Places for afforestation
A forest is not just a collection of trees and shrubs. A forest is an ecosystem — a complex community of closely related elements, including both living organisms and the inanimate, abiotic component — air, soil, and water. Forest biota includes vegetation, animals and microorganisms, and forest vegetation is not only woody vegetation, it is also grass, mosses, fungi, algae and lichens. Flows of energy and substances (for example, oxygen or water) circulate in the ecosystem, forming a cycle and linking all the elements of nature into a single whole. An example is the process associated with photosynthesis - the process of formation of nutrients from water and carbon dioxide using the energy of sunlight. Only green plants have the ability to photosynthesis, so everyone else is forced to eat either these plants or other organisms that use plants to eat, and thus plants, directly or indirectly, are the source of nutrition for all organisms. The role of bacteria and other organisms that decompose metabolic wastes and plant and animal residues is very important, forming simpler substances that can be used in further metabolism.ы
To make the right decision about the species composition during afforestation, it is necessary to inspect each planting area. For example, in the floodplain of a stream or river, moisture-loving trees should be planted, and on the heights - trees that can withstand the drying out of the soil to a great depth. It is also necessary to take into account the presence of already existing plants on the site. How will new species interact with local ones? Will rare local trees and shrubs adapt to new conditions or will they have to give up? Obviously, it will not be possible to plant the same forest on every square meter of land. Therefore, forests should be divided into main types.
Determination of the main types of forest areas according to their location for making decisions on species composition.
Floodplain
We select moisture-loving trees and shrubs from the rainforest. When this forest grows, the land and the ponds created will be fully protected from sunlight and the dry desert wind. The accumulated moisture will evaporate only through the leaves of the trees. In the pre-dawn hours, this forest is capable of forming a fog, which will return some of the evaporated moisture back into the soil, transferring it, thus, to the nearby hills.
Hills
Even with a slight increase in humidity in the air and in the ground, on the nearby hills, shrubs and native plants will begin to grow on their own. For greater soil protection from the sun on the hills, you may need to plant additional tree species in addition to those already growing on the ground. At the device network canal-shafts on the hillsides you can plant more moisture-loving plants. It is very important to protect the soil surface with a plant cover from direct sunlight. You can use herbs, succulents, shrubs and fast-growing trees.
The rise of water along the banks of the rivers
The level of reservoirs varies significantly throughout the year, periodically covering large coastal areas with water. As a rule, these areas remain unoccupied by aquatic and coastal vegetation. In such places, we select tropical trees that can withstand flooding for a long time. A suitable example of such a forest is the Amazon River area. There, rivers spreading during the rainy season cover the forest soil for up to 6 months a year. Many forest areas at this time are under a layer of water up to 8 meters. The flood forest, in the vicinity of the wet floodplain forest will strengthen the resistance of all plants in the forested area.
The selection of species for each type of forest area will require the participation of biologists and ecologists who are well acquainted with the characteristics of local plants and their relationships. Plants should be selected from natural examples of natural forests.
When selecting trees and shrubs for afforestation, it is important to consider the following properties.
Growth rate of planted trees.
Trees with this quality should form the first signs of a forest. Soil shading, condensation of moisture from the air, the formation of the organic layer of the soil.
Tree height.
What place will the tree take in the new forest when it grows? This is an important choice of trees in the preparation of afforestation. Selection of trees of various sizes and frequency of planting, low and high.
Tree planting methods.
The participation of animals in the movement of seeds and planting new trees suggests the need for further settlement of these animals in the forest. Will settled animals survive in the forest of the future? How will they affect the environment?
Dependence of the plant on other species.
For example, vines grow quickly, but they already need tall trees.
The ability of a plant to provide support to other species.
So legumes are an excellent nitrogen fixer, and succulents, growing rapidly on dry soil, protect it from the sun's rays.
Temporary flooding.
The ability of trees and shrubs to survive the temporary flooding of the area. Such species can be planted in temporarily flooded places such as the banks of ponds and lakes.
For each type of forest, we select several different species composition. At the first sites, it will be necessary to land all these compounds in order to observe their abilities for survival and development.
We select the composition of the new forest in such a way as to create a sustainable ecosystem capable of independently developing and surviving in the changing conditions of global warming. Afforestation is an important and responsible job, for which it is necessary to attract the best specialists in our world.
