Dead forest
The Dead Forest in Kamchatka is an area at the foot of the Tolbachinsky volcano. The atmosphere here is as if you are on an alien lifeless planet.
Plants of Kamchatka
The diversity and peculiarities of Kamchatka's plants are related to the vertical zones of their distribution. There are many rare and endangered plants, including those unique for this region.
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Articles about Kamchatka
Лучшие места Камчатки
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Plants of Kamchatka
The peculiarities of Kamchatka's flora are related to the uniqueness of its climate and geological structure. A large number of mountains, mostly volcanic, the presence of hot springs, unstable seismological situation, proximity of the ocean, and peninsular position have, on the one hand, determined the diversity of flora, on the other hand, did not provide opportunities for quite exuberant growth. According to palaeobotany, coniferous forests once grew extensively on this land. But as the landscape and climate have changed, they have thinned considerably; the remaining species now live on mountain slopes and in the estuaries of rivers in the east of the peninsula. As people develop the territory, the list of Kamchatka's endangered plants is growing. Kamchatka's plants are strongly influenced by the volcanic activity of the peninsula. During eruptions, quite large areas can be affected and all vegetation can be destroyed.
Now scientists have identified about 1,300 plant species in the region, among which rare and endangered ones make up a rather large percentage. Kamchatka's Red Book plants are protected, but the risk of their complete extinction remains high.
The uniqueness of Kamchatka's geographical conditions is related to the vertical zoning of the landscape. The growing zones of different plants directly depend on the altitude above sea level. Therefore, the flora is quite different in the lowlands and in the mountains. In the highest places, up to 3400 metres above sea level, there is a zone of eternal snow with extremely sparse vegetation.
Based on the growing zones, it is possible to identify areas dominated by forests, shrubs and grasses.
Forests are predominant in Kamchatka. The forest belt reaches up to 800-1000 metres above sea level. The most widespread tree in the region today is the stone birch, which enlivens both coasts and mountains and got its name because of its ability to grow on stone soil. This tree is also known as the Ehrman birch. As it climbs high into the mountains, the birch changes its appearance, becoming shallower and its trunks, already curved, become more and more bent. It can spread up to a kilometre above sea level. The oldest representatives of the species are about 600 years old.
This species of birch is not the only one on the peninsula. There are other species that form entire groves, among them the white birch, also called Kamchatka birch, stands out.
Other tree species are represented mainly by conifers. The tallest tree in Kamchatka, the Kamchatka or Kuril larch, grows up to 32 metres and its diameter reaches 80 cm. The most prominent among spruce trees is the Ayana spruce, which reaches a height of 25 metres. It lives half as long as the stone birch.
The Kamchatka fir is one of the rare plants of Kamchatka. It can now be found only in the Kronotsky Reserve near the Semyachik River, where the only relict grove, covering 20 hectares, has been preserved. The fir is listed in the Red Book, and the Reserve's specialists have established a nursery where they try to preserve and propagate this rare species.
In the mountains, in the subalpine zone, the vegetation is predominantly shrub and herbaceous. Among forest-shrub species, the most widespread in Kamchatka is the alder stannus. In the mountains one can see continuous thickets of this plant, but also in the coastal slopes there is a lot of it. On average, such stilans live up to 60 years. In the subalpine belt, cedar stilanus is also widely found; in the lowlands it forms continuous thickets. It lives for about half a century.
Shrub thickets are also formed by rosehip, mountain ash, honeysuckle, willow and others. Siberian juniper grows all over the territory of Kamchatka. Rhododendron is one of the rare and specially protected species.
It grows in stone-birch forests, in the tundra, on the sea coast. The locals call it kashkara or katanych. This plant blooms with beautiful delicate flowers, which are arranged one to two at the ends of shoots. Flowering takes place in June and July. Because of its pleasant appearance, the shrub has been cultivated all over the world since the end of the XVIII century, it can be propagated both by seeds and division.
In addition to forests and shrubs, a variety of meadows are found throughout Kamchatka. They can be seaside, valley, forest, subalpine and alpine. The meadows have a variety of grasses, flowering herbs, ferns, including those reaching truly gigantic sizes. Many of them are rare. Rare plants of Kamchatka are under close attention of botanists and ecologists. Among them there are truly unique species that live exclusively at hot springs, such as the Kamchatka killinga, the Chinese curlew or the thermal beetle. These inhabitants of thermal sites are at great risk because visitors trample them without noticing. Nature conservationists have long insisted on the creation of special resting zones where the rare plants living here could be preserved without the threat of human activity.
The Chinese curlew belongs to the orchid family and is characterised by its beautiful pink flowers. The fact that it was discovered near thermal springs in Kamchatka is surprising, as this is not a typical place for it. Botanists do not rule out that it is a relict plant, preserved from a previous, warmer, climatic period. There is also a less romantic version, according to which the flower, unique in these parts, was simply brought here by visitors or migratory birds.
Other representatives of the orchid family are quite numerous on the peninsula, but it is difficult to find them near thermal waters. For example, the Venus's slipper, a large-flowered orchid listed in the Red Book of Russia, allows you to admire its blooms for almost a month. It grows in forests, forest and mountain meadows, and mountain tundras.
Many rare plants grow at high altitude. These include Novokamchatka dandelions, astrogals, Wright's spleenworts and others. In mountain tundras, flower carpets last until the new snow.
Among more than 800 flowering and fern-like plants, 10% have medicinal properties, and half of these are recognised by official pharmacology.
Kamchatka is a berry land, here grow blueberries, cowberries, cranberries, cloudberries, raspberries, currants, blue honeysuckle and other berries.
The most widespread Kamchatka berry is lingonberry. It is especially abundant in coniferous forests, and likes its neighbourhood with cedar shrubbery. Lingonberries enter their full ripening period in September, and the harvest can be so abundant that the berries are preserved without wilting until the next year.
The sad currant grows in various regions of Kamchatka. It likes damp forests and ripens in August, spilling red berries on its branches.
It is also worth mentioning lichens, of which there are more than 1000 species in Kamchatka. Although this representative of vegetation has been studied here for more than two hundred years, a significant part remains unexplored. The lichen groups near the Kliuchevskaya group of volcanoes are the most studied. Here scientists have found and described about 500 species, many of which are rare. Lichens live on rocks, on the bark of trees and shrubs, on wood, and on soil.
Crop production in Kamchatka is primarily associated with the cultivation of potatoes, vegetables and fodder. Berries are also cultivated. The southern and central parts of the peninsula are the most favourable for agriculture. Since the nature of Kamchatka itself has made sure that thermal springs are literally underfoot, cultivation of crops indoors and in greenhouses is widespread in the region.
The residents of Kamchatka, thanks to the work of their agrarians, despite the fact that in recent years the area under crops has been shrinking, do not yet have problems with the choice of crop products. The farms of the Yelizovsky district are particularly efficient, supplying the peninsula residents with vegetables and potatoes grown using high-tech methods. But it should be recognised that in general Kamchatka's agriculture is experiencing problems, primarily due to financing.
The protection of cultivated plants against pests and diseases is carried out by phytocontrol specialists. The measures they apply are soil disinfection, quarantines, treatment of the plants themselves.
Kamchatka's fascinating nature needs protection and care. Both wild and cultivated plants are vulnerable to natural cataclysms and increasingly intensified human activity. Therefore, the development of holistic environmental awareness is especially relevant and important nowadays.
