Climatogenic Restrictions of Arid Forestry

Abstract

The creation of protective forests is especially difficult in arid regions of Russia, and global warming can further affect their ability to persist. In this study climatogenic changes in forest growing conditions are examined in the Northern Caspian region, taking into account that the functioning of forest stands is limited on historically treeless lands: authomorphic meliorated solonetz soils and calcisoles (by the extra moisture of winter snowfalls and the humidity levels during the vegetational period), as well as intrazonal hydromorphic gleyic kastanozems of the local relief depressions (by the inexhaustibility of freshwater lenses in salty subterranean waters based on its periodic resupply by the spring surface flow every 2–4 years). For forest stands established on automorphic soils, a prolonged period of annual draughts and mild winters with little snow deposit in forest lands has proven to be the most dangerous. During such periods, the large-scale death of trees is observed and many forest stands are ruined. For forest stands on hydromorphic soils, such periods prove to be just as dangerous because of the 15-year-long absence of spring surface flow. Such a climatogenic scenario of long-termed deterioration of forest growing conditions in the Northern Caspian region is similar to the southernmost regions of Russia that are currently totally unable to sustain forests, with unstable snow cover and frequent draughts.