Forest on the Worskla

Forest on the Worskla (part of the Belogorje nature reserve )
A forest meadow with old oaks in the forest on the Worskla.
Coordinates: 50 ° 35 ′ 50 ″  N , 35 ° 58 ′ 30 ″  E
Location:	Belgorod , Russia
Specialty:	Oak forest
Next city:	Borisovka
Surface:	1038 ha

The forest on the Vorskla ( Russian Лес на Ворскле ) is a forest in the Belgorod Oblast ( Russia ) and part of the nature reserve ( Sapovednik ) Belogorje .

geography

Geographical location

The forest on the Worskla is located in Borissovka district of Belgorod Oblast. It extends on the high right bank of the Worskla River , between the Worskla and its tributary Gotnja and the Gotnja tributary Loknja. Its area covers 1038 hectares. Geographically, the area belongs to the southern part of the forest steppe zone . The nature reserve borders in the northeast on the village of Krasny Kutok (rural community Oktjabrskaja Gotnja), in the southeast on Borissowka (municipality Borissowka), in the north and east on apple orchards and in the south and west on the Worskatal. Opposite the forest, on the left bank of the Worskla, is the village of Dubino (rural municipality of Belenkoye ). The territory of the forest itself belongs to the rural municipality of Krjukowo .

Forest on the Worskla and its surroundings

relief

Most of the forest covers the plateau on which the watershed lies. The river terraces and slopes of the Voskla and Loknya valleys form the western, northwestern and southern edges. The highest point (217 m) is in the northeast part of the forest. The lowest point (137 m) is in the Worsklatal. Numerous small erosion valleys ( runes ) run through the forest towards the Worskla and Loknja valleys, which are called “Jar” in this region. The largest runs are (counterclockwise, starting in the north):

• Ponisovsky Yar
• Hodyn Jar
• Wervejkow – Yar
• Wolchij-Yar (Wolfrunse)
• Udodow-Jar (Hoopoe Rune)
• Snezarev Jar
• Monastyrskij-Jar (Klosterrunse)

Waters

The Worskla river at the nature reserve (the forest on the Worskla left on the horizon)

There are no springs or rivers in the forest. The reasons for this are high soil permeability and a low groundwater level. Only at the beginning of spring, after the snow has melted, rivulets flow at the bottom of the gorges to the river valley. The Worskla, Gotnja and Loknja rivers flow along the edge of the forest at a distance of 10 to 900 m.

There are no natural standing water bodies on the territory of the forest. Only in the protection zone of the nature reserve, in the Worsklatalaue, are there small oxbow lakes. In the 20th century, ponds were built in the Klosterrunse, the dams of which broke through the snowmelt. Only one pond remained in the upper part of the run.

Floors

The soils of the forest on the Worskla developed on various parent rocks , above all on the loess loam that occurs in the eastern half of the forest. In the north-western part of the forest, old alluvium sands also play a role. They are common on the Gotnja and Loknja river terraces . At the southern and southeastern edge of the forest, an Oligocene loam sand is common parent rock. In some places in the southern part of the forest there is also a rust-colored clay. The Oligocene loam sand and the rust-colored clay are the starting materials for soil formation where erosion has eroded the loess. Under the Oligocene clay there are rocks from the chalk that do not appear on the surface in the territory of the forest.

There are 20 different types of soil here . They differ according to the degree of podsolization and the humus content. According to the Russian soil classification of 1977, all soils in the forest on the Worskla belong to the gray forest soil type. According to the USDA soil classification , they belong to the alfisoles , according to the German soil systematics they should be classified as parabrown earths .

nature

flora

The oak is the main tree species in the forest on the Worskla . Other tree species are linden , ash , Scots pine and Norway maple . In the undergrowth come Euonymus europaeus ( Euonymus europaeus ) and warts-spindle tree ( Euonymus verrucosa ), field maple ( Acer campestre ), midland hawthorn ( Crataegus laevigata ) and blackthorn ( Prunus spinosa before). Tatar steppe maple ( Acer tataricum ), Purgier buckthorn ( Rhamnus cathartica ) and dog rose ( Rosa canina ) are less common . Among the herbaceous plants, ground elder ( Aegopodium podagraria ), chickweed ( Stellaria holostea ), eyelash sedge ( Carex pilosa ) and wood bluegrass ( Poa nemoralis ) are particularly common. The Ordinary Haselwurz ( Asarum Europaeum ), Dark lungwort ( Pulmonaria obscura ) and Spring Pea ( Lathyrus vernus ) often occur. Many spring bloomers bloom here in April : Siberian squill , lark spur , celandine and yellow anemone . They form the vorvernal aspect in the forest on the Worskla. There is no closed moss cover here. But the mosses often grow on the dead wood and brushwood, on the tree trunks and on the ground. About 80 species of moss were counted in the forest.

Twelve herbaceous plants are on the Belgorod Oblast's red list .

Plant communities

The near-natural forest covers an area of ​​557.6 ha (53.7% of the total area of ​​the reserve). The forest cultures cover 431.7 ha (41.6% of the total area). The rest of the territory consists mainly of forest meadows and fallow fields.

Naturalized plants

In addition to the native tree species, neophytes also grow here . The spread of the exotic species is a result of research into the settlement of new tree species in Sukachev's time. Today there are 24 species of exotic trees in the forest on the Worskla. Other naturalized plants thrive between native plant communities. Around 200 exotic species and forms grow in the dendrarium and nature reserve farm.

fauna

Animals

The fauna of the forest on the Worskla is typical of the oak forests of the forest steppe. About 50 species of mammals are found here. Largest permanent inhabitants of the forest are cloven-hoofed animals: wild boar and deer . The moose occasionally visits the forest on the Worskla. However, its area is too small for permanent settlement by the elk. After the October Revolution, almost all the ungulates were gone. The deer returned in the late 1930s and peaked at earlier numbers in the 1950s. The wild boar returned in the 1960s and peaked in numbers in the 1980s.

Today the nature reserve plays a major role in the conservation of the artifacts. You can find asylum here during the hunting season. Wild boar and roe deer migrate from neighboring areas to the nature reserve in autumn and winter.

Among the predators, there are foxes and badgers . They build their caves on the southern slopes of the rivers . In the past, wolves also lived here.

Large part of the animal species represents small animals. For them, the ancient oak forest is an important place to live. He gave shelter and refuge for rodents, bats and insectivores. Bats, squirrels and beech martens live in hollows in the old trees.

The floodplains of the protection zone are habitat for beavers .

history

17th century

Until the 17th century, the forest on the Worskla was part of the undivided oak forests that stretched along the high right bank of the Worskla. In 1640 the Chotmyshskian section of the Belgorodian Verhaulinie was formed here. Wald was a natural barrier against raids of the Tartars used. Therefore, logging and moving through the forest were strictly forbidden. At the end of the 17th century the danger of Tatar raids disappeared and the Verhaulin line lost its importance.

18-19. century

Early 18th century the forest on the Vorskla by the Regulations was Peter I from being cut down protected. In 1701 deforestation for tillage and grazing was banned in the western strip along the rivers. In 1703 logging was banned in the 20-strong strip along the small rivers. Grazing was also prohibited in this water protection zone. Oak, pine, maple and elm trees with a trunk thickness of more than 12 Wershok (54 cm) were exempted from cutting. These ordinances concerned the forests on the banks of the rivers that flow into the Azov and Black Seas. They should secure the supply of ship wood.

In 1705 the forest became the property of Count Boris Petrovich Sheremetev . He founded a "sanctuary" in the forest. The "sanctuary" was a private sapowednik . Here all types of forest use were forbidden for residents of Borissovka. The “sanctuary”, however, was not a fully-fledged sapowednik, because the forest was also used as a hunting ground for Count Sheremetev.

The forest on the Worskla and its surroundings in the 19th century

In 1714, Sheremetev founded a convent in Borissowka. The monastery was on the edge of the eighth section of the forest . Today there is a nature reserve estate on this site, which is called "Klosterrunse" after the monastery.

The heirs of Sheremetev kept the nature conservation regime of the "Schonunghains". But in the years 80-90 of the 19th century the first large deforestation took place in the fourth forest section and in the northern part of the tenth section. At the beginning of the 20th century, deforestation was carried out in the second and third sections. The forest largely regenerated itself. Some areas were reforested.

20th century

After the October Revolution , the forest on the Worskla was in danger. The former administrator of the Sheremetev counts had part of the ninth forest division cut down in 1917. The Borisovka people began to hunt and cut wood in the forest. She grazed the cattle here and planted vegetable gardens in the forest meadow. The forest became lighter and almost all of the ungulates disappeared.

The entomologist Malyshev took the lead in the movement to save the forest . He knew the forest on the Worskla from before the revolution. At that time he was a student doing entomological research there. In 1919 he took up a position as a staff member at the Lesgaft Institute in Borissowka , with the task of founding a zoo psychological station. The fate of the forest worried him. Malyshev wrote appeals to various authorities. He also appeared in the people's assembly of Borisovka residents and did propaganda work for forest protection in schools and village libraries. His efforts were successful, and after the establishment of the zoo psychological station (in 1922) the nature reserve «Wald an der Worskla» was established in 1924. The zoo psychological station was commissioned to protect the nature reserve. Only the ancient oak forest with a total area of ​​163.5 hectares belonged to the nature reserve at that time. Malyshev organized the protection of the forest. Scientific research began in the nature reserve, and the nature museum was founded in the nature reserve. The first articles about the forest on the Worskla were published in Russian and German scientific journals. But a political scandal was kindled against Malyshev. He was released from the institute and nature reserve. In 1934 Malyshev was transported to Leningrad.

In 1934 Sukachev became director of the nature reserve. From that time until 1994 the nature reserve was subordinated to the Leningrad University . At the nature reserve there was the university's forest steppe station, which is still operating today under the name “Dubrava” (oak forest). Here students from the State University of St. Petersburg do their summer field internship. Sukachev was director of the nature reserve until 1948. In Sukachev's time, the entire territory of the Vorerskla forest was protected as a nature reserve. The dendrarium was established at the nature reserve. Diverse botanical, zoological and pedological research was carried out in the nature reserve. On the basis of research in the forest on the Worskla, Sukachev formulated the new term biogeocenosis .

During the Great Patriotic War from October 1941 to August 1943, Borissowka and the surrounding area were under German occupation. The German staff and the military hospital were located in the manor of the nature reserve. The occupiers cut down tens of thousands of trees in the forest, but avoided large-scale logging because the forest served as protection for troops and military facilities. Trenches were dug in the forest during the Battle of Kursk . This resulted in numerous breaches of the ground cover, which can still be seen today. The German cemetery has been preserved in the old dendrarium next to the manor of the nature reserve.

In 1951 the nature reserve status was withdrawn from the forest on the Worskla. The former nature reserve became a teaching forest enterprise and remained assigned to the Leningrad University. From 1967–1974, research was carried out in the forest on the Worskla as part of the International Biological Program .

In 1974 the campaign to re-establish the nature reserve began. The initiative came from the director of the training forest company SI Samiljak and employees of the Leningrad University. The forest on the Worskla received the status of a nature reserve again in 1979. In 1994 the nature reserve was transferred from the University of St. Petersburg to the Ministry of Natural Resources. In that year the protection zone was also established.

particularities

The most important feature of the forest on the Worskla is an ancient oak forest. There are four sections of a 300-year-old oak forest with a total area of ​​160 hectares, the only oak forest of this age in the European part of the former Soviet Union .

Conservation regime

The current nature protection regime of the forest on the Worskla is very strict. Hunting, cutting down and collecting mushrooms, berries and plants are prohibited. All interventions in natural processes, including the felling of diseased or pest-infested trees, the removal of dead wood or the feeding of wild animals are also prohibited. Interventions are only allowed for research purposes. There is tourism only on the territory of the dendrarium , the nature reserve manor and the Sukachev forest meadow .

The forest is surrounded by a two-part protection zone that covers a total of 488 hectares. Due to the proximity of the villages of Krasny Kutok and Borisovka to the forest, there is no undivided protection zone. The western protection zone includes the Worsklatal and Loknjatal between the forest edge and these rivers. The eastern protection zone includes the apple orchards. The protection zone itself is not part of the nature reserve, but hunting is also prohibited here.

literature

• WA Krivohatskij Gosudarstwennyj sapowjednik: Les na Worskle. Belgorod 1989.
• OW Ryschkow : Sostojanie I raswitie dubraw Zentralnoj lesostepi (na primere sapowednikow Zentralno-Tscernosjomnogo i "Les na Worskle"). Tula 2001, ISBN 5-8125-0089-4 .
• TK Goryschina: «Les na Worskle» w document I predaniyach: Istoritscheskij otscherk. Izd-vo S.-Peterburgskogo universiteta, S. Peterburg 2004, ISBN 5-288-02605-X . [11]

Web links

Commons : Wald an der Worskla  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Belogorje nature reserve
• Web GIS of the Belogorje Nature Reserve
• Dendrarium near the forest on the Worskla

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Stschastnaja LS Potschwennyj pokrow utschljeshosa "Les na Worskle" // Westnik Leningradskogo uniwersiteta, 1966. - № 15. - pp. 148–157
2. ↑ Kasatkina GA, Fjodorowa NN, Rusakow AW Potschwy i potschwennyj pokrow sapovednika «Belogorje» // Westnik SPbGU. Serija 3, 2012. - Wypusk 1. - pp. 121-138 [1]
3. ↑ AA Nemykin: Mchi sapowednika "Belogorje" // In: Vestnik SPbGU. Series 3: Biology. 2007, No. 2, pp. 42-57. [2]
4. ↑ Krasnaya kniga Bjelgoroskoj oblasti. Redkije i istschesajuschije rastenija, griby, lischajniki i schiwotnye. Official isdaniye. Belgorod 2004, ISBN 5-86295-098-2 .
5. ↑ MW Arbusowa: Drewesnyje introduzenty w ljesnych fitozenosach sapowjednika "Les na Worskle".
6. ↑ OW Pjetrow: Mljekopitajuschtschie utschleshosa Les na Worskle i jego okrestnostej. In: Utschönyje sapiski Leningradskogo universiteta. 1971, No. 351, pp. 127-132.
7. ↑ Ju. G. Tchendev: Prirodnye complex dokulturnogo period (XVI vek). In: Atlas «Prirodnyje resursy i ekologitscheskoe sostojanije Belgorodskoj Oblasti». Belgorod 2005, p. 18.
8. ↑ TK K Goryschyna: istorii sapowednika "Les na Worskle". In: Russkij ornitologitscheskij Journal. 2012. - Belgorod, 2005, part 21. - Express-wypusk No. 785, pp. 1949–1963 [3]
9. ↑ AS Schapowalow: Istoki i organisacija sapowednika "Les na Worskle". In: Istorija zapovednogo dela: Materialy meschdunarodnoj nautschnoj konferencii. Borisowka 2005, pp. 6–9 [4]  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ( MS Word ; 62 kB).  
10. ↑ TK K Goryschyna: istorii sapowednika "Les na Worskle". In: Russkij ornitologitscheskij Journal. 2012. - Belgorod 2005. - Tom. 21. - Express-wypusk № 785. - pp. 1949-1963 [5] .
11. ↑ Je. Anikeenko: Ju. SI Malyshev i Les na Worskle. In: Istorija zapovednogo dela: Materialy meschdunarodnoj nautschnoj konferencii. Borisowka 2005, pp. 13-15. [6]  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ( MS Word ; 43 kB)  
12. ↑ L. Je. Arens: Les na rjekje Worskle (Pamjatnik prirody). In: Ukrainskij ohotnik i rybolow. 1925, No. 10, pp. 11-15.
13. ↑ NI Kuznetsov: Vyesma waschnyj pamjatnik prirody "Les na rjeke Worskle". In: Priroda. 1926, No. 5-6.
14. ^ SI Malyshev: Les na rjeke Worskle. In: Ohrana prirody. 1928, No. 6, pp. 10-13.
15. ^ SI Malyshev: Life history of the colletes cunicularius L. In: Journal for morphology and ecology of animals. 1927, Volume 9, No. 3-4, pp. 390-409, doi: 10.1007 / BF00408703 .
16. ^ SI Malyshev: Nesting habits of stone bees, lithurgus latr. (Apoidea). In: Journal for Morphology and Ecology of Animals. 1930, Volume 19, No. 1, pp. 116-134, doi: 10.1007 / BF00412291 .
17. ^ MV Arbusowa, VN Sukachev: organizer kompleksnyh issledowanij w sapowjednike "Les na Worskle". [7]  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
18. ↑ AA Vlasow : Stranicy woennoj istorii rossijskich sapowednikow. In: Istorija zapovednogo dela: Materialy meschdunarodnoj nautschnoj konferencii. Borisowka 2005, pp. 56-58.
19. ↑ TK Goryschina, EK Timofeewa Sapowednik "Les-na-Worskle". In: Sapowedninki SSSR. II. Sapovedniki Evropeysky Chasti RSFSR. Mysl, Moscow 1989, pp. 138-151. [8th]
20. ↑ Poloshenie o sapowednike. 2009 [9]  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ( MS Word ; 196 kB) and [10]