Forest Club model projects and sites

Issue 11, Aug. 1999

Despite all the articles devoted to the diversity of forest functions written by the heads of our Forestry and their declarations of vital necessity of biodiversity conservation, forests are still nothing more than a set of "growing logs" to them. That position has once again been clearly displayed by the specialists of the Forestry Administration of Vologda Region and of St. Petersburg Research Institute of Forestry. They intended to return to life use of arboricides for the "experimental" aerial treatment of mixed conifer-small-leafed saplings (starting with the area of 1000 ha per year).

The "Roundup" preparation (including 36% of glyphosphate as an active compound and 18% of surface-active substances) produced by the company "Monsanto" is to be used. Producers assure that the preparation is of low toxicity for the humans and the homoiothermal (warm-blooded) animals (lethal dose is about 5 grams per a kilogram of live weight). However, some of its precursors (for example, the 2,4-D preparation which has widely been used in the forests of the European North) initially were considered to be low-toxic and harmless for people. It was only after the obvious facts of human illness caused by the arboricides based on 2,4-D (for example, after deforestation during the war in Vietnam) that these compounds were declared to be dangerous for human health. At the moment there is no independent assessment of the long-term effects of small doses of "Roundup" for people and homoiothermal animals available, so nobody can guarantee that its impact will remain harmless in a several decades time.

Nevertheless, the effects of "Roundup" for the various components of plant communities are studied better. This preparation is a herbicide with a wide-range effect (non-selective), i.e. it causes death (or weakening) of a vast diversity of plant species which belong to the different taxonomic groups (see table). In particular, if "Roundup" is used for treatment of pine-small-leafed saplings in Vologda region in such doses and as regular as it is necessary for the suppression of the small-leafed trees, then the broadleaf species (oak, ash, lime) forming the natural ad-mixture and most of the species forming the underwood and the herbaceous-shrub cover will be influenced (eliminated or weakened to a level critical for their survival). Information on the "roundup" impact on different plant species allows to assume that no less than 50% of all vascular plants growing in this area will be exposed to a treatment critical for their survival.

Rates of preparation "roundup" (l/ha), which lead to elimination or crucial weakening of plant species or plant taxons growing in forests of Vologda region (Source: "Roundup. Application manual")
Taxons or species	Lethal doses of preparation, l/ha
Annual grasses	2-3
Perennial grasses	2-3
Annual dicotyledons	2-5
Perennial dicotyledons	3-6
Horsetails	6-8
Birch and aspen	3-4
Speckled alder	5-6
European alder	5-6
Broadleaf trees (oak, lime, elm, maple)	3-6
Raspberry	4-6

Moreover, there is no data on the "roundup" effects for the rare and endangered plant species growing in forests of Vologda region. Russian "Greenpeace" forwarded a corresponding inquiry to the Moscow representative office of the company "Monsanto" three months ago; however, no answer has been received so far.

Wide-range effects of the above-mentioned preparation allows to state that all the existing protected plant species are exposed the danger of elimination at the treated sites. Due to the fact that neither the Regional Forest Divisions nor the logging enterprises and forest management enterprises posses data on habitats of plant species registered in the Red Data Books or the Regional List of endangered species, it is obvious that their habitats cannot be excluded from the maps of the planned aerial chemical treatment. Thus, one more factor contributing to elimination of the rare and endangered plant species in Vologda region is added.

The facts mentioned above altogether allow to conclude that the aerial chemical treatment of forests with the use of the non-selective herbicides (arboricides) is one of the most powerful types of human impact towards the forest (boreal) ecosystems and, in particular, on biodiversity. Application of similar preparations in forestry undoubtedly counters to the requirements of biodiversity conservation and multipurpose forest management declared by Forestry code of the Russian Federation.

Even if we agreed with the authors of the "experiment" that the main purpose of forest management would be only "to grow logs", expediency of aerial chemical treatment of saplings is still doubtful. The idea of total control of small-leafed species as well as the concept of "useful" species are based on the assumption that growing of conifer species will remain the main task of taiga foresters nowadays and in future. However, current dynamics of commercial demand on timber allows to doubt the correctness of the mentioned approach. Recently demand on birch blocks has sharply increased (especially in the North-western region). Existing transfer at some large pulp plants in European Russia to a partial use of birch wood allows to predict future increase of the demand. So, even from a timber resources use point of view ad-mixture composed of small-leafed species (at least birch) is valuable. Under modern conditions, control of small-leafed species is not defensible even from an economic point of view.

Moreover, presence of significant ad-mixture of birch allows (taking into account increase of demand on birch blocks) to reduce greatly time required for growing saplings (with the help of intermediate cuttings due to much younger exploitable age of birch comparing with pine or spruce). It is extremely important, especially for many regions of European North of Russia with their significantly depleted resources of exploitable forests. That is why, renewal of control of small-leafed species in forests of Vologda region seems to be poorly scientifically grounded.