Environmental problems

Actual problems of the natural environment and the modern world are diverse. They are a danger to the planet, both for its present and for the future of all mankind, and can only be resolved with the participation and cooperation of all countries and peoples of the world. The global solution to these problems depends on the material well-being and spiritual progress of mankind in a healthy environment.

Irrational human activity has caused great damage to natural ecosystems and has led to: the depletion of soils and fresh water resources, the reduction of forest area, the disappearance of animal and plant species, global environmental pollution and the greenhouse effect, which in turn caused global warming, the formation of acidic rains, ozone holes, desertification, etc. The aggravation of these global problems signals a serious environmental crisis. Human influence on the entire planet has exceeded the self-healing capabilities of ecosystems. Human-influenced habitat changes became more visible in extent in the second half of the 20th century due to the accelerated development of agriculture and industry, increased transport, and increased trade. The degradation of the natural environment also affects human health. There are already a significant number of cities where the effects of air pollution are being felt, among them: Detroit, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Calcutta, Los Angeles, New York, etc. In these and other cities, the number of diseases of the respiratory system in the population, including lung cancer, is high. Pollution of the atmosphere with lead, copper and aluminum leads to diseases of the nervous system.

To ensure a healthy lifestyle for all mankind and the development of a sustainable economy, joint efforts are required. No country alone can stabilize the impact on the climate and protect the fish resources of the oceans. These goals can only be achieved through global cooperation and interaction between countries.

Currently, the listed problems are considered within the framework of international programs: the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, the International Program for Global Environmental Change, the Strategic Initiative for Natural Disaster Reduction, the World Climate Program. These projects will enable professionals in various countries to find ways to address the challenges of environmental change around the world.

deforestation

Forests are the most important ecosystems on our planet. They cover approximately 30% (about 4 billion hectares) of the land surface, forming the planet's forest fund. In the geographical environment, forests perform many functions:

climate function. Forests are the main supplier of oxygen (1 square kilometer of tropical forests produces about 11 tons of oxygen per day), weaken the influence of various climatic phenomena and serve to maintain climatic balance: lower air temperature, increase humidity, reduce wind speed, etc.;

hydrological function. Forests reduce the intensity of surface runoff after heavy rains, slow down the penetration of water into the soil, keep the flow of spring water practically constant, prevent mudflows, landslides, protect human habitation, agricultural land, and transport routes from turbulent flows;

soil function. Organic matter accumulated by forests is involved in the formation of soils; - economic function. Timber and other forest resources play an important role in human history;

social function. Leisure opportunities, tourism, satisfaction of aesthetic and spiritual needs;

health function. Forests create a calm atmosphere with moderate air temperatures and a low content of harmful substances and impurities.

The reasons for the reduction of forest land around the world are the widespread use of wood in industry, the expansion of agricultural land, pastures, the construction of communication lines, etc. The exploitation of forests for a long time was of an extensive nature, exceeding its natural regenerative capacity. In the period 1980-1985 alone, about 280 million hectares were deforested, which is almost 15 million hectares per year. High rates of deforestation were carried out in Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries.

In the Mediterranean region, where natural broad-leaved forests have disappeared completely, only shrubs and other less valuable species remain, which have practically no economic value. According to various sources, over the past three centuries, the world's forest fund has halved or even more.

Unfortunately, this process continues today due to the influence of the following factors:

Natural disasters (volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, snow avalanches, etc.) have a negative impact on forests. Thousands of hectares of forest have been destroyed by natural disasters. They can reduce the area of ​​forests to a critical limit. Only the earthquake of May 31, 1970 in Peru destroyed forests with an area of ​​about 70 thousand square kilometers;

Forest fires. A decrease in the area of ​​the forest fund as a result of natural fires that occur during a severe drought occurs in vast areas of Central Siberia, Australia, Canada, California, Indonesia and other regions. In Indonesia in 1983, 3.7 million hectares of forest burned down. In Brazil, during a great fire in 1963, 5 million hectares of forest died. This confirms that even the humid equatorial forests are not protected from fire. Most often, fires in the natural environment occur from lightning. In the state of Nebraska (USA), 30 forest fires caused by lightning occurred in one day, five of which covered vast territories, causing millions of dollars in damage. Some fires happen because of the negligence of people. In densely populated areas, the most common cause of forest fires are human activities and technologies created by them. With the development of tourism, the number of fires caused by unextinguished cigarettes, bonfires and the carelessness of children is growing.

Deforestation - wood is used as fuel, building material and for recycling (furniture, lumber, pulp, paper, etc.). In some regions of the world (Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia), firewood is still the main type of fuel. Deforestation for industrial purposes has become excessive. From 3.2 to 3.5 billion m3 of wood is harvested annually, which far exceeds the natural regenerative capacity of the forest. Deforestation has taken place in vast areas in the basins of the Amazon, Congo, and other rivers, and forests have been replaced by soil erosion processes, etc. on these lands. Considering that forests are climatic and hydrological regulators, deforestation in the equatorial regions of the Earth can lead to radical climate change. In this regard, there is a need to protect not just some forest areas or typical forests, but the entire forest fund of the planet, all logging must certainly be accompanied by reforestation.

desertification

Desertification is a global phenomenon and has a huge impact on climatic conditions and increasing anthropogenic impact on the environment. About half of the planet's territories suffer from droughts and desertification, both in arid zones and in irrigated and other areas. Desertification is a complex phenomenon of land degradation in deserts and semi-deserts, in arid regions of the Earth. The causes of desertification are the reduction in the amount of precipitation and the change in their regime, the warming of the climate, the strengthening of winds and the increase in the intensity of evaporation, as well as human economic activity. Anthropogenic causes are represented by: overpopulation, irrational land use (deforestation, desertification, pollution). Prolonged droughts lead to a significant reduction in water reserves in the soil, underground aquifers, hydrographic network, which gives rise to processes leading to desertification. Dry, salt crust forms on soils. From the deserts, dunes gradually move to adjacent territories.

The phenomenon of desertification has intensified in the last years of the 20th century in many arid regions, especially in the southern Sahara, where xerophilous vegetation ecosystems have been destroyed by overgrazing and farming in the south of the Sahara.

Dry periods in recent decades have exacerbated and expanded the process of desertification in different regions of the world and caused the most serious consequences. At the end of the 20th century, there was an excessive reduction in pastures in the zone of the savannas of North Africa on the border with the Sahara desert. The phenomenon of desertification currently covers approximately 25% of the land surface - this is more than 110 countries with a population of almost one billion inhabitants. The territories most affected by desertification are found in Africa, South Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe.

The fight against desertification is a global problem caused by climate change and the increasing pressure of human society on the environment. Considering all this, in 1994 the UN Convention to Combat Desertification was adopted, which provides for cooperation between the countries of the world to reduce this phenomenon.

global climate change

One of the pressing global problems arising from human activities is the change in the Earth's climate, both in terms of warming and exacerbation of natural disasters of a climatic nature. Opinion among meteorologists and climatologists engaged in research in this area is divided, recognizing the seriousness of the situation, some consider it the result of anthropogenic activities, while others attribute slow global climate changes to normal cyclical phenomena.

The priority attention to this problem is due to the following conditions: even the slightest changes in climate have a certain impact on human activities, primarily on agriculture; climate change can turn into natural disasters (eg periods of maximum and minimum temperatures (heat-waves and severe frosts), droughts, heavy rains with floods).

A deeper understanding of the mechanism of climate change requires a thorough study of the climate system, including the relationship between the following components: atmosphere, earth's crust, ionosphere, biosphere, taking into account the anthropogenic factor. In fact, this is the purpose of climate monitoring. The main human activities that affect the climate system are:

Direct impact on the atmosphere in the form of thermal effects, changes in air humidity, etc.;

Influence on the physical and chemical properties of the atmosphere, in particular, electrical and radiation characteristics. This factor can cause an increase in the concentration of CO2, NO2, freon, methane, etc. in the troposphere;

The impact on the upper layers of the atmosphere affects, first of all, the ozone layer;

The impact on the underlying surface changes the albedo and the processes of gas exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere.

Some activities may be assigned to more than one impact category at the same time. For example, forest fires lead to direct heating of the atmosphere, an increase in the amount of aerosols, CO2 and other gases that change the albedo of the affected underlying surface. In fact, these phenomena have a multilateral impact on natural landscapes, change their appearance, and also affect human health. Over the past century, the temperature of the Earth has been constantly rising, this phenomenon became more noticeable after the 70s of the last century.

Board of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, composed of distinguished scientists, as well as participants in recent international conferences. It is argued that if the use of fossil fuels continues to grow, then by 2050 the average annual temperature on the planet will increase to +19 degrees. A very rapid increase poses a serious problem, as it will lead to extreme climate events, including massive floods, droughts and increased hurricanes. According to statistics, almost half of the natural disasters occurring on the planet are associated with atmospheric processes.

The stabilization of the climate on Earth means, first of all, the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by almost 60%. And this requires the participation of all governments and awareness of the possible danger at all levels.

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Introduction…
There are many big problems
that do not apply to all countries of the world
and the importance of which is ever increasing.
From the materials of the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

“Forests adorn the earth ... they teach a person to understand the beautiful and inspire him
majestic mood. Forests soften the harsh climate,” wrote Anton Pavlovich
Chekhov about the forest - this priceless pantry of nature, which is often called
"green gold". He selflessly serves man, being a source of raw materials for
more than 20 thousand products. The forest serves as a habitat for valuable game animals, birds, medicinal plants, mushrooms, berries, and fruits.
The forest is also the lungs of our planet. One hectare of it per year eliminates
carbon dioxide and dust 18 million cubic meters of air. Releasing volatile
substances - phytoncides, many trees and shrubs purify the air.
The forest is a faithful and reliable assistant to the farmer in the struggle for the harvest. He
blocks the path of destructive floods, prevents dust storms, loose sands, soil erosion, creates a favorable microclimate, maintains high water
rec. The unique beauty of forests is an inexhaustible source of creativity, health and vitality of a person. However, soon our poets will have nowhere to draw inspiration from, because forests are now being destroyed at an incredible rate.
Most of the problems that we associate with the global problems of our time have accompanied humanity throughout its history. First of all, they are environmental problems. In our project, we want to talk about one of these problems - the destruction of forests.
What is a forest anyway? According to the definition of Sergei Ivanovich Ozhegov, a forest is a set of trees growing in a large area with closed crowns. But the forest is still the “lungs of the planet” and the source from which we get building materials.
materials, paper, artificial fabrics and leather, photographic and film films, varnishes and paints, plastics and many other necessary products.

A bit of history...
Throughout the development of human society, nature and man
They were in close relationship. However, this connection was not always favorable for nature. The first and very noticeable damage was caused about 400 thousand years ago by Sinanthropes, who began to use fire. As a result of the resulting
fires destroyed significant areas of vegetation. The transition from an appropriating to a productive economy that began about 12 thousand years ago, associated primarily with the development of agriculture, also led to very significant negative impacts on the environment. The technology of agriculture in those days was as follows: a forest was burned in a certain area, then elementary tillage and sowing of plant seeds were carried out. Such a field could produce a crop for only 2-3 years, after which the soil was depleted and it was necessary to move to a new site. In addition, environmental problems in ancient times were often generated by mining. In the last centuries BC, the intensive development of silver-lead mines in Ancient Greece, which required large volumes of strong timber, actually led to the destruction of forests on the Antique Peninsula. According to estimates, the area occupied by forests has decreased by 2 times over the historical period. Some forests have been particularly affected: 40-50% of the original area of ​​mixed and broad-leaved forests, 85-90% of monsoon and 70-80% of Mediterranean dry forests have already been reduced. Less than 5% of the forests remained on the great Chinese and Indo-Gangetic plains. Significant changes in natural landscapes were caused by the construction of cities, which began to be carried out in the Middle East about 5 thousand years ago, and, of course, the development of industry accompanied a significant burden on nature. But although these human impacts on the environment were becoming increasingly large, nevertheless, until the second half of the 20th century, they had a local character.
Throughout previous history, the satisfaction of human needs occurred automatically, and people were convinced that they were provided with forests and other natural resources in abundance at all times. Sobering up came only a few decades ago, when, due to the growing threat of an ecological crisis, the shortage of natural resources and clean air due to deforestation became more and more acute. However, the pace of deforestation is not slowing down: every year their area is reduced by 200 thousand km2. According to the calculations of some scientists, by 2010 on Earth, through the fault of people, about half of the forests that exist now may disappear.

Few facts...
Flora and forest in particular
Vegetation is a special realm of nature, which includes more than 300 thousand species. Forest vegetation plays an important role in sustaining life on earth. Currently, forests cover about 3.8 billion hectares, or 30% of the land. The distribution of forests on the planet is uneven. They are concentrated in the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and in the tropical zone, accounting for 54% and 46% of the total forest area, respectively. The forest cover is the main productive force of the Earth, the energy base of its living shell - the biosphere, the connecting link of all components and the most important factor in its stability. About 90% of all terrestrial phytomass is concentrated in forests. And they perform the functions of reproduction of life better than other types of vegetation. The total leaf surface of the forests of the world is almost 4 times the surface of our entire planet. The forest has enormous sanitary and hygienic and healing properties. The aesthetic value of forests is also invaluable.
In the process of photosynthesis, many woody, shrubby and herbaceous plants release special chemical compounds that are highly active. Thanks to this activity, forests are able to transform chemical and atmospheric pollution, especially gaseous ones, and coniferous plantations, as well as some varieties of lindens, willows, birches, have the highest oxidizing ability. In addition, the forest has the ability to absorb individual components of industrial pollution. The forest, especially coniferous, emits phytoncides, which kill many pathogenic microbes, heal the air.
The forest plays a decisive role in maintaining the hydrological regime of rivers, in preventing deflation and soil erosion, as well as in combating droughts and dead woods. In order to protect soils from deflation and erosion, combat drought and increase the yield of agricultural crops, protective afforestation is carried out in large volumes. The afforestation of the banks of rivers, canals, and reservoirs has gained wide scope. Forest belts protect water sources from pollution by sewage from fields, serve as natural filters.
About 82 billion m3 of wood is concentrated in the forests of Russia - this is a universal material used in all sectors of the national economy. About a hundred species of wild, fruit, berry and nut plants grow in the forests of Russia. The healing and nutritional properties of sea buckthorn, bird cherry, lemongrass, raspberry, dog rose, golden root, St. John's wort, bearberry, and currant are widely known. Numerous fruit, berry and nut-bearing plants that make up the vegetation cover annually produce at least 11 million tons of the most valuable food products containing sugar, vitamins and other substances.

Forest resources of Russia
Forest resources are renewable resources, but this process takes 80 to 100 years. This period is lengthened in cases where land is severely degraded after deforestation. Therefore, along with the problems of reforestation, which can be carried out by self-restoration of forest plantations and, to speed up, by creating forest plantations, the problem of careful use of harvested wood arises. But deforestation - a destructive anthropogenic process - is opposed by stabilizing anthropogenic activities - the desire for the full use of wood, the use of gentle logging methods, as well as constructive activities - reforestation. Therefore, for rational use, all forests are divided into three groups.
First group. Forests of water and soil protection, green areas of resorts, cities and other settlements, protected forests, protective strips along rivers, highways and railways, steppe groves, belt forests of Western Siberia, tundra and subalpine forests, natural monuments and some others.
Second group. Plantations of a low forested zone, located mainly in the central and western regions of our country, having a protective and limited operational value.
Third group. The operational forests of the country's multi-forested zones are the regions of the European North, the Urals, Siberia, and the Far East.
The forests of the first group are not used, they are only cut for sanitary purposes, rejuvenation, maintenance, lightening, etc. In the second group, the felling regime is limited, the use is in the amount of forest growth. Forests of the third group - industrial felling regime. They are the main base for timber harvesting. In addition to economic qualifications, forests are also distinguished according to their purpose and profile - industrial, water protection, field protection, resort, roadside, etc.

Deforestation...
Their condition in the world and in Russia
Forests contain 82% of the Earth's phytomass, and their state in the world cannot be considered safe. With the advent of man on Earth, the evolution of the biosphere entered a new phase of development associated with the deforestation of landscapes, as a result of which living matter is gradually destroyed and the biosphere as a whole is depleted. At present, what V. I. Vernadsky warned against is happening: in different parts of the globe, intensive degradation of natural landscapes is observed. There is a process of deforestation.
Forests are intensively cut down and not always restored. The annual felling volume is more than 4.5 billion m3. The world community is especially concerned about the problem of forests in the tropical and subtropical zones, where more than half of the world's annual cutting area is cut down. Already degraded 160 million hectares of tropical forests, and of the 11 million hectares cut down annually, only a tenth of them are restored by plantations. Tropical forests, covering 7% of the earth's surface in areas close to the equator, are often referred to as the lungs of our planet. Their role in the enrichment of the atmosphere with oxygen and the absorption of carbon dioxide is exceptionally great. Tropical forests are a habitat for 3-4 million species of living organisms. 80% of insect species live here, 2/3 of known plant species grow here. These forests supply 1/4 of the oxygen supply. According to the FAO, they are reduced at a rate of 100 thousand km2 per year. 33% of the rainforest area is in Brazil, 10% each in Zaire and Indonesia.
The situation with forests is also unfavorable on the European continent. At the forefront here are the problems of atmospheric pollution by industrial emissions, which are already beginning to have a continental character. They affected 30% of the forests of Austria, 50% of the forests of Germany, as well as the forests of Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Germany. Along with spruce, pine, and fir, which are sensitive to pollution, such relatively resistant species as beech and oak began to be damaged. The forests of the Scandinavian countries have been severely affected by acid rain, formed by the dissolution of sulfur dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by industry in other European countries. Similar phenomena have been noted in Canadian forests from pollution carried from the United States. Cases of forest loss around industrial facilities are also observed in Russia, in particular on the Kola Peninsula and in the Bratsk region.
Russia owns almost a fourth of the world's forest reserves. And what condition are they in? Needless to say, deplorable. Coniferous forests have been reduced almost to nothing. The most valuable tree species are being replaced by low-productive deciduous stands. At the current pace of logging, we use the remaining forests for 50-60 years. Their restoration in these areas takes only 100-120 years. Human economic activity leads to the release into the air of various solid, liquid and gaseous substances (dust, smoke, gases) that are poisonous both for humans and for plants, including trees. For plants, this factor is especially dangerous because it appeared relatively recently, so that plants have not yet had time to develop protective devices against it, and those that are available are ineffective. Lichens can be called indicators of air purity. A completely negligible admixture of toxic substances in the air, imperceptible to plants, turns out to be fatal to lichens.

Deforestation in the Amazon...
As we said, the state of tropical forests, figuratively speaking, the “lungs” of our planet, which are cut down at a rate of 15-20 hectares per minute, is of particular concern.
The Amazon rainforests are unique (7 million km2), which cover 8 states: Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Guyana and Suriname.
Amazonia is a unique corner of the earth. There is simply no other like it in nature. It is unusual in that it is the world's largest lowland, with the most abundant river, the largest tropical forest. Its flora includes up to 4,000 species of trees, while there are only 200 of them in all of Europe. However, only a small part of the Amazonian plants has been studied. Many of them could become the basis for new medicines and crops.
Brazil is the "champion" in deforestation in the Amazon, it is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world leader in deforestation. Brazil ranks second, after Russia, in the world in terms of forest resources - about 478 million hectares. However, in Brazil, 22.3 thousand km2 of forest plantations are cut down annually, as a result of which the Amazon has already lost 17% of its territory, which originally amounted to 4.9 million km2. Over the past half century, 615 thousand km2 of the Amazonian rainforests have been destroyed. In another 50 years, the planet's main lungs could turn into a sun-scorched savannah if the current rate of uncontrolled logging continues.
At a scientific conference on biosphere problems in the Brazilian capital, Minister
Brazilian Environmental Affairs Minister Marina Silva reported that the Amazon loses up to 25,000 km2 of rainforest every year, mainly as a result of fires and logging. Fires prevent the formation of rain clouds, which leads to drying up of the soil and climate change, not only in the region, but also in other Latin American countries, in particular, in Paraguay and Argentina.
However, according to her, satellite observations show that in 2005 less forest was cut down than in 2004, which is about 9 thousand km2. But these figures cannot be said with complete certainty, because the satellite data error can be about 20%.
Tropical deforestation has also been most severe in the state of Mato Grosso, where increased beet and soybean exports, mainly to China and Europe, are prompting farmers to clear forests for plowing. These cuttings not only pose a threat to the global climate, but also pose a real danger to thousands of unique species of plants and animals.
As the astronauts testify, the forest in the Amazon is covered in a gray haze over vast areas. It is being burned to clear another piece of land for plantations. The average number of small conflagrations in some months reaches 8 thousand. At some point, the entire forest in South America may eventually burst into one giant fire due to numerous arson.
Scientists believe that the reduction in vegetation prevents the formation of rain clouds, which leads to drying up of the soil and climate change not only in the region, but also in neighboring Latin American countries. If global warming continues, the decrease in rainfall in the Amazon may lead to its gradual transformation into an arid savannah. Thus, due to the violation of the ecological balance, this year the Amazon region was engulfed by the most severe drought in half a century. The water level in the tributaries of the Amazon has dropped to 20% of normal, and in some areas the river has become completely unnavigable.
How can we stop the loss of rainforests? A number of organizations, such as the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, have put a lot of thought and money into trying to stop the massive loss of tropical forests. For the period from 1968 to 1980. The World Bank has spent $1,154,900 on rainforest restoration programs. But it is not yet clear whether this has had any significant effect on the resolution of the problem. One of the reasons for the ineffectiveness of the measures taken is that much larger amounts are spent on agricultural development projects. When a country's government has the option of choosing between an agricultural development program and reforestation projects, the choice is usually made in favor of the former program, as it promises to quickly meet the population's food needs. Another reason is that loans such as those provided by the World Bank do in fact sometimes increase deforestation. A country may find it more profitable to first generate income from the sale of mature timber, and then, using the loans received, implement a program for the restoration of cut forests. Consequently, as a result of such a statement of the case, the amount of the loan doubles.
Guppy (1984) made an interesting proposal, which was to create an organization of timber producing countries (OTEC), similar in structure to the successful oil cartel OPEC. According to Guppi, the price of tropical timber is heavily undervalued on the world market. In the process of deforestation, only 10% of the trees receive the attention of loggers. Of the rest of the trees growing in the forest, 55% are irreparably destroyed, while the remaining 35% remain intact. Meanwhile, many trees that remain unsold are quite suitable for use and export and have excellent wood. Just market prices do not justify the cost of transportation. Due to the fact that the timber of tropical trees brings such little profit in the world market, projects for the conservation and development of forest areas cannot compete with agricultural development projects, construction of hydroelectric dams or any other development plans. The proposed cartel could, by artificially inflating the price of rainforest timber on the world market, help raise the profile of forest conservation. In addition, part of the income generated by the increase in timber prices could be used for reforestation projects. Whether this path will lead to the salvation of the rainforests, the future will show. It is clear, however, that this plan meets one very important requirement: its implementation will not lead to the fact that the entire weight of the burden and sacrifices associated with the conservation of endangered species of animals and plants falls on the shoulders of that part of the world's population that is the least ready for this, namely on the shoulders of the populations of developing countries.
In addition, Brazil is among the top ten countries responsible for the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the main culprit of the so-called "greenhouse effect" leading to global warming. Brazil emits up to 550 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. Of this amount, 200 million tons enter the atmosphere as a result of the burning of forest plantations in the Amazon.

Tracking the dynamics of large-scale deforestation using images obtained by satellites of the Landsat series using the example of Bolivia.
Using the presented images as an example, we can clearly show the dynamics of large-scale deforestation using the example of Bolivia.
With the help of images obtained from the Landsat 2,4 and 7 satellites, it is possible to track the dynamics of the destruction of forests in Bolivia from 1975 to 2000, that is, for 25 years. This area is located east of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in an area of ​​dry rainforest. Since the mid-1980s, the beginning of the resettlement of people from the Altiplano, the high plains in the foothills of the Andes, and the active development of agriculture in this region have led to the complete destruction of forests in this area.
Rectangular, brightly colored areas are soybeans grown mainly for export, with the help of loans provided by foreign countries. Dark stripes around agricultural land are windbreaks, i.e. narrow strips of forest, which serve to protect the fertile layer of soils with a light mechanical composition from weathering.

The main causes of forest death...
Forested recreation areas…
The forest park belt in the immediate surroundings is a powerful reserve of clean air for the city and protection from adverse winds and dust from the surrounding areas. In the conditions of ever-increasing urbanization, the growth of the population of cities and industrial centers, people's desire to relax in the bosom of nature is increasing - in forests and other natural recreation areas. The healing effect of the forest is great and during a short stay in it, there is an improvement in the activity of the heart, deepening of breathing, a decrease in the excitability of the cerebral cortex, while mood improves, working capacity is restored. Many forest areas, primarily suburban forests, have turned into places of mass recreation. However, the consequence of the desire for country air has become a great environmental damage that vacationers cause to nature. More and more new forest territories fall into the sphere of reaction, recreational loads are growing, causing a deterioration in the quality of the forest, and in some cases its complete degradation. The sanitary-hygienic, water-protective and soil-protective functions of natural forests are decreasing, their aesthetic value is being lost. It is quite obvious that forests that are more or less actively used for recreation require certain management regimes, specific forms of territory organization, and regular monitoring of their condition.

Forest fires
The forests of the Earth suffer severely from fires. Forest fires destroy 2 million tons of organic matter annually. They cause great harm to forestry: the growth of trees is reduced, the composition of forests is deteriorating, windbreaks are intensifying, soil conditions and windbreaks are deteriorating, soil conditions are deteriorating. Forest fires promote the spread of harmful insects and wood-destroying fungi. World statistics claims that 97% of forest fires are caused by human faults and only 3% by lightning, mainly ball lightning. The flames of forest fires destroy both flora and fauna in their path. In Russia, great attention is paid to the protection of forests from fires. As a result of the measures taken in recent years to strengthen preventive fire-fighting measures and the implementation of a set of works for the timely detection and extinguishing of forest fires by aviation and ground-based forest fire units, the forest areas covered by fire, especially in the European part of Russia, have significantly decreased.
However, the number of forest fires is still high. Fires occur due to careless handling of fire, due to gross violation of fire safety rules during agricultural work. The increased risk of fires is created by the clutter of forest areas.
However, fires, oddly enough, have their advantages. In forests where fires occur regularly, trees usually have thick bark, which makes them more resistant to fire. The cones of some pines, such as Banks pine, release their seeds best when heated to a certain temperature.
In some cases, the soil after fires is enriched with biogenic elements, such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. As a result, animals grazing in areas subject to periodic fires receive more complete nutrition. Man, preventing natural fires, thereby causes changes in ecosystems, the maintenance of which requires periodic burnouts of vegetation. At present, fires have become a very common means of controlling the development of forest areas, although the public consciousness is having difficulty getting used to this idea.
How to protect forests from fires? At present, the rights of the state forest guard to combat violators of the fire regime in the forests, to bring to justice officials and citizens who violate fire safety requirements have been significantly expanded. In populated areas with intensive forestry, the protection of forests from fires is provided by forestry enterprises and their specialized units - fire and chemical stations. In total, there are about 2,700 such stations in the country. To increase the fire resistance of forests, work is carried out on a large scale on the fire-fighting device of the forest fund, systems of fire breaks and barriers are created, a network of roads and reservoirs, and forests are cleared of clutter. In sparsely populated areas of the North, Siberia and the Far East, helicopters and airplanes with teams of paratroopers and firefighters are used to protect forests. A barrier to the path of a forest fire can be a solution that is timely applied to the soil at the border of the burning area. For example, a solution of bischofite, cheap, but harmless. An important section of fire prevention is well-organized fire propaganda through radio, print, television and other media. Forestry workers acquaint the population, workers of forestry and expeditions, vacationing tourists with the basic requirements of fire safety rules in the forest, as well as with the measures that should be applied in accordance with the current legislation to persons who violate these rules.

Industrial forest management
The term "forest use" or "forest use" means the use of all forest resources, all types of forest resources.
The main direction of industrial forest management is timber harvesting. Related to this is the emergence of environmental problems in the areas of mass logging. One of the main effects of timber harvesting is the replacement of primary forests with secondary forests that are generally less valuable and often less productive. But this is only the first step. Cutting triggers the mechanisms of deep economic changes in the region of deforestation. These changes affect all areas. The intensity of changes depends on the intensity of logging, and they, in turn, depend on a number of factors: the need for wood, transport accessibility of the harvesting area, and the equipment of work in the cutting area. The composition of species and the age of forests also affect the intensity of felling. Adverse effects are especially evident in cases where there is overcutting of wood (more is cut down than grows in a year). During cuttings lagging behind in terms of wood growth, undercutting is observed, which leads to aging of the forest, a decrease in its productivity, and diseases of old trees. Consequently, overcutting leads to the depletion of forest resources in some areas, and undercutting leads to their underutilization in others. In both cases, we are dealing with irrational use of natural resources. Therefore, foresters advocate the concept of continuous forest management, based on a balance between the reduction and renewal of forests and timber resources. However, for the time being, deforestation predominates on the planet. And I really don't know which is better...

acid rain
Also, one of the causes of forest death in many regions of the world is acid rain, the main culprit of which is power plants. Plants and animals die in places where acid rain falls. There are cases when acid rain destroyed even entire forests. Moreover, acid rain enters lakes and rivers, spreading its harmful effects and killing even the smallest forms of life. Between 1970 and 1990, the world lost nearly 200 million hectares of forest land, the size of the United States east of the Mississippi. Sulfur dioxide emissions and long-range transport result in such rainfall far from emission sources. In Austria, eastern Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden, more than 60% of the sulfur that falls on their territory comes from external sources, and in Norway this figure reaches 75%. Other examples of long-range transport of acids are acid rain on remote Atlantic islands such as Bermuda and acid snow in the Arctic.
In different countries, acid rain caused damage to a significant part of the forest: in Czechoslovakia - 71%, in Greece and Great Britain - 64%, in Germany - 52%. The current situation with forests is very different across the continents. If in Europe and Asia the forested areas for 1974 - 1989 slightly increased, then in Australia they decreased by 2.6% in one year. Even greater forest degradation is taking place in some countries: in Côte d'Ivoire, forest areas decreased by 5.4% over the year, in Thailand - by 4.3%, in Paraguay - by 3.4%

The impact of tourism…
With the development of mass tourism in our country, the number of forest visitors has increased so much that it has become a factor that cannot be taken into account when protecting the forest. Visitors to the forest make major changes in his life. To set up tents, undergrowth is cut, removed, broken and ruined by young growth. Young trees die not only under fires, but also under axes, or even just under the feet of numerous visitors. Forests frequently visited by tourists are so thoroughly littered with tin cans, bottles, rags, paper, etc., they bear traces of large and small wounds that this negatively affects natural reforestation. They carry and carry bouquets of flowers, branches of greenery, trees, shrubs. The question is, what will happen if each of those who come to the forest picks only one branch, one flower? And it is not surprising that after a number of years of poaching attitude to nature in our, especially suburban, forests, many once abundant plants, shrubs and trees have disappeared. In the spring, tens of thousands of citizens rush to the forests for bird cherry and lilac. Not satisfied with modest bouquets. Armfuls, brooms, often on the roofs of cars. How can one not envy the delicate taste of the Japanese, who believe that the bouquet is spoiled if it contains more than three flowers.
The presence of even one person does not pass without a trace for the forest. Picking mushrooms, flowers and berries undermines the self-renewal of a number of plant species. A bonfire completely disables a piece of land on which it was laid out for 5-7 years. Noise scares off various birds and mammals, prevents them from raising their offspring normally. Breaking of branches, notches on trunks and other mechanical damage to trees contribute to their infection with insect pests.
Not the last place in causing damage is the custom of decorating live Christmas trees. For a big city, this cozy tradition costs several tens or even hundreds of thousands of young trees every year. Particularly affected areas are sparsely forested.

Measures to protect the forest ...
The main tasks of forest protection are its rational use and restoration. Measures to protect the forests of sparsely forested areas are becoming increasingly important in connection with their water protection, soil protection, and sanitary and health-improving role. Particular attention should be paid to the protection of mountain forests, as they perform important water-regulating and soil-protective functions. With proper forest management, re-cutting in a particular area should be carried out no earlier than after 80-100 years, when full ripeness is reached. In the 60s-80s of the 20th century, in a number of regions of the European part of Russia, they returned to re-cutting much earlier. This led to the loss of their climate-forming and water-regulating significance, and the number of small-leaved forests increased. An important measure for the rational use of forests is the fight against timber losses. Often, significant losses occur during the harvesting of wood. Branches and needles remain in the felling areas, which are a valuable material for the preparation of coniferous flour - vitamin feed for livestock. Waste from logging is promising for obtaining essential oils.
The forest is very difficult to restore. But still, forests are being restored in cut-down areas, sown in unforested areas, and low-value plantations are being reconstructed. The volume of reforestation work in Russia is constantly increasing. High agricultural technology ensures the good quality of forest crops, the main place in the composition of which in the forests of national importance is occupied by economically valuable species: pine (48-51%), spruce (27-29%), cedar (2.5-3.2%) , oak (3-3.5%), walnut and other crops. In the desert and semi-desert regions of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, more than 100 thousand hectares of cultures of sand-reinforcing rocks - saxaul, cherkez, kandym - are annually created. They fix the sands, transform the microclimate and improve the forage resources of these large livestock areas. Considerable attention is paid to the cultivation of valuable walnut species by the plantation method, which provide valuable food products - nuts and wood of a beautiful texture.
Along with artificial afforestation, work on natural reforestation (leaving seedlings, caring for self-seeding of economically valuable species, etc.) is widespread. Much attention is paid to the preservation of undergrowth in the process of logging. New technological schemes of logging operations have been developed and introduced into production, which ensure the preservation of undergrowth and young growth during forest exploitation. An essential factor in increasing the productivity of forests and enriching their composition is the breeding of new valuable forms, hybrids, varieties and introducers. The study of form diversity and the selection of economically valuable forms is carried out on a new theoretical basis, based on an analysis of the phenotypic and genotypic structures of natural populations and on the basis of a comparative analysis of biotypes with certain valuable traits. When selecting valuable forms in nature and evaluating hybrids, attention is paid to plants that have not only high productivity by the age of quantitative or technological maturity, but also plants that are characterized by high growth intensity in the initial period of ontogenesis. They are necessary for high-intensity plantations with a short rotation of felling. Plantations are a special independent form of crop production in forestry to obtain a certain type of product (wood, twig, chemicals, medicinal raw materials, etc.).

Conclusion…
Life without forest is unthinkable
and we are all responsible for his well-being,
in the answer today, in the answer always.

The forest is our friend, disinterested and powerful. But he, like a man whose soul is wide open, requires both attention and care from a negligent, thoughtless attitude towards him. We must protect it, because without forests and plants there will be no life on Earth, since, first of all, the forest is the source of the oxygen we need. But for some reason, few people remember this, chopping wood for sale and trying to cash in on it. Everything that was stated above is just high words that we care about the forest, protect it, and so on. Any person who has traveled out of town at least a few times will simply laugh at these words, because we see how our forests are being cut down. For example, near Vyborg, forests are being cut down for sale in Finland; one must see the state of the felling: everywhere there is bark, branches, rotten trunks, everything is overrun by cars; it is unlikely that anything will grow on this clearing in the future.
In our opinion, there is a lot of talk about this problem in our country, but nothing is really being done, since the government is busy with “more important” issues of selling forests than issues of its conservation and restoration. In the meantime, other countries that are more attentive to their forest resources are buying our forest at bargain prices, we will sell it without thinking about the consequences.

On our planet. They are a natural and complex ecosystem that supports a huge range of life forms. Forests are a natural wonder and are unfortunately taken for granted by many.

The meaning of forests

Forests and biodiversity are extremely important. The richer the biodiversity, the more opportunities humanity has for medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses to environmental challenges such as climate change.

The following are some examples of the meaning of forests:

Habitat and biodiversity

Forests serve as a home () for millions of animals and plants that are part of. All these representatives of flora and fauna are called biodiversity, and the interaction with each other and with their physical environment is called. Healthy ecosystems are better able to withstand and recover from various natural disasters such as floods and fires.

Economic benefits

Forests are of great economic importance to us. For example, plantation forests provide people with timber that is exported and used in all parts of the world. They also provide tourism income to local residents.

climate control

Climate control and purification of the atmosphere are key to human existence. Trees and soils help regulate atmospheric temperatures in a process called evapotranspiration and stabilize the climate. In addition, trees enrich the atmosphere by absorbing harmful gases (such as CO2 and other greenhouse gases) and producing oxygen through photosynthesis.

deforestation

Deforestation is a growing global problem with far-reaching environmental and economic consequences. However, some of the consequences of humanity will be able to fully experience when it is too late to prevent them. But what is deforestation and why is it such a big problem?

The reasons

Deforestation refers to the loss or destruction of natural habitats, primarily due to human activities such as: uncontrolled cutting of trees; burning forests for agricultural use (including growing agricultural crops and grazing); ; construction of dams; increase in the area of ​​cities, etc.

However, not all deforestation is intentional. It can be caused by natural processes (including forest fires, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides, etc.) and human interests. For example, fires burn large areas each year, and although fire is a natural part of the forest's life cycle, grazing after a fire can prevent young trees from growing.

Rate of deforestation

Forests, as before, cover more than 26% of the land of our planet. However, every year, about 13 million hectares of forest are converted into agricultural land or cleared for other uses.

Of this figure, about 6 million hectares are "virgin" forests, which are defined as forests where there are no clearly visible signs of human activity and where ecological processes are not severely disturbed.

Reforestation programs as well as the natural expansion of forests have slowed down the rate of deforestation. Despite this, about 7.3 million hectares of forest resources are lost every year.

The forest resources of Asia and South America are particularly vulnerable and face many threats. At the current rate of deforestation, they could be destroyed as functioning in less than a century.

The coastal rainforests of West Africa have shrunk by almost 90%, and deforestation in South Asia has been almost as severe. Two-thirds of the lowland tropical forests in Central America have been converted to grassland since 1950, and 40% of all tropical forests have been completely lost. Madagascar has lost 90% of its forest resources, and Brazil has faced the disappearance of more than 90% of the Atlantic forest. Several countries have declared deforestation an emergency.

Consequences of deforestation

The problem of deforestation leads to the following environmental and economic consequences:

• Loss of biological diversity. Scientists estimate that about 80% of the Earth's biodiversity, including those species that have not yet been discovered,. Deforestation in these regions destroys organisms, destroys ecosystems and leads to the potential extinction of many species, including essential species used to make medicines.
• Climate change. Deforestation also contributes, and tropical forests contain about 20% of all greenhouse gases that can be released into the atmosphere and lead to environmental and economic consequences worldwide. Although some people and organizations may benefit financially from deforestation, these short-term benefits cannot offset the negative and long-term economic losses.
• economic losses. At the 2008 Conference on Biological Diversity in Bonn, Germany, scientists, economists and other experts concluded that deforestation and damage to other ecological systems could halve people's living standards and reduce global gross domestic product (GDP) by about 7%. Forest products and related activities contribute about US$600 billion of global GDP annually.
• Water cycle. Trees are important to . They absorb precipitation and produce water vapor that is released into the atmosphere. Trees also reduce water pollution.
• Soil erosion. Tree roots fix the soil, and without them, weathering or washing out of the fertile layer of the earth can occur, which impairs plant growth. Scientists estimate that a third of the forest resources have been converted to arable land since 1960.
• The quality of life. Soil erosion can also cause silt to seep into lakes, streams, and others. This can lead to contamination of fresh water in a certain area and contribute to the deterioration of the health of local residents.

Fight against deforestation

forest plantations

The opposite of deforestation is the concept of reforestation. However, it should be understood that it is not enough to solve all serious problems by planting new trees. Reforestation implies a set of actions that are aimed at:

• Restoration of ecosystem benefits provided by forests, including carbon storage, water cycle and ;
• Reducing the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere;
• Restoration of wildlife habitats.

However, reforestation will not be able to completely eliminate all damage. For example, forests cannot absorb all the carbon dioxide that humans release into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. Mankind still needs to avoid the accumulation of harmful substances in the atmosphere. Reforestation will also not help the extinction of species through deforestation. Unfortunately, humanity has already reduced the number of many species of flora and fauna to such an extent that they will no longer be able to recover even with significant efforts.

Reforestation is not the only way to combat deforestation. There is also deforestation retardation, which involves avoiding animal foods as much as possible and shifting to a plant-based diet. This could significantly reduce the need to clear forest land for later use in agriculture.

One of the ways to meet the global demand for wood is the creation of forest plantations (afforestation). They are able to reduce the deforestation of natural forests by 5-10 times and provide the necessary needs of mankind, with less environmental consequences.

Russia is the most forested country in the world, but due to the consumer attitude of people to the natural resources of their country, over the past hundred years, our forest lands have been greatly depleted. The reforms of environmental and forestry legislation of the last ten years have not brought order to the forest, but on the contrary, have led to thoughtless and ruinous use of forests.

Today, the problem of forest death is one of the global problems of mankind. The problem of deforestation is not new. A lot has already been said about it, books and articles have been written, but still this problem has not lost its significance at the moment. The detrimental effect on forest lands is exerted not only by anthropogenic factors affecting the number and quality of forests, but also by natural ones. For example: various harmful fungi and insects, fires. It is also necessary to note such factors as radiation exposure of the forest, deforestation and even such a factor as hiking trips.

The death of forests due to strong radiation was noted in the areas of the Kyshtym and Chernobyl radiation accidents. In total, the area of ​​completely dead forest plantations was about 10 km2. The proportion of forests that died from radiation damage in the entire history of the nuclear industry is 0.3-0.4%, even despite the current small percentage in the coming centuries, a new crop of forests on these lands may not even be expected. However, one of the causes of forest loss in many regions of the world is acid rain, of which power plants are the main culprits.

Sulfur dioxide emissions and long-range transport result in such rainfall far from emission sources. In Austria, in the east of Canada, in the Netherlands and Sweden, more than 60% of the sulfur that falls on their territory, and in Norway even 75%. Other examples of long-range transport of acids are acid rain on remote Atlantic islands such as Bermuda and acid snow in the Arctic. In developed countries, acid rain caused damage to a significant part of the forest: in Czechoslovakia - 71%, in Greece and Great Britain - 64%, in Germany - 52%.

Since ancient times, the forest has always attracted a large number of hunters, pickers of berries and mushrooms, and those who just want to relax. With the development of mass tourism in our country, the number of forest visitors has increased so much that it has become a factor that cannot be taken into account when protecting the forest. Millions of people in the summer, especially on Saturdays and Sundays, go to the suburban forests to spend their weekends or vacations in nature. Thousands of tourists make trips along the same routes. In suburban forests, you can often find entire tent cities with a large population. Visitors to the forest make major changes in his life. To set up tents, undergrowth is cut, removed, broken and ruined by young growth. Young trees die not only under fires, but also under axes, or even just under the feet of numerous visitors. Forests frequented by tourists are so thoroughly littered with tin cans, bottles, rags, paper, etc. that this negatively affects natural reforestation.

People pluck branches, flowers, take out only grown bushes. And what will happen if each of those who come to the forest picks only one branch, one flower? And it is no coincidence that after many years of poaching in the forests, many plants, shrubs and trees have disappeared. In the spring, tens of thousands of citizens rush to the forests for bird cherry and lilac. And we do not even think about the damage that we cause to the forest and the environment around us. A huge amount of damage is occupied by the tradition of decorating the New Year tree. Suppose that one Christmas tree falls on 9 - 13 inhabitants, and if it is a big city, then this custom annually costs several tens, hundreds of mature trees.

A particularly great environmental threat is the depletion of tropical forests - the "lungs of the planet" and the main source of the planet's biological diversity. Approximately 200,000 square kilometers are cut down or burned there every year, which means that 100,000 species of plants and animals disappear. This process is especially fast in the regions richest in tropical forests - the Amazon and Indonesia.

British ecologist N. Meyers came to the conclusion that ten small areas in the tropics contain at least 27% of the total species composition of this class of plant formations, later this list was expanded to 15 "hot spots" of tropical forests that should be preserved in no matter what.

Of course, fires are among the most global problem of forest death. Especially at the moment, forest burnouts have become permanent. Fires destroy forests both in regions of Russia and the world. Over the past 2 years, the Voronezh region, Lipetsk, Nizhny Novgorod and many other cities have suffered from fires. Also, forest burning was observed in countries such as Africa, the USA, France, and Spain. The fact is that some areas are regularly and periodically exposed to fires.

The forests of the Earth suffer severely from fires. Forest fires destroy 2 million tons of organic matter annually. They cause great harm to forestry: the growth of trees is reduced, the composition of forests is deteriorating, soil conditions are deteriorating. Forest fires promote the spread of harmful insects and wood-destroying fungi. World statistics claims that 97% of forest fires are caused by human faults and only 3% by lightning, mainly ball lightning. The flames of forest fires destroy both flora and fauna in their path. In Russia, great attention is paid to the protection of forests from fires. As a result of measures taken in recent years to strengthen preventive firefighting measures and to implement a set of works for the timely detection and extinguishing of forest fires by aviation and ground firefighting units, the areas of forests covered by fire, especially in the European part of Russia, have significantly decreased.

But, even despite this, the number of forest fires has not decreased. Fires occur due to negligent handling of fire, due to categorical violations of fire safety rules.

In our country, they talk a lot about this problem, but nothing is really done, because the government is busy with “more important” issues, and the forest can wait. In the meantime, other countries that are more attentive to their forest resources are buying up our forest at bargain prices, the new Russians will build their own dachas and drive jeeps. A person needs to understand that the death of the forest is a deterioration in the state of the environment and, first of all, a threat to our future.

We can only offer everyone to protect the forest and its surrounding nature:

Do not litter forests with household and industrial waste;

Stop numerous construction in forest areas;

Do not arbitrarily cut down trees for household needs;

Protect from forest fires;

Restoration of forests after logging;

To control tourists, hunters, mushroom pickers.

Bibliographic list

1. Arustamov E. A. and others. Nature Management: Textbook. - 7th ed. revised and additional - M.: Publishing and Trade Corporation "Dashkov and Co", 2009.
2. Gurova T.F., Fundamentals of ecology and rational nature management: Proc. allowance / T. F. Gurova, L. V. Nazarenko. - M.: Onyx Publishing House, 2008.
3. Zinoviev, I.S. Modern ways of sustainable development of the forest sector in Russia [Text] / I.S. Zinoviev // Modern directions of theoretical and applied research - 2008: a collection of scientific papers based on the materials of the international scientific and practical conference. Volume 10. Economics. - Odessa: Chernomorye, 2008. - S. 73 - 75
4. Zinoviev, I.S. Problems of prevention and elimination of the consequences of forest fires [Text] / I.S. Zinoviev // FES: Finance. Economy. Strategy. - 2011. - No. 2. - pp. 25-28

The phenomenon of “death of forests” in international circles has recently been understood in a narrow sense as a disease and the subsequent death of a tree as a result of environmental pollution.

Forest diseases associated with the development of large-scale industry have been noted in Europe since the middle of the 20th century. The main reasons for this phenomenon are considered to be acid precipitation (due to emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides), ozone exposure. This process can only be halted by the reduction of pollutant emissions harmful to plants and soil.

However, there are many reasons leading to death. Russian statistics take into account the following:

• damage by harmful insects;
• damage by wild animals;
• forest diseases;
• exposure to adverse conditions;
• anthropogenic factors, including the impact of industrial emissions.

For these reasons, hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest are dying (drying out) in Russia.

Forest fires are the main cause of death of forest plantations. The influence of this factor is especially noticeable in the forests of Siberia and the Far East. In 2000, this factor caused the death of 709.7 thousand hectares of forest, or 91.3% of all dead stands (with an average contribution of this factor - 78%).

Significant damage is caused to forests by insect pests, of which needle and leaf-eating insects are the most common. The most dangerous species of needle-eating insects is the Siberian silkworm; leaf-eating - gypsy moth. Their mass reproduction leads to the death of a forest stand over vast areas. In 1996, pests killed 194.9 thousand hectares of forest, or 37.1% of all dead stands (with an average contribution of this factor - 12%).

Other causes of forest death are adverse weather conditions: storm and hail, drought, etc.
Significant damage to forests is caused by wild animals (mainly moose) and mouse-like animals (water rat, common vole, etc.). This factor is maximally manifested in forest plantations and young stands of natural origin.

Widespread diseases also lead to drying out and death of the stand, among which the most dangerous are root fungus, resin cancer, stem and butt rot, and wilt.

The cumulative impact of industrial emissions is both a direct cause of forest death, which is taken into account by official statistics (on average, only 0.07% of the area of ​​dead forests), and a much more significant indirect cause, since it leads to a weakening of the forest stand and contributes to the development of forest diseases and the spread of insects. pests.