Condition of pine forests of the Republic of Tatarstan after the drought of 2010

Pine forests take 16% of the territory of state forest fund of the Republic of Tatarstan, and aout 80% of them are types which were created during last 60 years. Despite of high endurance of pine forests to lack of moisture and high air temperature, pine forests are sensitive to long periods of drought. Summer of 2010 was not exception; it was abnormally hot and dry. Reasons of drying up were following: in Predkmye zone - damage by root sponge, in Vozvyshennoye Zakamye - creation of thickened pine crops on low-power rendzina. Drought in 2010 worsened the condition of all pine forest zones of the Republic of Tatarstan, in most areas of pine forests it was drying of low intensity; forest handling in 7 forest districts revealed the death of pine plantations because of the drought in 2010 on an area of over 1.000 hectares. As a result of analysis of relation of plantation weakening of the age it’s determined that weakening degree in Vozvyshennoye Zakamye is higher for young plantations of age classes 1 and 2; in Predkamye most area with presence of shrinkage is middle-aged. By type of forest growing conditions, in Predkame there were more affected pine forests in the conditions A2 and B2, in Zakamye - D1. Regarding to degree of weakening of pine depending on the plantation composition, biggest part of plantations with the presence of shrinkage (73%) belong to the net pine plantations. Regarding to distribution of pines by diameter, dead trees create numeric range with two peaks, there qas a death of oppressed trees, but also ruling trees caused by the influence pathogen. Analysis of natural regeneration has shown that it is confined to the glades, formed during desiccation clumps of pine. The composition of the undergrowth in Predkamye is formed of 3 species - pine, birch and aspen, in Vozvyshennoye Zakamye - by birch, oak, linden and maple.