Flora
14/03/2013 10:03
At present days the flora of the Brest region consists of more than 1400 kinds of plants, including 1371 kinds of angiosperms, 6 kinds of moss, 6 - of horse-tails, 11 - of ferns and 3 - of gymnosperms.
Most plants species are herbaceous (1243). Contemporary natural vegetative growth covers more than 55 % of territory of the region. The forestland occupies 37,6 % of the territory. The largest area is covered with piney woods (54,5 %). Birch woods (21,4 %), black-alder (14,3 %), oak (3,2 %) and fur-tree (3,3 %) woods are also wide spreaded. 19 % falls on other woods, 0,9 % - on bushes. Meadows occupies about 600 thousand hectare, 60 % from the total area belongs to the lowland meadows. Flood-plain meadows occupy 25 % of the territory and to the share of upland meadows falls about 10 %.
Rare and endangered species of plants, which are inscribed to the Red book of Belarus are revealed on the territory of the region: pyramidal bugle, sheep-test0273, handbell fetticus, mountain arnica, meadow pasqueflower, hog-succory, flag Siberian, lily crispate, meadow clary and many others. A rare disappearing kind of mushrooms - Vjasjolka - is also revealed here. Besides there are many other species, which are interested from the standpoint of science and economy, and many of them require preventive protection and harmonious exploitation. Among them can be named baneberry, scrofulaweed, handbell peach-tree-laeves, lily-of-the-valley, butterfly orchid, cowslip paigle, hepaticae, bitter peavine, etc. Such plants as laddy’s slipper (yellow), red helleborine and double-leaf have been recently inscribed to the Red book of Belarus.
On the territory of the region grow many economically valuable breeds of trees: tillet, English oak, common birch, European ash, Norway maple, etc. Guelder-rose, raspberry, hazel, hop, wild strawberry, cranberry, cowberry, bilberry, mountain ash, shamrock, etc grow in its native habitat.
Wood is one of the main components of the total environmental balance and its role in people’s life is extremly important. It is considered as a supplier of oxygen and absorber of carbonic gas. The wood improves climate and water balance.
The total area of wood’s fund is 1234,2 thousand hectares for the date of 01.01.2005.
Age structure of the forests is the following: coppice - 26,0 %, middle-aged - 50 %, ripening - 16,4 %, ripe and overripe - 7,6 %.
Coniferous wood occupies 57,8 %, hard-leaved - 3,9 %, soft-leaved - 36,4 %.
According to the wood cadastre for 01.01.2005 the percentage of forest land of the region makes up 34,2 % which is optimal.
In the woods of the Brest region broad-leaved trees like oak, hornbeam, linden, ash, maple, and other wood and bush breeds, such as aspen, alder, willow, hazel, buckthorn, guelder-rose, etc are met. Here can be seen such representatives of ancient flora, as yellow rhododendron, ivy, salvinia, king-fern, sanghara nut. There is a unique place in Europe of white pine tree natural vegetation on the plain (51 tree in Pruzhany district). Besides there are Manchurian nut, Chinese magnolia-vine, Weymouth pine, white pine tree, champion oak, a swamp maple, bald cypress and other plants from different countries.
On the territory of Brest region there is the greater part (over 160 thousand hectares) of the most unique wood in Europe - Belovezhskaja Puscha forests (its total area including the woodland on the territory of Poland makes up 203 thousand hectares).
Wood is a necessary habitat for mushrooms, berries, nuts and herbs. In 2005 53 subjects of managing carried out field laying-in of wild-growing and medicinal raw materials, including mushrooms and berries. In 2005 thr amount of possible field laying-in (purchase) of wild-growing mushrooms, berries (according to the order of Ministry for Protection of the Environment and Natural Resources) made up 4116 tons of mushrooms and 3082 tons of berries. 203 tons of mushrooms and 2028 tons of berries are actually stored up.