This year, organizations of the Ministry of Forestry built over a hundred kilometers of forest roads
Forestry organizations of the country have completed the President's assignment on road construction ahead of schedule. By November, 18 new facilities with a total length of almost 104 kilometers have been put into operation. The largest number of roads – six – appeared in the northern region: in Verkhnedvinsk, Disna, Liozno, Ushachi, and Shumilino forestry enterprises. Thus, the forest fund of the Vitebsk region has increased by more than 27 kilometers of transport arteries.
— This is the first such road in my practice, so emotions are overwhelming. It seems like recently there was a dense green wall here, and today – a straight path. It is very necessary for us, forestry workers, and for people.
The new road will allow for the trouble-free extraction and harvesting of about 32 thousand cubic meters of marketable timber from the forest, of which 17 thousand are from main use logging. But not only by the calculated forest area, notes the chief forester:
Dmitry Zburzhinsky.
— The republican biological reserve "Chistik" is very close – a real cranberry kingdom that needs protection from intruders, forest pests, and, of course, fires. Previously, to get to "Chistik," one had to make a detour; now everything is, in fact, within walking distance.
We communicate with Dmitry Georgievich to the hum of machines. While the weather permits, employees of the enterprise "Vitebsk ATP Meliorvodkhoz" cover the almost finished road with a sand-gravel mixture, roll it to withstand any equipment and load. Construction was not always smooth, shares Zburzhinsky:
— For example, on a swampy, impassable section, it was necessary to lay logs across the road, cover them with geotextile, followed by –embankment.
Surveyor of the enterprise "Vitebsk ATP meliorvodkhoz" Stepan Volk.
In the neighboring Liozno district, a three-kilometer road near the village of Goreliki was commissioned this summer. And they have already managed to appreciate the advantages. The chief forester of the district forestry enterprise Alexander Minaev provides figures:
— Thanks to the new transport artery, from June to September, 150 thousand rubles were earned, including from exports. And this is the first swallow, because there are about 120 thousand cubic meters of forest in the attraction zone. Areas that were previously difficult to access, withToday, we are on the job. In general, the calculated logging area of the Liozno district is over 200 thousand cubic meters, of which about 180 thousand are softwoods, growing tall on moist soils. The hard-to-reach logging area accounts for about 30 percent. And we will get to it. The new road is currently temporarily closed. It needs to settle, and with the frosts – back to the forest!
Driver Viktor Us loading logs.
—The forest fund area of Vitebsk State Forestry Association is 1.7 million hectares. And each of them cannot be combed with one comb. Nor is there any need for this. A tree fallen in the heart of the forest, a carpet of branches – all this, from the point of view of nature, is not a hindrance, but, on the contrary, a maintenance of harmony. Europeans, coming to us, admire and approve: "In Belarus, they managed to preserve untouched forests." This is against the backdrop of the fact that in Europe they are very rare due to the active and prolonged human activity, in particular land use.
Road master Alexander Nikitenko supervises the unloading.
At the same time, the condition of green recreational areas, forests along highways, railways and horticultural associations, bus stops and near villages is always monitored. Each forestry enterprise has its own designated territory. The removal of windfalls and deadwood trees on it is carried out annually as needed. Year after year, the number of works performed is approximately the same, calculates Yuri Apalko:
— In particular, in 2020, about a thousand hectares of protected, recreational and protective forests were cleared of clutter. Add to this selective sanitary logging on 1200 hectares. A separate item is the cleanup along roads, where about 1200 hectares were put in order this year, and selective sanitary logging was carried out on another 600 hectares. In addition to combating windfalls and storm-felled trees, we also perform an indirect task for ourselves: we remove household waste left by people along roads and at bus stops.
What hasn't been pulled out of the dark forest – from old refrigerators and sofas to rusty car bodies. The cleanup was carried out by the state forest guard, which, as is traditional for several years now, is joined by participants of the republican voluntary campaign "Clean Forest".
IN THE TOPIC
The volumes of construction of forest roads are regulated by the State Program "Belarusian Forest". Over the past ten years, about a thousand kilometers have been laid by forestry enterprises alone in Belarus. By the end of the current five-year period, at least 500 kilometers will be commissioned. Economic feasibility and logistics are the starting points for such work. Later, young growth will appear in the cleared areas. Everyone understands that the forest does not tolerate emptiness, and natural wealth must be restored.
To Extract and Preserve
The scale of construction can only be assessed by being at the center of events. Together with representatives of the Vitebsk State Production Forestry Association, we are heading to the Osinovskoye forestry of the Vitebsk forestry enterprise. Road construction began here in April. Its length is 4.5 kilometers, width – about five meters, shoulders, drainage – all strictly according to the project. The work is in the final stage, and the commissioning of the facility is planned for the beginning of 2021, informs Dmitry Zburzhinsky, chief forester of the Vitebsk forestry enterprise:— This is the first such road in my practice, so emotions are overwhelming. It seems like recently there was a dense green wall here, and today – a straight path. It is very necessary for us, forestry workers, and for people.
The new road will allow for the trouble-free extraction and harvesting of about 32 thousand cubic meters of marketable timber from the forest, of which 17 thousand are from main use logging. But not only by the calculated forest area, notes the chief forester:
Dmitry Zburzhinsky.
— The republican biological reserve "Chistik" is very close – a real cranberry kingdom that needs protection from intruders, forest pests, and, of course, fires. Previously, to get to "Chistik," one had to make a detour; now everything is, in fact, within walking distance.
We communicate with Dmitry Georgievich to the hum of machines. While the weather permits, employees of the enterprise "Vitebsk ATP Meliorvodkhoz" cover the almost finished road with a sand-gravel mixture, roll it to withstand any equipment and load. Construction was not always smooth, shares Zburzhinsky:
— For example, on a swampy, impassable section, it was necessary to lay logs across the road, cover them with geotextile, followed by –embankment.
Surveyor of the enterprise "Vitebsk ATP meliorvodkhoz" Stepan Volk.
In the neighboring Liozno district, a three-kilometer road near the village of Goreliki was commissioned this summer. And they have already managed to appreciate the advantages. The chief forester of the district forestry enterprise Alexander Minaev provides figures:
— Thanks to the new transport artery, from June to September, 150 thousand rubles were earned, including from exports. And this is the first swallow, because there are about 120 thousand cubic meters of forest in the attraction zone. Areas that were previously difficult to access, withToday, we are on the job. In general, the calculated logging area of the Liozno district is over 200 thousand cubic meters, of which about 180 thousand are softwoods, growing tall on moist soils. The hard-to-reach logging area accounts for about 30 percent. And we will get to it. The new road is currently temporarily closed. It needs to settle, and with the frosts – back to the forest!
Driver Viktor Us loading logs.A Moment of Windfall
The best places for mushrooms and berries are always far from civilization. A sure sign: fewer people – a fuller basket. But at the same time, there's a high probability of getting lost in a dense thicket with windfalls. Don't rush to get upset; branches and fallen trees in the forest aren't always bad. It's a whole world, a home for many insects, plants, and microorganisms. Yuri Apalko, Head of the Forestry and Reforestation Department of Vitebsk State Production Forestry Association, explains:—The forest fund area of Vitebsk State Forestry Association is 1.7 million hectares. And each of them cannot be combed with one comb. Nor is there any need for this. A tree fallen in the heart of the forest, a carpet of branches – all this, from the point of view of nature, is not a hindrance, but, on the contrary, a maintenance of harmony. Europeans, coming to us, admire and approve: "In Belarus, they managed to preserve untouched forests." This is against the backdrop of the fact that in Europe they are very rare due to the active and prolonged human activity, in particular land use.
Road master Alexander Nikitenko supervises the unloading. At the same time, the condition of green recreational areas, forests along highways, railways and horticultural associations, bus stops and near villages is always monitored. Each forestry enterprise has its own designated territory. The removal of windfalls and deadwood trees on it is carried out annually as needed. Year after year, the number of works performed is approximately the same, calculates Yuri Apalko:
— In particular, in 2020, about a thousand hectares of protected, recreational and protective forests were cleared of clutter. Add to this selective sanitary logging on 1200 hectares. A separate item is the cleanup along roads, where about 1200 hectares were put in order this year, and selective sanitary logging was carried out on another 600 hectares. In addition to combating windfalls and storm-felled trees, we also perform an indirect task for ourselves: we remove household waste left by people along roads and at bus stops.
What hasn't been pulled out of the dark forest – from old refrigerators and sofas to rusty car bodies. The cleanup was carried out by the state forest guard, which, as is traditional for several years now, is joined by participants of the republican voluntary campaign "Clean Forest".
IN THE TOPIC
The volumes of construction of forest roads are regulated by the State Program "Belarusian Forest". Over the past ten years, about a thousand kilometers have been laid by forestry enterprises alone in Belarus. By the end of the current five-year period, at least 500 kilometers will be commissioned. Economic feasibility and logistics are the starting points for such work. Later, young growth will appear in the cleared areas. Everyone understands that the forest does not tolerate emptiness, and natural wealth must be restored.