Where is the Central Forest Reserve? Central-Forest State Biosphere Reserve: description, nature and interesting facts

It's good that in our country unique ecosystems are preserved for present and future generations, where you can admire nature in its original form, observe animals at large, breathe life-giving aromas of flowers and herbs! One of such corners is the Central-Forest State Nature Biosphere Reserve. He has an extraordinary story, a complex past and a beautiful present. Scientists conduct their important research, thereby ensuring the existence of other Russian ecosystems. But the reserve is open to all nature lovers. Children are especially happy here. For them, interesting outdoor activities and excursions are conducted, and Baba Yaga, who lives in the forest, arranges for the young botanists and zoologists the real exam.

Location

Central-Forest State Nature Reserve is located on the lands of the Tver region to the south-west from Tver. In figures, his location relative to nearby large cities looks like this:

• From Moscow in a straight line to the reserve about 285 km;
• From Kaluga 274 km;
• From Vitebsk 212 km;
• From Smolensk 175 km;
• From Tver 167 km;
• From Rzhev 75 km.

In 68 km from the reserved lands, the legendary Lake Seliger is splashing.

Geographically, the Central-Forest State Reserve is located on the Valdai Upland, on the watershed (Caspian-Baltic) of the upper reaches of the Volga and Western Dvina rivers. Near the borders of the reserve, or directly on its territory, the sources of the Mezh, Tyudma, Tudovka, and Zhukop rivers flow from the earth.

Prehistory of the reserve

The places where the Central Forest Reserve of the Tver region is located are relatively well preserved until the 20th century because their soil composition and windy forest lands caused difficulties for economic development. In the 18th century they were called Okovsky or Volkonsky Forest. There was deafness here. Only a few villages could shelter along the rivers Tudovka and Zhukop. In the Okovsky forest there were hunting dachas of General Romeyko, Count Sheremetyev and several landlords. All of them came here to hunt and no longer used the forest, and Romeiko also introduced protective orders on their part of the forest, forbidding poaching and logging, although on separate elevations where there were no stagnant water, peasants slashed or slash-and-burned ways cleared the land, plowed up They were created by residential settlements.

In 1905, frightened of the revolution, the former owners began selling their allotments, and the new owners for the sake of profit created what they wanted. The situation did not change even after the Great October Revolution of 1017th. Only in the 1920s did the Soviet government deal with the preservation of natural resources.

Stages of foundation

The Central Forest Reserve of the Tver Region was established in documents in 1931 on the eve of the New Year holidays, December 31. However, work on its creation began in 1925-th year. Then the assistant professor of the pedagogical institute in Smolensk, Grigory Leonidovich Grave, led the expedition to study natural resources near Moscow and made a verdict that it is the land of the Tver region between the Volga and the Northern Dvina that are most suitable to become reserved. This was opposed by loggers of those places and actively cut down the most valuable trees, so that the lands lost all value. In 1930, Grave organized a new expedition and defined a new territory for the reserve. From its old markings it included only 3000 hectares. Thanks to the efforts of this man, a reserve appeared, and Grave became its director.

Experienced difficulties

In the 30's and 40's, the Central-Forest Reserve near Tver worked successfully and fruitfully-they built administrative buildings, laboratories, housing for employees, and roads. Worked here 61 people, of which there were 15 security guards and 21 research workers. A lot of effort was given to the reserve by the young ecologist Vladimir Stanchinsky, who organized an integrated approach to work. But this man was slandered in 1941, repressed, thrown into prison, where he died one year later.

The government financed the reserve beautifully, which made it possible to carry out many researches and implement useful eco-programs, but the war all crossed out. Many staff members on conscription or volunteered to the front, the remaining tried to evacuate the reserve, and the irresponsible local people pulled everything they could. In 1941, a partisan detachment operated on the territory of the reserve. The fascists and their henchmen, the policemen, were afraid to go deep into the forest, but they looted the central manor and museum, destroyed many collections and manuscripts, damaging 265,000 rubles, which was a huge sum for the Soviet era.

Only the front moved to the west, the reserve of Central Forest resumed its work. His staff consisted of only 13 people. People bit by bit renewed the lost, again created laboratories. But in 1951 the resurrected reserve was closed, and the employees were dismissed. Only after 9 years, for which again much was plundered and lost, it was again revived. In 1985, this reserve was included in the international network of UNESCO protected sites. Now there is a scientific department, a staff of guards, a craniological laboratory, a strong point studying the life of brown bears, a village for employees, a guest house and a hostel for tourists were built.

Structure

The reserve of Central Forest occupies an area of 70,500 hectares. It is divided into zones:

• Reserved core;
• Buffer;
• Rational use.

In the reserve core (area 24415 hectares), any activity that violates the ecological balance in nature is prohibited. There is a zone of absolute tranquility here, the settlement of Zapovedny is located.

The buffer zone is a strip of earth along the perimeter of the core, 1 km wide and a total area of up to 130 km2. There are badger settlements, wood-grouse currents, reserves, natural tracts, natural monuments.

In the zone of rational use there are also reserves and wood-grouse currents. In addition, there are squares here that are allowed to collect mushrooms, cranberries and other berries, mow the hay, fish with fishing rods.

Natural characteristics

The Central Forest State Biosphere Reserve lies on the hilly plain where the glacial relief forms prevail. Above sea level, its mark is 220-280 meters. The territory of the reserve is represented by moraine ridges. There are lake basins here. In general, there are many water resources - for every 1 sq km there are about 750 meters of streams and rivers. Groundwater is located only 3 meters from the surface. Large areas (6323 hectares) are occupied by swamps. Among them, "Verkhovsky moss", "Staroselsky moss", "Demikhovsky moss" and the largest "Katin moss".

The soil structure of the reserve is presented quite widely. Here there are sod, podzolic, marsh, peat, humus, alluvial, gley soils and various combinations thereof, for example, sod-podzolic, peat-podzolic-gley.

The climate in the reserve is humid and cool, in summer the average temperatures are around +16 ° C, in winter -10 ° C, in the sunny days of the year 45%.

Flora

The Central-Forest Reserve has a relatively poor plant world, which is associated with the peculiarities of climate and soils. Here the European vegetation prevails, only 546 species, mostly growing well in the shade. Among them are herbaceous - 490 species, shrubs and semishrubs - 34 species, trees - 16 species, cultural - 6 species. In the reserve grow birch, aspen, elm, ash, pine, spruce (there are areas of a particularly valuable southern taiga spruce forest), linden, oak, alder.

Among the herbaceous plants here there are many representatives of the Red Book, for example, the groin, the reviving lunnik, the Venus slipper. From the herbs and flowers in the reserve you can see daisies, mallow, Ivan-da-marju, bell, fern, calla, veronica, medinitsu, gravel, and in the marshes and near them grow bilberries, cranberries, cloudberries, blackberries.

Fauna

For our smaller brothers, the Central Forest Reserve became a paradise. Animals here are represented by 335 species. Mammals in the reserve are large (bears, wolves, moose, lynx, foxes, deer, wild boars, roe deer) and small (rodents, bats, beavers, mink, ferrets, badgers, moles, hedgehogs) - a total of 56 species. Also on the territory of the reserve are amphibians (frogs, toads, newts), lizards, snakes. In the rivers and streams flowing through the territory of the reserve, there are 18 species of fish. But the greatest variety here, of course, birds. A total of 250 species were registered. The branches are chirped with warblers, goldfinches, Orioles, thrushes, flycatchers, finches, chiffchaff, dawns, and kings. At night, owls and owls go hunting, Peregrine Falcons, spotted eagles, golden eagles, and cobs. Near ducks nest ducks, woodcocks, waders, cranes, herons. The reserve is decorated with wood grouses, which are especially protected from poachers.

Food for most birds are insects, which in the reserve counted 600 species. Not all of their representatives are pleasant to look at and harmless, but no one disputes the beauty of butterflies. There are 250 species here. The most effective are the admiral, pigeon, mother-of-pearl, lemongrass, angler.

Sightseeing trails

Central-Forest Biosphere Reserve is happy and children, and adults. There are several paths for nature lovers. Three of them are short, about a kilometer long, but interesting. Baba Yaga waits here for the travelers, but not to eat them, but to arrange an examination for knowledge of the nature of these places. Paths are:

1. "Secrets of the forest of Okovsky." Here grows a three hundred-year-old pine with a height of 46 meters, observation platforms are installed, and all the way is paved with boards.
2. "Forest alphabet". On this trail it is interesting to study the traces of forest dwellers, the samples of which are placed on the plates.
3. "Staroselsky moss." This path runs along the swamp, but the path is also paved with boards. On it you can admire not only birds (chibis, waders, wagtails, cranes) but also moose, even bears, which sometimes come to the swamp to eat berries.

For adults in the reserve, routes with a length of about 25 km have been developed. They lead deep into the forest and are carried out with the escort. This is the "Red Station", "Barsuchikha" and "Siberia". On the routes arranged huts, where you can relax, have a snack and even spend the night.

Schedule of work and prices

The reserve of the Central Forest in the Tver region is open to visitors all week (except Saturday and Sunday) from 10 am to 12 noon, then lunch hour, and again the work continues from 13:00 to 16:00. The price for entry is:

• Age up to 10 years - 50 rubles;
• Up to 16 years - 75 rubles;
• Adults - 150 rubles.

Escort on routes 25 kilometers in length costs 1000 rubles for 1 day.

Visiting the museum costs from 250 to 400 rubles (depending on the size of the group).

It is possible to spend the night in the reserve for 300 rubles a day (at the zaimka and in the hostel) and for 600 rubles in the guest house.

Transfer to the city of Nelidovo (42 km from the village of Zapovedny) in one direction costs from 600 to 3000 rubles, depending on the class of the transport unit.