NEWS

Avialesookhrana celebrates this year its 85th anniversary. It was established in July 7, 1931, when in the Gorky Region the first flight in order to detect a forest fire was performed on Po-2 aircraft. The main objective of Avialesookhrana is the detection and suppression of wildfires in hard-to-reach and remote areas. The area of ​​forest reserve of Russia is 1.1 billion hectares, and in the zone of ground monitoring there are only 88 million hectares, the rest of the territory is available just for aviation and space monitoring.

Today, the number of pilot-observers is 300 people, and the smoke jumpers are about 3.5 thousand people. The federal reserve of Avialesookhrana now consists of 700 people. The following year, the number of federal reserve is going to be increased up to 1,000 people.

In the period from 2011 to 2015, the pilots-observers of Avialesookhrana of Russia have detected about 40% of wildfires of all occurred on forest reserve lands that is more than 28 thousand units. With the participation of the smoke jumpers about 19 thousand wildfires or more than 30% of all wildfires were eliminated. 9.4 thousand fires were eliminated entirely by smoke jumpers in the hard-to-reach areas. The smoke jumpers have performed more than 16.5 thousand on-the-job jumps and more than 120 thousand descents for the fire.

Over the last 5 years the air firefighters of Avialesookhrana allowed of no a single case of fire spread to settlements and economic facilities. The fire spread on 204 settlements and objects of the economy, including major power lines, airports, oil depots and other strategic and potentially dangerous objects, is prevented. This year 12 settlements where 15.5 thousand people live have already been rescued.

The need to make the forests of Russia public, to regulate the forest use, and to compose the forest legislation was originated in the late XVII century when the Navy construction on the Voronezh shipyard began in 1685.

As late as 1702 Peter the Great introduced heavy government regulation of forest use along rivers, and ordered to make reserved forests public. In order to protect the shipbuilding timber, the forest guards and special public service of forest supervisors (waldmeister) was established.

In 1723 Peter I signed the “Instructions to Chief Forest Supervisors (Ober-Waldmeister)” – a document summarizing and clarifying many previously issued decrees on forest and laying the principle of permanent and non-exhausting forest use.

Under the Emperor Paul’s I rule the Forest Department to which all the officials, Forest Mangers (forstmeister) and Forest Supervisors refer was established. Thus, in 1798 the specially authorized state body was made responsible for forest management.

On June 19, 1826 the Emperor Nicholas I approved “Regulations on the New Arrangement of the Forest” assumed to divide the provinces into the districts, forestries, forest plots and distances. On the territory of Russia the forestry in its present sense has appeared. The execution of the Instructions prescribed by the Emperor, according to its “content”, has led to the renaming of Forest Manager to Forester.

In 1839, all the “ranks of the provincial forest management and forestry educational institutions, as well as the permanent forest guards” are combined into one “Foresters' Corps”.

On January 18, 1843 the Forest Department that ceased to be a “separate” by joining in 1811 to the Ministry of Finance, joined to the Ministry of State Property established in 1837. The head of the Forest Department is the director – the general of the Foresters’ Corps.

Over the almost 80-year history of the Foresters’ Corps the edifice of forest management and protection was established. The foresters were the basis of this system.

On May 27, 1918 the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee “On forests” was adopted; On August 1, 1923 the Forest Code of the RSFSR came into force. On August 26, 1939 the Regulation on the State Forest Service of the USSR was approved. The document set forth the main objectives of this service: “the struggle for the preservation and further development of forest resources of the USSR; wildfires fighting, fight against plunder and devastation of forests; taking preventive measures against wildfires, plunder and devastation of forests; control over the observation of the rules for the forest use; taking preventive measures against the spread of forest pests and diseases”.

In April 1947, on the basis of Glavlesookhrana the Union-Republican Ministry of Forestry was established. The Forestry Office has found its feet. The work with the Ministry of Forestry of the USSR has begun with the acceptance of forest reserves from all reserve holders.

It was necessary to step up efforts to protect forest. Goslesookhrana was entrusted with a task to raise the number of foresters and rangers to 149 thousand people. It was required to equip them with rifles, determine privileges on agricultural tax and the payment of salary increments for years of service, introduce personal ranks, rank insignia, and approve dress code. But in the middle of March 1953 the Ministry of Forestry of the USSR was liquidated and the forestry system was transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The forestry returned its independent and autonomous control at the end of 1965, when the State Forestry Committee of the USSR was established, and Glavleskhoz of RSFSR was transformed into the Ministry of Forestry of the RSFSR.

On July 21-23, 1966 in Sverdlovsk a representational Russian meeting of foresters was held. 1110 delegates, including 670 foresters from all regional offices and ministries of forestry of autonomous republics of RSFSR took part in its work. In terms of the issues under consideration, their profoundness and significance, wide scope of almost all aspects of the timber industry of the country the Russian meeting of foresters of 1966 became a milestone event in the forestry and gave a powerful impetus to its development in the coming decades. It is in this year when the forest industry has found its professional holiday – the Day of Forest Workers.

As of early 2016 forests cover 46.4% of the country’s territory. Currently, 1779 foresters and 3580 district foresters work in the Russia’s forestry, in their jurisdiction there are 1,146.8 million hectares of the Russian forest reserve. On average, more than 200 thousand hectares of forest reserve is accounted for each forester.

The delegation headed by the Minister of Forestry of the Republic of Tatarstan Almas Nazirov visited the thematic platforms where they discussed the topical issues of the industry. In total, there were six round tables: “The extended meeting of the working group for the preparation of 2030 Forest Complex Development Strategy”, “Support for the development of timber industry complex”, “Problems of the enforcement of the Federal Law No.455-FZ “On amendments being made to the Forest Code of the Russian Federation in terms of improving of the regulation of the protection of forests from pests”, “Implementation of the state forest supervision in the forest fund lands”, ”Practice of implementation of the Federal law No.415-FZ”. As part of the events, the VI Congress of the Russian Society of Foresters was held. There the President of the Society was elected and a new charter was adopted.

As part of the ambitious program the exhibition was organized. During the tour of exhibition the Head of the Federal Forestry Agency Ivan Valentik noted the high level of training of Tatarstan foresters. At the exhibition there was a demonstration named “Tatarstan” of planting material grown in the Forest Breeding and Seed Center of the Sabinsky Educational and Experimental Forest Establishment.

At the end of the working day the All-Russia meeting dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Day of Forest Workers was held. There Ivan Valentik and guests of honor congratulated forest workers. The best foresters were given awards. It is worth noting that this year the forest workers celebrate three anniversaries. It is the 190th anniversary of forester job position, the 85th anniversary of Avialesookhrana and the 50th anniversary of the Day of Forest Workers.

Tatar Forest Experiment Station – now it is a branch of the Federal State Institution “Russian Research Institute for Silviculture and Mechanization of Forestry” “East European Forest Experiment Station” – was established on October 1, 1926 as the Forest Experiment Station “Tatarstan”, the purpose of which is scientific and practical addressing of forestry issues. Its task was a study of the state and capability of forests of Tartary, of different methods of forest engineering, research, systematization and summarizing of all the research work of forest experimental institutions. In 1932 the station was merged in the All-Union Research Agricultural Forest Reclamation Institute (VNIALMI); since 1936 up to now it is a subdivision of the Russian Research Institute for Silviculture and Mechanization of Forestry (VNIILM).

The main problem that solved by the station staff is a scientific support of forest management on the territory of the Middle Volga.

The great contribution to the organization, formation and maintenance of authority of scientific researches was made by the Directors: M.A.Shishkin, P.G.Troshanin, A.A.Bobrovsky, A.I.Murzov etc., and Professors: L.I.Yashnov, A.A.Yunitsky, N.A.Livanov, A.P.Petrov, D.I.Morokhin, F.V.Agliullin, N.M.Vedernikov.

In describing the research work of the station the attention is drawn to its diversity, however, silvicultural issues have always been and remain central.

Murzov Alexander developed the technology of gradual cutting in spruce and deciduous forests. Such a technology was mainstreamed. Today, among the companies working using only this technology is the Sabinsky Forest Establishment that has become one of the most advanced in the forestry of RSFSR.

Chief Researcher Vedernikov Nikolay developed an integrated system of cultivation and protection of coniferous and deciduous trees in nurseries, which was included into the “Instructions on the Protection of Plants from Pests and Diseases in Forest Nurseries” (1984) and “Instruction on the Protection of Forest Plantations and Young Trees from Destructive Insects and Diseases” (1994). Today, the testing of new biological drugs that increase resistance of seedlings to diseases and their viability are in progress in the station.

The Leading Researcher Klavdiya Krasnobayeva has developed new approaches, methods and technologies to establish objects of permanent seed plantations of main forest-forming species. She also has developed a “group-gap-selective felling system of renewal and tendance” on the basis of which in the Prigorodny, Bugulminsky, Zelenodolsky, Arsky, Sabinsky, Isleytarsky, Nizhnekamsky forest establishments of Tatarstan forestries, the hundreds of acres of normal forest are restored and established.

As a result of researches made by Fakil Agliullin, Doctor of Agriculture, the technology of coniferous and deciduous forests formation by improvement cuttings in the Republic of Tatarstan and Udmurtia on the zonal and typological basis is developed.

The Senior Researcher Chingiz Khasankaev has developed and carried out a set of measures to eliminate water erosion on gully systems and the banks of small rivers.

Under the guidance of Senior Researcher Gabbas Kamaltinov the valuable scientific object – the provenance trials of pine and spruce in Zelenodolsky and Arsky forest establishments where for many years the station staff studied the biological specifics of wood of different origins – was established. He also developed an original method of grafting the cedar on pine, eliminating the incompatibility of stock and scion, and the cedar forest near the building of the 18th city hospital in Kazan has been planted.

Over the 90 years of the Forest Experimental Station its employees – the true scientists – have accumulated a great intellectual potential: about 1,400 printing works were published, more than 500 experimental facilities, plots of normal forest and natural monuments were established. For services in forestry the station staff was granted the honored titles:

“Honored Forester of Russia”: Napalkov N.V. (1962), Mgebrov G.G. (1967), Troitsky B.G. (1967), Agliullin F.V. (1998);

“Honored Forester of the Republic of Tatarstan”: Bobrovsky A.A. (1968), Khasankaye C.S. (1983), Fyodorova N.S. (2002), Kuznetsov N.A. (2008);

“Honored Forester of Russia” and “Honored Forester of the Republic of Tatarstan”: Murzov A.I. (1972, 1987), Vedernikov N.M. (1977, 1997), Krasnobayeva K.V. (1986, 1997);

“Honored Forester of the Chuvash Republic”: Petrov V.A. (2015).

As of today, 14 researchers work with the Director Ainur Puryaev.

We congratulate our colleagues on the 90th anniversary! We wish you employment success, good health and further cooperation for the conservation and enhancement of our forests.

In view of cold weather and the beginning of the heating season, and for the purpose of timely sales of a significant amount of harvested firewood on cutting areas and in warehouses, the staff of forest establishments of Tatarstan will take measures to timely provide citizens, institutions, organizations and other entities with the finished forest products – heating firewood.

At the stadium of Lubyansky Forest Engineering College a festive event dedicated to the Day of Forest Workers was held. The college staff was awarded certificates of honor, and veterans of forestry were given the valuable gifts. After awards and congratulations at the college stadium the sports competition among college students was held. Sport is an integral part in the life of forest workers. They require a lot of energy; their whole life is in motion, therefore, in order to promote health the foresters need daily exercise. All participating students and the winners of sports competitions were awarded prizes.

 The republican environmental campaign “Clean forests of Tatarstan” is one of the most significant and large-scale events held at the initiative of the Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Tatarstan. It has already become a tradition and is held annually in two stages - in spring and autumn – gaining more and more popularity.

On September 15, 2016 the autumn stage “Clean forests of Tatarstan” was started. The forest experts together with representatives of the garden and dacha associations and tenants of forest plots will take measures to clean forests from solid household waste, to remove dead wood and fallen trees. Every year the employees of all departments and ministries, institutions of higher education, secondary and special educational institutions take an active part in the campaign.

This year, in the spring stage of the campaign the conservationists have collected and removed 1,127.1 m3 of solid waste. Along the highways and federal and regional routes the specialists of Lesnichestvo and the administrations of state nature sanctuaries have collected about 800 m3 of dead wood and fallen trees.

The purpose of environmental measures is to create a favorable sanitary and environmental condition in the forests of Tatarstan.

As part of the “Springs” project in the 55 quarter of the Sviyazhsky district forestry of the Privolzhskoye Forestry the Okhotnichy Spring in the Naberezhno-Morkvashskoye rural settlement has been restored and improved.

The significance of the “Springs” project is that it develops in people patriotism and spirituality, the best qualities of character. The love for the Motherland begins with the desire to make it more beautiful, to learn its history and traditions as much as possible. It is such good deeds as the improvement of springs in the native land facilitates the revival of spirituality.

From September 9 to 11 in the Bolgar town (Spassky District, Tatarstan) the IX International Congress of beekeepers “Beekeeper. Info 2016” was held. On behalf of the Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Tatarstan Timur Galiev – the Head of the Lease Relations Department – took part in the forum. On behalf of the Kzyl-Yulduzsky Forest Establishment the beekeeper Nikolay Yefremov participated.

During the congress the participants shared their experience and discussed the topical issues and challenges of the industry. The presentations were made by the leading beekeepers of Russia and foreign countries. In addition, there was an exhibition where congress participants could witness the advanced technologies from manufacturers of bee-related equipment. Nikolay Yefremov took part in a honey competition. For tastiness his test product was highly praised by the jury.

The specialists of the Elabuzhskoye Forestry have detected and eliminated the unauthorized landfill of construction waste in the Mendeleevky District Forestry. Every day the forest workers of Tatarstan are on guard for cleanliness of green wealth of the republic. Forest inspectors regularly perform raids in order to detect and prevent an unauthorized placement of garbage in forests and in the specially protected nature reservations.