Shalgo-Bodunovsky Forest Biotopes
Object of Research
The Shalgo-Bodunovsky Forest, a regional landscape reserve (decree of the Regional Executive Committee ¹ 196, May 10th 1984), has been part of the protected area of Russky Sever (The Russian North) National Park since 1992 (decree of the Government of the Russian Federation ¹ 182, March 20th, 1992). The area of the Shalgo-Bodunovsky Forest Reserve is 1511 hectares. Administratively, it belongs to Kirillovsky District, Vologda Region.
Features of the territory as an object of forest biodiversity research:
1. Situated in the central part of mid-boreal Kirillov moraine-hill landscape region, distinguished by its mosaic and complex morphological landscape structure.
2. Diversity of geologic and geomorphologic conditions, which differentiate moisture and soil formation processes.
3. The complete spectrum of mid-boreal forest biotopes of the Vologda Region is present within the territory of the landscape reserve.
4. Wood age variety with ripe and half-ripe stands of maximum age prevailing, presence of old ecosystems (up to 270-300 years old).
5. High floral diversity, especially of vascular plants (30% of all species existing in the region).
Research Methods
Biotope research was carried out by means of fieldwork and cartography, including GIS-technologies. The territory of the reserve was divided into
100m x 100m squares, within which geobotanic descriptions at key grounds of 100 square metres were prepared. Research focused on wood species formula, height and diameter; density of tree-top convergence; presence of new saplings and degree of their maturity; and regeneration character.
Grass-bush and moss-lichen levels were profiled according to the total amount of species, among which the dominant species were identified, their cenotic role was determined and rare species were recorded. For the taxons included into the Red Data Book, the age and structure of the population was studied. Associations were identified on the basis of the participation of the most abundant species (dominants) in the creation of lower levels of bioassociations. Description of soils, type and genesis of Quarternary deposits were fulfilled by means of soil cuts and digs.
Research Results
In the process of the fieldwork 500 geobotanic and 250 soil cut and dig descriptions were prepared in all the forest biotopes present within the territory of the reserve.
Major Biotopes
Within Shalgo-Bodunovsky Forest Reserve 8 groups of forest biotope types, containing 35 species, have been identified. The most abundant and widely spread is the group of moraine small-ridge and hilly areas as well as moraine glacial-lake inter-hill depressions, among which the following are prevalent:
Small moraine ridges with mid-podzol light- and mid-loamy soils, with old bilberry spruce forests, rarely with green-moss pine and green-moss grass aspen forests.
Small moraine hills with podzol light-loamy and sandy soils, more rarely with podzol-clay soils, with spruce and bilberry pine forests of various age, rarely with aspen and green-moss grass spruce-birch and aspen forests.
Moraine plains with clay strong- and mid-podzol soils with bilberry spruce and pine forests, more rarely with aspen forests (replacing cut spruce forests) and green-moss and swamp grass spruce-birch forests.
Smaller river valleys with peaty podzol-clay, peaty, sandy peaty-podzol and clay soils with the predominance of grass-moss, long-moss spruce forests of various age and sphagnum pine forests.
Plants
Spruce forests predominate within the area researched. Among them bilberry and grass-swamp forests prevail. Green-moss and sphagnum pine forests come second, followed by green-moss aspen forests and grass-swamp birch forests. Within the Forest Reserve area meadow associations are nearly absent, but there are some elements of such associations at parcel level in the Mougnitsa River valley.
 Flora
Within the Forest Reserve area more than 300 vascular species have been registered (2004). 30 of them are rare species included into the Vologda Region Red Data Book. In addition, during the fieldwork 8 protected lichen and 1 protected moss species were identified.
At present, the processing of 2004 fieldwork findings continues, on the basis of which databases and electronic GIS layers are being created.
Preliminary results have lead us to the conclusion that the Shalgo-Bodunovsky Forest Reserve can serve as a model ground for detailed research of natural ecosystems, as well as for forest biotopes of Russky Sever (The Russian North) National Park and mid-boreal zone of the European Plain monitoring.
Text by:
A.V. Palanov and N.K. Maksutova
Vologda State Pedagogical University, Russia
e-mail: maksutova@mail.ru
Photos: T.A. Suslova, Vologda State Pedagogical University, Russia
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