Vegetation Diversity and Botanical Significance
The biodiversity of the vegetation cover of the state park’s territory is determined by the peculiarities of its botanical and geographical position. Here, the boundaries of the ranges of many European plant species (the pedunculate oak and its nemoral retinue) and the boundaries of the ranges of some representatives of the local flora intersect. The reserve’s territory combines primary primeval forests and forest stands derived from them, which are formed on the site of natural fallouts. Currently, separate massifs of primary dark coniferous forests have been preserved on the park’s territory. Walking through the state park in winter, one can most clearly observe the following types of plantings: spruce plantations with the inclusion of fir and linden in the second layer, spruce-pine stands, boreal spruce stands, and boreal spruce-pine stands.
Conservation and Protection of Flora and Fauna
The area of the state park, especially that part that has been protected since its foundation, is insufficient for this reserve to serve as a reliable reserve for rare species of ungulates and predatory animals. However, it has made and is making a significant contribution to the conservation of rare species of plants, invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles, and partly to birds and mammals. At the same time, they must be protected not by themselves but as components of an integral, practically undisturbed complex of ecosystem types typical of a given territory.
The protected zones themselves and the territories of wildlife sanctuaries and natural parks with developed tourism can perform the functions of shock absorbers of external influences. Areas suitable for them are near the reserve’s boundaries. The reserve itself will remain the core of this complex. This structure of subordinate areas or bands of different statuses will allow the park to fully perform the functions of one of the “strongholds” for the protection of keystone species. Implementing such a program could serve as a model for other reserves.
Research Potential and Ecosystem Management
As a relatively old reserve that has served as a base for intensive research since its first years of existence, the park has great potential for identifying long-term trends in the development of natural complexes, starting from abiotic factors and ending with predation. This is based, in particular, on permanent trial plots established decades ago. The recent inclusion within the reserve of sites that have experienced an economic impact in various forms allows such an analysis to be carried out in a broad comparative sense.
Moreover, even now, in many disturbed areas, the restoration of indigenous plant communities is developing quite successfully. Concerning the entire modern territory of the park, the area occupied by practically unchanged natural complexes is about 40%. Preserving the integrity of these reference ecosystems in the exact sense is extremely important.
Of particular importance here is the protection of forests from fires. Activities that “disturb” the natural course of community development, such as the past practice of feeding sika deer, should not be allowed. Moreover, although it is not visible in winter, the state park’s plants are essential for photosynthesis during the summer, which can be perceived as a natural variant of renewable energy processes. A specialist might note how natural selection processes formed the park’s ecosystem.