Global situation

Regional Situation

"Long time ago almost 2/3 of the land was covered with forests, but today more than a half of them has been destroyed". M.Scott, "Nature" "Only one hectare of the green plantation of trees cleans 18 million mі of air from dust and harmful impurities. One hectare of the coniferous forest absorbs about 32 tons of dust. One centennial beech absorbs about 2.5 kg of carbonic acid gas and produces 1.7 kg of oxygen every hour. During the day it produces such quantity of oxygen that it can provide 64 people". I.Radionova, "The global problems of the mankind"

Global situation

Especially dangerous situation is in the zone of the tropical forests. According to the data of the UNO Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), in the middle of the 80-s annually 11 million hectares and in the early 90-s approximately 17 million hectares of forests were annihilated. As a result, for the last decade the area of the tropical forests has decreased to 20-30%. If the situation does not change, in half a century their final destruction will occur. Moreover, the tropical forests are cut down with the speed, which exceeds the speed of their natural restoration 15 times. Meanwhile, these forests are usually the lungs of the planet, they do have more than a half of all flora and fauna species represented on the Earth.

V.P.Maksakovsky, The geographical picture of the world. Yaroslavl, 1996.

Regional Situation

T he analysis of the forest resources in the Central Asian region was mainly carried out for the period from 1983 to 1993. From the beginning of the century in the countries of Central Asia the area of forests shortened on average 4-5 times because of the increased anthropogenic pressure during the last decades.

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On average, during the observed period, the area covered with forest was equal to 17,370 thousand hectares, the share of the area covered with forests all over the Central Asian countries was 4.84%. The total stock of the living wood is 82.04 million m і: 60.2% is coniferous forests, 7.2% is leaf bearing forests, 28.2% is soft leaf-bearing forests and 4.4% is different wood species and bushes.

In the Central Asian countries in the early 90-s there was 0.4 hectare of forests and almost 7.0 mі of wood per capita (the calculation was made according to the forest data of the forest registration). In the USA according the latest published data there is 0.8 hectare of forests, in Canada - 6.6 hectares per capita and in such countries as Finland and Sweden (half of the territory is covered with forests) 3.9 and 2.6 hectares accordingly. The specific stock of wood per capita in these countries is 84, 574, 373 and 294 mі accordingly. The forests in different Central Asian countries are located rather uneven. The greatest part of the areas covered with forests and the stock of wood is located in Kazakhstan (54.7%), the minimum is in Tajikistan (2.4%).

The main part of the Central Asian countries belonged to the first group (89.0%) according to their registration methodology in 1998, i.e. to the forest resources performing mainly ecological, sanitary-hygienic, sanitation and other protective functions. The industrial wood procurement was prohibited there.

The forests of the second group having a limited exploitation importance occupy 3.4% of the area covered with forests and belong to the control of the department of the forestry. The forest resources of the third group having mainly the exploitative importance make up 7.6%. It should be marked that forests relating to the II and III groups are typical only for the territory of Kazakhstan. The area balance of the aforestation in the Central Asian countries during the last years was defined by the rate of cuttings down, fires, and other forest damages, by the forest territory change. This was because of the land allotting to different users, on the one hand, and forest-restoration (natural, including self- growing and artificial), on the other hand. The species structure and the average forest age influenced the dynamics of the living wood stock.

Note: Calculation is made according to the latest available data on forest registration

For instance, in Kyrgyzstan the forest age structure analysis in 1993 showed, that the share of middle-aged, ripe, over-ripe forests is 76.8%, as for undergrowth - only 9.6%. In the majority of states during the last years the total volume decrease of forest restoration is marked as well as decrease the share of the forest sowing and planting, which are the most effective methods of the forest renewal. Thus, on the whole forest renewal in the forests of the state importance shortened by 78 thousand hectares in 1994 as compared with 1985.

The forest resources situation on the territory round the former Aral Sea during the last 40 years is as follows. The saksaul and flood lands (tugai) used as arable lands, were influenced by the severe anthropogenic pressure. As a result of these actions the area, for instance, in the AmuDarya flood-land shortened to 150 thousand hectares in 1993. This process is lasting now as well. The hydrological rate change influenced greatly the tugai forest, located in the flood - lands along the bed and delta of the AmuDarya River. The original tugai forest was characterised by a complex of phytocenological community of the trees and bushes growing in the flood-lands and deserts and changing themselves fast because of the external conditions change.

Note: Calculation is made according to the latest available data on forest registration

The tugai forest degradation takes place because of the rivers hydrological regime change connected with decrease of ground water, fires, microclimate and wind rate, change of agriculture and sheep pastures. The existing tugai (remnants) forest is becoming thin, devastated and is replaced by bushes (Tamarix hispida, Tamarix ramosissima). At present, the tugai forest is broken in some places and the following plants of middle quality and density grow there: turangai plants - 28%, oleaster(Elaeagnus) - 11%, willow, poplar and others).

In 1997 the forest stock the Kyzylorda oblast closely connected with the Aral Sea was 807.2 thousand hectares, including the areas covered with the forest 342.6 thousand hectares. 85% of them was saksaul forests, 15% woody - bushed species. Annually the measures of the forest resources renewal are carried out on the territory of the state forest fund. On the whole, during 1996 forest planting is made on the area of 18.6 thousand hectares. The forest plantations annually grown on the large areas, don't give desirable results on the renewal of the former large tracts of forests as well as new ones growing without progressive technology. In spite of the measures taken by the oblast forestries, the facts of irrational use of saksaul forests exist. For instance, within a long period of time the main method of saksaul procurement has been the rope breaking with the help of heavy equipment. Forest fires damage the forest fund area very much. If in 1996 there were 8 hotbeds of the forest fire, resulted in losses about 68400 hectares of tugai forests; within 10 months of 1997 10 hotbeds of the forest fire were registered.

References: The Interstate Statistic Committee of the CIS, Moscow, 1996. The informational ecological bulletin of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, Almaty, 1998.