Биологические науки/1. Систематика и география высших растений

Master's Degree Student Petrova K., Candidate of Biological Sciences
Sultangazina G

The Kostanai State University named after A. Baitursynov

The current state of trees and shrubs in the State National Natural Park "Burabai" (North Kazakhstan)

For solving the global problem of our time – exploration and preservation of biological diversity it is necessary to receive data based on science about the present state of the plant cover in general and dendroflora in particular. Floristic investigations are one of the main methods in studying of biological diversity.

The materials for this article is based on research carried out by us on the territory of the State National Nature Park (SNNP) "Burabai" in the period from 2010 to 2013. The total area of the park is 129. 935 hectare.

Forests occupy a significant part of the park – 57%. [1]

The study of tree and shrub flora was conducted with the help of route-reconnaissance method in 10 forestries: Akylbayskoe, Borovskoe, Katarkolskoe, Zolotoborskoe, Mirnoe, Barmashinskoe, Priozernoye, Bulandinskoe.

The State National Nature Park (SNNP) "Burabai" is located on the territory of Akmola region, in the most elevated part of the northern margin of Kazakh Hummocks.

The mountain relief is represented mostly in the western part. Here there is the Kokshetau mountain range in the form of the arc, which is bounded by large lakes on all sides. In the northern part it reaches the maximum height. The top of the mountain uplift is Mount Kokshetau (Sinyukha) which reaches a height of 947. 6 meters above sea level. Further to the south, there is Mount Burabay (690,0 m.a.s.l and Mount Zheke-Batir (826,2 m.a.s.l.) In the southern part of the mountain chain the height of the mountains goes down to 400 – 500 m.a.s.l. The large lakes such as Borovoe, Shchuchye, Small and Large Chebache, Maybalyk and Katarkol are situated in its territory.

The climate in this area is sharply continental, with hot summers and hard and dry winters. The annual precipitation is 250 – 295 millimeters in the lowland, up to 400 mm in the hilly part. The stable period with average daily temperatures higher than 5 °C lasts from late April to early October. The average temperature in June is 18 – 20 °C, maximum 38 – 40 °C. The average temperature in January is 17 – 18 °C, the absolute maximum – 30 °C. The average degree of air saturation is 50%.

Soils and soil cover is characterized by considerable heterogeneity, due to the strong roughness of the relief, a variety of parent rock materials, the differences in climate and vegetation. In the belt of plains and nipples ( at the 280 – 400 m elevation) they point out medium-humic and southern low-humic black soils. In the mountain-forest zone (400 – 700 m) are formed the following major soil types: pine forest primitive petromorphous, pine forest forest petromorphous, pine forest soddy petromorphous, gray forest, meadow-forest, meadow-black soil, ordinary and thin black sols, flood meadows, peaty marsh. Steppe areas form complexes with birch groves on gray forest soils and solods [3].

The area of the park is characterized by a high level of biodiversity, which is determined by a number of objective reasons: the great variety of environmental, climatic and other conditions, the genesis of the flora and vegetation, the situation on the border of two climatic zones: steppe and forest-steppe, landscape features. All this gives the specificity and originality to the flora of the region. The predominant forest formations are Pinus silvestris L.,Betula verrucosa Ehrh., Betula pubescens Ehrn., and Populus tremula L.

Tree and shrub flora of the park is of great interest because up to the present day its species composition, ecology and distribution of selected species weren’t fully found out.

The basis of dendroflora constitute angiosperms – 89 species (94,5%) and only 6 species (5,5%) accounted for gymnosperms.

The tree and shrub flora of the State National Natural Park is represented by 30 families, 54 genera and 94 species. According to the number of genera and species they distinguish the following families: Rosaceae; Salicaceae; Grossulariaceae; Pinaceae; Asteraceae (Table 1).

Table 1. Systematic structure of dendroflora in SNNP "Burabai"

№	Family names	Number of genus	Number of species
1	Rosaceae	11	18
2	Salicaceae	2	12
3	Grossulariaceae	4	9
4	Pinaceae	4	5
5	Asteraceae	1	5
6	Betulaceae	2	3
7	Caprifoliaceae	2	3
8	Elaeagnaceae	2	3
9	Fabaceae	2	3
10	Aceraceae	1	3
11	Lamiaceae	1	3
12	Ulmaceae	1	3
13	Chenopodiaceae	2	2
14	Pyrolaceae	2	2
15	Еriсасеае	2	2
16	Berberidaceae	1	2
17	Nitrariacea	1	2
18	Rhamnaceae	1	2
19	Solanaceae	1	2
20	Boraginaceae	1	1
21	Brassicaceae	1	1
22	Celastraceae	1	1
23	Cornaceae	1	1
24	Cupressaceae	1	1
25	Ephedraceae	1	1
26	Frankeniaceae	1	1
27	Polygonaceae	1	1
28	Sambucaceae	1	1
29	Tiliaceae	1	1
30	Viburnaceae	1	1
Total:		54	94

The most diverse species composition is observed in Barmashinskoe and Borovskoe forest areas (Table 2).

Table 2. Species diversity of trees and shrubs in SNNP forestries

The name of the forestry	Number of Species
Akylbayskoe	41
Borovskoe	52
Katarkolskoe	33
Zolotoborskoe	32
Mirnoe	39
Barmashinskoe	56
Priozernoye	38
Bulandinskoe	33

Vital status (LS) of woody plants was assessed visually on the 5-point E. Andreeva scale [2002].

Following this method the trees belonging to one or another category of vitality, is assigned with a score: healthy – 1.0 ; damaged – 0.7 ; heavily damaged – 0.4 ; suppressed – 0.1; fresh and old dead-tree – 0. Index calculation of stocking state is figured out according to the formula , where l_n is the index of the stocking vital status toward the number of trees , n₁ – the number of healthy trees, n₂ – of damaged trees, n₃ – of heavily damaged trees, n₄ – of dying trees ; n – the total number of trees (including dead wood) on the growth plot ; 0 , 7 , 0.4, and 0.1 – the points of damaged, heavily damaged and dying trees.

With the index from 1.0 to 0.8 of living condition of the stand is rated as "healthy" with 0,79 – 0,5 forest stand is considered " damaged " with 0,49 – 0,2 – "highly damaged " and with 0.19 and below – "destroyed" or "fully degraded."

In Katarkolskoe forestry vital status indexes were defined according to the data obtained in the evaluation of the vital state of woody plants. Figure 1 shows that more than 30% of trees and shrubs species go through all stages of development, vegetate and fructify very well. 67% of species have crown and trunk damages, 1 species (1,1%) – Betula pendula Roth. has substantial barrel distortions caused by the appearance of growths – wounds, tumors (Figure 1).

In Zolotoborskoe, Barmashinskoe, Priozernoye, Bulandinskoe, Mirnoe forestries the most part of trees and shrubs is classified as "damaged" having external features of crown and trunk damages (Figure 2).

Vital status of 97% of all trees in Akylbayskoe and 96% in Borovskoe forestries corresponds to the categories “damaged” and “heavily damaged”. In this context it is necessary to take measures to improve and rejuvenate these areas (Figure 3).

The assessment of the aesthetic state (AS) was made on a 4- point H. Yakubov scale [2005]. Based on the results of the assessment performed 31 % of all trees and shrubs are “highly aesthetic”, 57.1% belong to the category of “aesthetic”, so you can see the degradation of these qualities. About 10 % are reversibly non-aesthetic plants having developmental disorders and not performing their functions in plantations, 2.5 % of trees and shrubs are irreversibly non-aesthetic.

In Priozernoe , Zolotoborskoe , Bulandinskoe , Katarkolskoe forestries most trees are aesthetic (AS – 2 points). In Akylbayskoe – 95%, in Borovskoe – 94% , in Barmashinskoe – 86 % of the trees have degradations of aesthetic qualities (AS – 2 to 3 points), among them the slope of the trunk and crown asymmetry (Figure 4) .

Overall the condition of trees and shrubs in the forestries of SNNP "Burabai" is satisfactory. However, 67.2% of woody plants have the first sings of degradation in vital status and 57.1% have aesthetic degradations. In this context, it is recommended to take measures to reduce the impact of negative factors.

List of reference:

1. Nature records of SNNP Burabai". Burabai 2010.

2. Governmental decree of the Kazakhstan Republic "About the State National Nature Park " Burabai " from 12.08.2000 № 1246.

3. Bobrovnik V, Whitman R. The soil covering of treeless valley-hilly surface of Kokchetav upland / / Kazakh Research Institute of Forestry and Agroforestry . – 1975 . – T. IX. – S. 31 – 41.

4 . Andreeva E.N. Study methods of forest communities. St. Petersburg: Chemistry Research Institute of the State University, 2002. 240 p.

5. Yakubov H. Environmental monitoring of green spaces in Moscow. M. Stagirite – H, 2005. 264 p.