again the same local forestry engineers proved the high heads without any doubt that artificial plantations were NOT expedient in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, since, as they said, the forest reproduced itself. It was only needed to protect the young forest generation from consumption by wild animals.
This was interesting. Ecological science continued to be ignored, even after such obvious misses occurred. Not a single research program on study and elaboration of afforestation methods in the Park was accepted once again. Therefore I carried out a series of experiments as a personal initiative in 1997. I studied the influence of felling and planting forests to soil invertebrates. I did this scrumptiously (!) of the management of the National Park, by the way. In order to obtain valuable ecological results of this scientific investigation I applied an integrated ecological approach; a biological diagnostic method. The influence of all components of the ecosystem (soil, vegetation etc.) on the composition and structure of populations of invertebrates was studied. As invertebrates are very sensitive to environmental conditions, they served as indicators to changes of the environment.
It turned out that communities of invertebrates bound to the soil save a core of forest species on sites were spruces have been cut. It testified that specific invertebrate communities, typical for forest glades, are being developed resulting a natural dynamic process once forest stands are disintegrating. However, if strong damage is made to the soil cover, particularly on cutting sites, where furrows are made and pines are planted artificially, these specific soil invertebrate communities are destroyed. Besides this, a process of mass settling of opportunistic animals species which are not characteristic for a primeval forest, occurs on such cutting sites, if they are damaged through artificial planting. Actually the specific value, uniqueness and originality of Belovezhskaya Pushcha is the fact that this forest is populated by species and communities which are characteristic for primeval forest. Polish scientists for example, pay an extreme importance to the natural processes in Belovezhskaya Pushcha primeval forest. Thus, practicing technologies based on artificial afforestation, which are typical in timber producing enterprises, contradicts basis tasks of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park. The Park should preserve the characteristic biological diversity of this primary lowland forest and it should solve problems which conflict with the most recent achievements of the science of wildlife. Connected to what I stated here, my conclusion was that artificial planting of pines in furrows must necessarily be replaced with ecological friendly methods of promoting natural afforestation in Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
These conclusions and recommendations were reported at the next meeting of the Scientific Council. The report was accepted and authorized. Conclusions made by employees of the scientific department of the National Park from research in the fields of forestry and botany confirmed the inexpediency of artificial plantations. They indicated the priority of methods to promote natural renewal on cutting sites. For that purpose it is necessary to apply mineralization and to loosen the top layers of the soil, by applying specific forest machines. These include forest loosing machines, units with disk working instruments etc. Even the Manual on afforestation for the forest fund of the Republic of Belarus (1995) issued an instruction to timber enterprises, which stated (on page 43): «Natural renewal of the forest should in any case be preferred to artificial methods if seeds of valuable tree species, suitable for the local soil conditions, are available». But, here, in the Reserve, a true timber enterprise has been arranged!??
I remember a case. In 1999 a small plantation of silver fir was created in the Yazvienskoe forestry area. This was done in the framework of the preservation of this threatened species, which is listed in the Belarus Red Data Book. While we were taking seedlings of silver fir at the border from our Polish colleagues, our foresters started planting seedlings which were taken from the Park's nursery. When we arrived at the planting site, I saw that the foresters had haul cords and they planted the fir by parallel lines as in the square-nested method. I stopped the foresters, offered them to sit on stumps and I gave a short lecture. I explained why Belovezhskaya Pushcha has obtained such high world titles, what Belovezhskaya Pushcha means as a primeval forest, what its value is, in which ways it differs from artificial forests, what is concerned with ecological friendly forestry, what natural processes are and how to manage this forest without harming it. It was not necessary to force these people with soul and heart and with the long-term practice of forest works to carry out my words. The foresters understood everything. They threw out their cords and started to plant the silver firs as single trees or biological groups in those places, where trees would naturally shoot once seeds would be at hand. Five years passed by. Silver fir successfully rooted and it is growing. Today no single man could say that it is an artificial plantation, since it is very similar to natural wood. This plantation simply joins as a part of Belovezhskaya Pushcha primeval forest. It copies natural processes and is completely integrated into the forest.
This is the only way we can save Belovezhskaya Pushcha. By the way, our ancestors understood this well. In old an ancient times, if forest cuttings were conducted, individually seed producing trees were left. Our ancestors let a horse drag a harrow or log with knots in order to mix the litter on felling sites in years in which cones yielded numerous seeds. This way they enabled seeds to root successfully and let the forest relive.
The result of this whole story is sad. Conclusions and recommendations of scientists remain to be ignored further, while artificial plantations in furrows made with tractors continue to be made in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Separate experts of practical specialization continue to consider that artificial afforestation is the most effective management method in Belovezhskaya Pushcha primeval forest. Therefore it will be applied widely. The program of artificial afforestation, by principle a wrong approach and infringing procedures, is not stopped, on the contrary. Since 2003 large scale works are carried out widely to create artificial plantations, which include making furrows with ploughs, on sites of the former primary relic forest. So far an area of 156 hectares was planted, basically at sites which suffered the effects of hurricanes. But, since this year the plantation of even 180 hectares of artificial stands on sites of former bark beetle infection is planned.
We can see that artificial afforestation applied in a form characteristic for typical timber enterprises do massively take root into our reserved wood without any substantiation. This is done in spite of the conclusions of the working group headed by mrs. M.N. Khudaya, Vice-president of the Permanent Commission of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus on problems of Chernobyl, ecology and nature, which consists of the leading scientists and experts on forestry in the Republic of Belarus. After the Commission carried out its control mission in the National Park during the past summer it unequivocally wrote in its report: «Scientific substantiation to conduct integrated sustainable forestry is absent. … A concept for afforestation has not been developed, although it is truly needed considering the large scale of sanitary fellings conducted in the park. … It is necessary to note the weak scientific base of works on afforestation on the cuttings sites. A specific program on how to work out sanitary measures and how to restore the natural forest in the Pushcha has not been produced until now, despite of the long term spreading of bark beetle and its effects on spruces in the Pushcha. Creation of such a program has not been examined at the Scientific and Technical Council of the National Park. The vigorous measures of afforestation carried out are rather disputable considering the need to maintain the natural environment of the territory (grubbing up of stubs, pure forest plantations, planting in line, uncertain role of natural renewal, application of mould-boarded ploughs, etc.). Even if the adopted methods are correct from the ecological point of view, a serious substantiation is required as these methods concern significant areas.»
Only a single conclusion can be drawn here. A reserve, famous all over the world, is gradually being turned into a specialized timber producing enterprise thanks to the efforts of its leaders — economic planners. The Belovezhskaya Pushcha is listed as a World Heritage Site of Mankind as the last remaining primeval lowland forest populated by relic flora and fauna. Today it is just a small site with an area of approximately 5,000 hectares. The major purpose for the near future is to expand the size of the Wildness Protection Zone and the World Heritage Site. It is desirable to let them increase to 50% of the Pushcha's territory. It is the only way we can save Belovezhskaya Puscha. There are many