LABORATORY OF FOREST MANAGEMENT

The Laboratory (initially, the economics group) was established in 1958. At present, the Laboratory consists of three sectors: Sector of forest management and forestry organization, Sector of reforestation, breeding and forest seed and Sector of information technologies and geoinformation systems.

Nikolay Aleksandrovich Moiseev was the founder of the laboratory, now Doctor of the Agricultural Sciences, and Academician of the All-Russian Academy of the Agricultural Sciences. Since 1965 till 2009, the chief of the laboratory was Nikolay Prokopievich Chuprov, Doctor of the Agricultural Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and Honored Forester of Russian Federation. Today the laboratory is under the guidance of Rudolf Vasilievich Sungurov, Candidate of the Agricultural Sciences.

Sector of forest management and forestry organization

(Until 01.01.2008 it was Laboratory of Economics and Forestry Organization.)

Main achievements:

  • Elaboration of guidelines for economic assessment of forestry measures;
  • Implementation of economic assessment of forestry measures and cuttings of the main and intermediate forest exploitation in northern conditions;
  • Elaboration of methods and guidelines for economic assessment of forest resources and lands on the rent base;
  • Development of standards for economic assessment of forest resources and lands according to Northern areas and the whole region;
  • Elaboration of scale for economic assessment of forest lands according to forest types for middle and northern taiga subzones of the Arkhangelsk Region;
  • Determination of ages of quantitative, technical and economic maturity of the Northern forest and recommendation of optimal ages for cuttings in the main forest exploitation;
  • Elaboration of forecasts on forestry and forest exploitation development until 2010 and 2020;
  • Elaboration of calculations and explanations of sizes of main sustainable forest exploitation for leshozes of the whole European North (Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Murmansk Regions and Komi Republic);
  • Elaboration of multiple-factor dynamic model for multivariant calculations in forest exploitation and explanation of required level of forestry conduction on computer;
  • Development of standards for natural potential productivity of the Northern forests on the base of linear-typological research method;
  • Elaboration of forest taxation standards system for registration of deciduous forest of the whole North (Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Perm Regions, Komi and Karelia Republics) – table of growth rates of forest stands according to forest types, tables of stem volumes, assortment and marketable tables etc.

The Laboratory elaborated and transferred to the industry the following recommendations and standards:

  • "Guidelines for economic assessment of forestry measures" (1980);
  • "User`s guide for determination of economic efficiency of forest tapping" (1976);
  • "Collected standard rates for calculation of economic efficiency of forest tapping of pine and larch stands" (1983);
  • "Standards for cadastral valuation of forests in the conditions of the European North" (1984);
  • "Forecasts of science-technical development of the USSR forestry until 2000 and 2020". The issue about European North (1988);
  • "User`s guide for multivariant calculation of sustainable forest exploitation" (1991);
  • "Labor standards, per-shift production for berries and mushrooms harvesting and methods of their preparation" (1980);
  • "Cost standards for harvesting of non-wood forest production" (1983);
  • "Assessment, registration and explanation of reforestation methods" (user`s guide, 1987);
  • "Guidelines for economic assessment of forests" (1986);
  • "Standards for economic assessment of forest resources and lands of Arkhangelsk Region, Leningrad Region, Komi and Karelia Republics" (1995—1999);
  • "Recommendations for production and labor organization in thinning of the forest" (1977);
  • "Recommendations for determination of size of sustainable forest exploitation on the European North (Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Murmansk Regions and Komi Republic)" (2000);
  • "Dynamic model for multivariant forecast calculations of sustainable forest exploitation and determination of forestry conduction level" (2001);
  • "Guidelines for determination of maturity and cutting ages of the Northern forests" (2001);
  • System of forest taxation standards (growth rate tables, stem volume tables, assortment and marketable tables) for registration of birch and aspen stands of the North (Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Perm Regions, Komi and Karelia Republics) (1970—1995);
  • On the base of accomplished assessment, there were elaborated special differentiated according to conditions standards for economic assessment of forest resources; resources of lifetime forest stands exploitation – resin; resources of secondary exploitation – berries, mushrooms; forest seeds resources; assessment of forest lands and forest sites as a whole for the conditions of the Northern region including northern, middle and southern taiga subzones and pre-tundra forests within Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Murmansk regions, Komi and Karelia Republics (2003);
  • By a request of Arkhangelsk enterprise "Zemcadastr", there were elaborated scales for assessment of forest lands of the northern and middle taiga subzones of Arkhangelsk Region (for allotment assessment) which are used in practical assessment;
  • There was elaborated "Method for economic assessment of standing timber resources on the rent base taking into account roundwood assortment output by forest management" (2005);
  • There were developed unified standards for economic assessment of forest resources and lands of the northern part of the North-Western Federal district of Russia (Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Perm Regions, Komi and Karelia Republics) (2005);
  • There was worked out a forest taxation guidance on the North-East of the European part of Russian Federation (tables) (2006—2007);
  • There were elaborated databases of assortment and marketable tables for forests of the north-western and north-eastern regions of the European part of Russian Federation (2006).

The researchers of the laboratory have published more than 250 papers on the issues of economics and forestry organization.

Most of the recommendations are used or were used in production, in science research, training, in forestry and timber industry planning and management.

In 1999 the laboratory`s team was awarded by Lomonosov’s Fund for development work on the issue of economic assessment of forest resources and lands.

Sector of reforestation, breeding and forest seed

(Until 01.01.2008 it was NRIF Laboratory of Artificial Reforestation, established in 1964)

At different times the laboratory was under the guidance of: F. T. Pigarev, Candidate of the Agricultural Sciences (for 24 years); V. Ya. Popov, Candidate of the Agricultural Sciences (for 14 years); B. A. Mochalov, Candidate of the Agricultural Sciences (for 5 years).

The main directions of research:

  • working out methods of phenotypic selection and complex assessment of practically valuable genotypes;
  • elaboration and improvement of methods of permanent forest seed base establishment on breeding basis;
  • development of agrotechnical and technological measures for coniferous planting material cultivation;
  • development of ecological-silvicultural bases of artificial reforestation, and improvement of methods of coniferous species cultures establishment.

In the field of selection and forest seed production, there were studied formal structure and intraspecific variation of pine and spruce populations of the European North; for the first time there were sorted out the forms of Scots pine according to the 3-needle sign; forms of Norway spruce, Siberian spruce and their hybrid forms according to degree of whorlness; and there was determined their selection significance.

The Regularities of splitting of pine, spruce and larch offspring according to amount of cotyledons, growth of heterocotyledonous specimens, stability of rank distribution of trees in population according to cone abundance and full-grain seeds output, dominant influence of maternal trees on cone abundance show, full-grain seeds output and amount of cotyledons of prosperity were determined. Also there was developed a method of selection of Scots pine elite trees. A net of geographical pine, spruce and larch cultures was created on the area of 160 ha.

There were elaborated and tested on practice a method of early diagnostics of hereditary properties of plus pine, spruce and larch trees, a method of coniferous grafted seedlings growing, and a method of determination of spruce with comb-shaped type of crown branching at juvenile stage.

Conditions of mineral nutrition of coniferous seedlings in controlled medium and open ground were studied, and optimal medium conditions for seedlings growth were determined. Also there were developed standard agrotechnical rates and technological maps for planting material growing in the conditions of controlled medium and also new types of substrates and different additions for soils of nurseries and greenhouses.

There were determined regularities of growth and forming of artificial plantings of coniferous species in correlation with mechanical soil treatment, draining amelioration and addition of mineral fertilizers. The role of planting density, species, age and size of planting material were assessed. There was suggested and experimentally confirmed quantitative theory of combined influence of direct ecological factors on growth and productivity of cultivated plants.

The most effective methods of mechanical soil treatment depending on forest growing condition were determined. There was elaborated a complex technology of forest cultures establishment which allows to mechanize all manufacturing processes in different medium conditions and to apply differentially the most effective forest cultivation methods. Also a method of complex assessment of pine and spruce planting material quality was developed.

The researchers of the Laboratory have published over 600 papers and theses in different proceedings and journals, 25 recommendations and 2 monographs. There were defended 2 Doctoral and 8 Ph.D. theses using materials collected by the researchers of the Laboratory.

Much attention is paid to scientific developments introduction into production. Laboratory`s objects represent a base for carrying out regional workshops for forestry and timber industry workers.