The preliminary area of damaged and dead forests is 221.5 thousand hectares, which is less than 1% of all forests of Lake Baikal.

Since 2021, employees of the Federal Forest Protection Agency, a subordinate organization of the Federal Forestry Agency, have been conducting state forest pathology monitoring in the Baikal Natural Territory by land and remote means within the framework of the federal project "Preservation of Lake Baikal". This is necessary to monitor the condition of the forest, assess damage from pests, diseases and other natural or anthropogenic phenomena. The dynamics of these processes are also being traced and measures are being taken to protect the forest.

"Specialists of the Federal Forest Protection Agency remotely surveyed the entire territory of Lake Baikal covered with forest, which is over 23 million hectares. In particular, detailed images of this territory were obtained and revealed a change in the sanitary and forest-pathological condition of the Baikal forests by 702.5 thousand hectares. At the same time, 6 million hectares were surveyed during ground expeditions and the area of damaged and dead forests was determined, it amounted to 221.5 thousand hectares, which is less than 1% of all forests of Lake Baikal. We also conducted over 4 thousand DNA analyses to assess the condition of trees," said Elena Busygina, head of the Department of Reproduction and Protection of Forests of the Federal Forestry Agency.

The main causes of damage and death of trees are forest fires - more than 60% (143.6 thousand hectares) and forest diseases - about 20% (40.5 thousand hectares), the rest of the territory suffered from natural causes.

At the same time, reforestation in the forests of Lake Baikal in 2023 was carried out on 76.2 thousand hectares, which completely covers the area of the dead forest over the past years.


Author: The Press service of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia

Опубликовано: 05 March 2024