Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation

**59**

**Chapter 4**

Siberian Larch

*Elena Runova*

relatively rich wet soils.

**1. Introduction**

**Abstract**

Increasing Biodiversity of Russian

Taiga Forests by Creating Mixed

Forest Cultures of Scots Pine and

Studies were conducted in the Padunsky forest area of the Bratsk district of the Irkutsk region in order to identify the influence of self-sowing that appears in the young growth of Scots pine, created by sowing or planting due to the self-seeding of Scots pine, which can be proved by the age of test trees that are less than 1–3 years old than the forest cultures. Birch and aspen appear in the composition, Siberian larch and Siberian pine appear in a small amount, and at some test plots, silver birch takes up to six units. Such forest cultures require thinning to avoid changing to softleaved species. The parameters of the macroscopic structure of Scots pine wood and the thickness of the bark at the base of the trunks, depending on the age of forest cultures, have been determined. To solve the choice of the most effective method of reforestation and increase the economic value of the young stands formed in various types of forest-growing conditions, the effectiveness of various methods and technologies of reforestation has been evaluated. As a result of the work performed, it was established that regardless of the year when the forest cultures are created, self-seeding always appears in the plantations. The smallest amount of self-sowing appeared on relatively poor fresh soils in the cowberry-grass type of forest. The greatest amount of self-seeding can be seen in the motley grass type forests with

**Keywords:** biodiversity, taiga ecosystems, mixed stands, scots pine, Siberian larch

In the context of modern global climate change, forest ecosystems play an important part in stabilizing the ecological state. According to international standards, mixed, complex forests that have a large biological diversity are of particular importance. In this regard, the forests of the Irkutsk region are mostly of natural origin, often based on pyrogenic factors. Many forests are classified as high conservation value forests according to FSC standards. Basically, the forests of the Irkutsk region belong to light-coniferous taiga. Recently, the content of larch in the total composition of the forests of the Irkutsk region has been decreasing both in percentage terms by area and by age groups. In this regard, a special task is to preserve and multiply mixed pine and larch plantations of natural and artificial origin in the
