Spatiotemporal analysis of forest management in the Vologda region

The forest resources of Russia, primarily concentrated in the taiga zone, are actively exploited, especially in the European part of Russia. Forest management even under conditions of one natural zone has significant spatial disparities due to natural climatic differences of territories and spatial and temporal peculiarities of forest exploitation. This study aims to analyze the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of forest resources and the structure and productivity of felling from the viewpoint of the transformation of the forest resource base of the Vologda Region. The dynamics of forest cover, area and structure of timber reserves during the XX century are considered for the region as a whole. The forest fund and estimates of forest resources for the XXI century are characterized under the authors’ calculations and are given by districts and areas of the region. All estimates are based on official statistical data taken from the comprehensive territorial inventories of natural resources and the reporting documents of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Vologda Region. The reserves and forest resources analyzed under the cartographical modeling show an increase in the volume and intensity of felling against the decrease in the share of both coniferous and mature timber. Since the beginning of the XX century, the share of coniferous trees in the forest stand structure has decreased to 50-55%. The dominating timber species in the taiga forests of the Vologda Region as of today is birch. The share of mature forests has also decreased to 50%, with the deciduous forests prevailing among the mature ones. The results of the study show a dangerous transformation of forest resources for the near future, thereby greatly threatening both sustainable forest resources and the conservation of taiga landscapes on the whole.