Distribution and resource potential of the maple leaf in the forests of the Republic of Mari El

The high value and low representation of the maple (Acer platanoides L.) in the forests of Russia indicate the relevance of the research topic, the need to preserve and, if possible, the expanded reproduction of this woody plant, and to increase the efficiency of using its resource potential. The results of studies characterizing the structure and patterns of development of stands with the participation of the maple in the forests of the Republic of Mari El, expressed in the form of mathematical equations, are presented. The nature of the distribution of stands with the participation of maple and its undergrowth is determined primarily by edaphic factors. Most often it occurs in oak forest conditions, the share of which in the forest fund of the republic is very small. The largest area of forest stands with its participation is concentrated in the fresh surameni that prevail in the republic. As an admixture in the stand or in the underbrush, it is most often found in oak forests and lime trees, and least often in pine forests, but its largest resources are concentrated in birch forests, which occupy the second place in Mari El, yielding only pine forests in the area...