Forestry

The Policy of National Park "Pripyatsky" in the field of stable forest management

National Park "Pripyatsky" is declared to be a model of natural landscapes on the lands of Zhitkovichy, Petrykov and Lelchitsy districts of the Gomel region in order to preserve the natural complex of the Pripyat valley. It is declared to be a model due to the storage of the genetic fund of plant and animal life of the Belarusian Polesie and its use in environmental, scientific, educational, tourist, recreational and health and fitness activities.

A few zones are distinguished in order to achieve the objectives of the national park. The zones depend on the preservation degree of natural territorial complexes, their recreational, scientific, historical, cultural, economic and aesthetic value. They are the protected reserve zone, the controlled usage zone, the recreation area and the economic zone.

The State program of social and economic development and complex utilization of natural resources of Polesie for 2010-2015 provides for production growth, creation of import substitution and export-oriented industries, implementation of investment projects, agricultural development in all directions, reconstruction and renewal of reclamation systems, creating new work places, improving home and social conditions of the local population, development of infrastructure and agricultural and eco-tourism, etc. The national park is an integral part of the region and it possesses the resources in order to participate in the program.

Forest resources

According to the Forest Code of the Republic of Belarus the Forest Fund of National Park "Pripyatsky" refers to the first group of forest protection categories.

The goals and objectives of the national park and its forestry are deeply specific and radically different from the challenges faced by conventional forest institutions.

Subject to the features of the national park a few zones are distinguished within its boundaries in order to ensure operation of parks, local life activity, economic exploitation of the park and its units.


1. The protected reserve zone is intended to preserve the natural heritage, to ensure the conditions of their natural development and restoration. All activities except for scientific research and measures for its protection are prohibited.

2. The controlled usage zone ismeant for preservation of natural complexes and objects, providing the conditions of their natural development and recovery. The regime of protection and use is established. It limits certain types of economical and other activities, and the use of natural resources in accordance with the regulations concerning the national park.

3. The recreation area is meant for tourism, recreation and health improvement of citizens. The regime of protection and sustainable use of recreational resources is established within the borders of the zone.

4. The economic zone is meant for the National Park operation. Economic and other activities using environmental technologies are implemented within its borders. The activities do not prevent the protected natural heritage and recreational units from preservation.

The distribution of the national park territory according to the functional areas

Conifers occupy 46.1%, hard foliage forests - 14.7%, soft foliage forests - 29.7%, shrubs - 9.5% of the total area of forest lands.
The area of ​​lands covered with forest is 97.1%. The non-forested land is 2.8%.
Plantations of the second growth class predominate in the National Park and occupy 27.1% of covered lands. The average growth class is 2.9. For the main dominant species, the most productive plantations of the 1st and higher growth classes are the following: upland pine - 40.5%, birch - 38.0%, black alder - 39.0%. Plantings of the 5a growth class occupy 1.2% of lands and are mainly presented by pine stands.
The most widespread areas in the forest fund of the park are plantations with 0.7 crop density, occupying 29.8% of lands. High crop density plantations occupy 27.2%, and low crop density plantations (with 0.3-0.4 crop density) occupy 9.9% of forest covered lands.

Twenty eight series of forest types are singled out. The most wide spread types are the following: sedge and sphagnum - 17.5%, sedge - 13.7% , oak- 8.8% of forest covered lands.

Sizes, time and the spatial distributionof forestry activities

One of the most effective activities in the national park is the timely conduct of random sanitary felling. Random sanitary felling was designed in accordance with the requirements of "Sanitary rules in the forests of the Republic of Belarus", agreed with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and with the Ministry of Forestry and approved by the Administration Board of the President of the Republic of Belarus number 27, the 27^th of November, 2004.

The planned annual level of forest management on all types of felling
Area, hectares; bank, thousand m ³
The total annual supply of timber on all types of felling will be 35.49 thousand m ³.

Dimensions of side forest use

On the territory of National Park "Pripyatsky" side use is not carried out.
The purpose of agricultural production in the national park is the most complete supply of local people with forest gifts and supply of pets with nurture.

Distribution of agricultural landsamongforestries

The main types of food raw materials in the national park are considered to be cranberries, blueberries, bog bilberries, wild strawberries and mushrooms and medicinal plants, such as stinging nettle (herb), alder buckthorn (bark), touch-and-heal (herb), crystal tea ledum (leaf), cowberries (sprouts), blueberries (leaf, berry), bogbean (herb) and may lily (herb).

The collection of forest products is permitted only to local people for their own consumption.