Degradation of forest soils and soil cover in plain and mountainous areas of middle Siberia

Sukachev Institute of Forest, SB RAS, Krasnoyarsk

Head of the Institute:

Director: E.A. Vaganov, Academician of the RAS
Tel.:(3912)43-36-86; Fax: (7)(3912)43-36-86;
email: ifor@krsk.infotel.ru

Principal researchers:

Yu.I.Yershov, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Principal Soil Researcher,
L.S.Shugalei, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Principal Soil Researcher,
YU.N.Krasnoshchekov, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Principal Soil Researcher,
E.F.Vedrova, PhD (Biology), Senior Researcher,
G.I.Yashikhin, PhD (Biology), Senior Researcher,
I.N.Bezkorovainaya, PhD (Biology), Researcher.

Project objectives

To reveal integral parameters to assess the present ecological soil state, to range forest soils of Middle Siberia according to resistance to the anthropogenic-technogenic stresses, to elaborate methods of drawing a map of destroyed soils depending on the type and rate of affect, to make up the soil-ecological maps (of regioning, disturbance forecast, economical and ecological characteristics).

Studies of anthropogenic soil transformation as one of the main components of natural ecosystems have been carried out for already 20 years. For this period of time, numerous empirical scientific data have been accumulated for this region area:

• genesis and geography of soils are studied;
• characteristics of the background state of soils and soil cover as a basis for ecological monitoring are provided;
• the correlation assessment of forest properties and productivity of forest soils is carried out;
• the largest anthropogenic stresses and their effect on the properties, regimes, and fertility of forest soils are revealed;
• the degree of development of erosional processes depending on the level and type of anthropogenic effect is studied as well as the assessment of mountain-forest soils in antierosional resistance is carried out;
• ecological assessment for developed rocks and coal dumps of the Kansk-Achinsk fuel-energetic complex (KAFEC) as an object of biological re-cultivation is carried out.

The materials obtained show that soil resistance to anthropogenic stresses is determined by the humus system state. A decrease in forest ecosystem stability is followed by a decrease in accumulating organic substance in them, by a change in the correlation of processes of organic substance synthesis and decomposition and, finally, by a change of the ecosystem's role in the biosphere. Under excessive anthropogenic stresses the main biospheric soil functions decrease:

• ability to produce primary biological production and to protect all the links of geochemical cycling against pollution;
• providing of a man with products as well as preserving of environment and biodiversity on the planet. At present, when the intensification of human activity strengthens the transformation of historically developed links and relations in the biosphere, the ecological situation has become especially aggravated in the region. Worsening of ecological sanitary- protective functions of forest phytocoenoses and, as a result, the inadmissible pollution of air, water and soil take place. Elaboration of integral parameters for assessing ecological soil state demands a thorough study of the degradation of soil and soil cover under fires, forest cuts and technogenic emissions (scheme). Technogenic emissions of thermoelectric power stations (the Beryozovskaya TEPS of the KAFEC, for example) cause accumulation of heavy metals in various blocks of forest ecosystems. Monitoring of ecological soil state is one of the main tasks of the proposed project. The first stage of examining the region areas under emission effect was carried out in 1988.

A system approach is as a methodological basis of the study. The ecosystems studied are considered as a system of blocks with supply of organic and mineral substance supported by the intensity of exchange processes that connect these blocks to the united system. The long-term (for 10-30 years) stationary observations and natural experience serve as an experimental basis for the collective study of the proposed project.

Criteria of assessment of soil and soil cover disturbance will be determined on the basis of data obtained, the system of ecological optimisation for Middle Siberian landscapes and of efficient soil and soil cover utilisation will be elaborated, the soil-ecological maps of the area regioning, disturbance prognoses, economical-ecological characteristics of the region will be made.

List of publications of participants related to the project

• Yershov Yu.I. Soils of pre-tundra forests subjected to aeroindustrial sulphur pollution // Geography and natural resources. – 1992. – ¹ 1. – P. 33-39.

• Yershov Yu.I. Geographical-genetic systematization and characteristics of soils in Subarctic of Middle Siberia // Geography and natural resources. – 1994. – ¹ 1. – P. 117-124.

• Yershov Yu.I. Mezomorphic soil formation in taiga- permafrost semihumid sector of Middle Siberia // Soil science. – 1994. – ¹ 10. – P. 10-18.

• Yershov YU.I. Soil-geographical regioning of the Krasnoyarsk Territory // Geography and natural resources. – 1998. – ¹ 2. – P. 110-118.

• Yershov Yu.I. Bases of soil formation theory. – Krasnoyarsk: Press of the Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University, 1999. – 384 p.

• Shugalei L.S. Anthropogenesis of forest soils of the Middle Siberia south. – Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1991. – 184 p.

• Shugalei L.S. Effect of forest cultures on anthropogenic soils of kettle depressions in the Middle Siberian south // Soil science. – 1996. – ¹ 4. – P. 411-421.

• Shugalei L.S. Anthropogenic transformation of grey forest soils of kettle depressions in the Middle Siberian south // Siberian Ecological Journal. – 1997. – ¹ 4. – P. 405-411.

• Shugalei L.S. Primary soil formation in the dumps of developed rocks under pine cultures. // Soil science – 1997. – ¹ 2. – P. 247-253.

• Shugalei L.S., Yashikhin G.I., Dmitrienko V.K. Biological recultivation of disturbed lands of the KAFEC. – Krasnoyarsk: Press of the Krasnoyarsk State University, 1996. – 186 p.

• Krasnoshchekov Yu.N. Assessment of anthropogenic soil degradation at the southern boundary of Mongolian forests // Problems of anthropogenic soil formation. – Moscow, 1997. – P. 82-85.

• Bezkorovainaya I.N. Assessment of saprophage role in transformation processes of leafy and coniferous litters // Siberian Ecological Journal. – 1997. – ¹ 4 – P. 429-433.

• Vedrova E.F. Response of organic substance of forest soils to the change of humus formation regime // Soil science – 1996. – ¹ 10 – P. 1240-1246.

• Vedrova E.F., Mindeyeva T.N. Intensity of CO2 producing at forest litter decomposing // Forest science. – 1998. – ¹ 1. – P. 30-41.

• Vedrova E.F. Carbon cycle in pine forests of the taiga zone of the Krasnoyarsk Territory // Forest science. – 1998. – ¹ 6. – P. 3-11.

Anthropogenic impact

Scheme of forest soil degradation under anthropogenic stress