The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-14
THE FORESTS OF SIBERIA.


''Sorthenr TalI.>terrslasss wgcftansiS',
Prom the rails IA kaEncl1ssks.
ssD FraEessco Voc. aa3 Iroa.
Siee-ta seasf - rsekcuea z-asng ne
great lGTnAe- prosssci1< countries within
re nFX. Ser - Nfteen years. as Ire great
Rasssan se&-aas}a Saaa go. 90 railroad row
being ngzlt a russ tsAf secsiaa % Asa
VII open great forest vexto-x. Siberia
possesses vast forest resources uaea aSily
distributed or fes enormous territory.
TIE great forests are situated IN ne
noSth. Esiis TIE south - nearly tree5eSS
TIE whole region may - AviSed irto
three E3Ees. eaeh 3Sssla xuiShe-t hv char
scfertsttc features and Sisuates - a a.
~ect5on from east 20 wesr. TAa gore a.
wat IS called northern salI-xte1zgneA
woodland" stretches unlnterrsaQ.e5iy frona
the I-rai mountains g IRE eastern shores
% ha1lchasxas on IRE ncr.h Il borders
q the Tur8rss TIE ltr-iS ~ 3He growth Of
the larger vegetation. aud ~ the south
* extends - the region suitable Cor asSr3-
culture. II = interraptes 81 large masses
q Impossible hors. ana Is composed of
pines. larches ard frS- Tbs northern for
est Occupies al that part - Siberia where
agriculture = impossible. owing - the de-
nc.ens quantity OF heat during tae months
O. vegetable activity.
The fixed population Is insignificant. and
the raising % n IN Is sporadic n small
N4steN tN4 AA~ So 4far+A1 @FtfEHE+aEe ALFdF az
localities IN this great forest belt where
for tens and hundreds or versts ga every
direction stand clean plantations % pine.
which. with their interlscs3 SUBMITS.
hide the sky TIE absolutely naked
trunks rise perfectly straight 70 an enoy-
nous height. AMI ara 50 nonosonoGs that
a man Who once chances into such a part
o. TIE siberian taigs, or even Wild beast.
cannot fini IS way out again. Access 20
such place Is difficult. and she timber con-
tanned IN them Is 80 far without value,
but with the growth OF the population.
Improvement ~ roads ana the aestruc-
ton Of the forests IN ths inhabited parts.
means viii BE- found 20 make use % the
now remote forest resources. TIE sc0Grge
OF the forests OF this zone at the present
tine IS only the forest fires. not infre-
quently devastating hundreds 81 versts.
The burned timber Is rapidly replaced by
young underwood growing up under the
influence Of natural selection.
The zone Of birch forests covers the
whole Of the low-lyinE or so-caIied steppe
portion OF Siberia. This zone Is occupied
by a settled population, and practically
comedies with the cultivated or agricgl-
tursl part Of siberia. The principal and
only valuable tree in this region IS the
birch. with a slight admiNture n the way
OF aspens and willows along me hanks OF
the rivers. Coatferous trees are entirely
absent. Tbs birch thriVes on a chsrn0Et0n
soil. and therefore this zone Is the most
populated and particularly characteristics
OF Western Siberia, bNSeen the middle
course Of the Tobol "a the upper waters
OF the Obi. This region embraces the So
called steppes OF IshimSk, Barahinsk
and kurUdzhinsk Although IL is usual
20 understand By the word steppe an alb
solutely treeless space. in Siberia. With the
exception OF the whole kieghiE steppe re-
!. --Hs L..
shrubs used as fuel in the mining works,
all the remaining plains arc covered more
or less thickly With birch patches or spin
MES. giving the locality a very peculiar
appearance. These birch copses. ming
ling when viewed ar a distance produce
the effect o. an unbroken forest. TraEers-
ing hundreds and thousands % versts Of
the Western Siberian tract. the traveller
sees every whero on the horizon uninter-
rupted forests. The distribution Of birch
patches over the steppe surface may. for
the most part. De called IDEAL. constitut-
Ing precisely that combination OF wood.
arabic land AMI pasture which Is every
where and at all times desirable IN the In
terests OF agriculture. The forests OF the
south are confined 20 the mountain slopes
OF the ranges. which extend In an almost
uninterrupted chain. under various names
from one end Of Siberia To the other
In this forest conifers prevail They yield
timber Of excellent quality. though often
difficult 10 obtain. being remote from CEN
ters OF habitation and usually confined 70
steep, Inaccessible slopes