Artificial ecosystems created by foresters based on rows of pine trees are very vulnerable and require constant human supervision so that they do not get out of control.
The independent association of experts and environmental activists "Ekoltava" spoke about the necessity of natural forests not only for wood, but also for the stability of nature.
Activists visited the site of the largest forest fire in Poltava Oblast on the outskirts of the village of Mala Pereshchepina. It was from here that the spread of the fiery element began, which in September quickly swept over an area of more than 700 hectares.
"Ekoltava" members say that comparing local pine plantations "under the ruler" with a large lawn or sunflower fields is more appropriate than with a forest. They explained this by the fact that such artificial forests have a very limited diversity of plant and animal species. That is why local artificial ecosystems are very vulnerable and require constant human supervision.
Their main purpose is to satisfy people's needs for wood. Negligence of foresters for artificial pine plantations, especially for such a huge pine massif, actually leads to large-scale fires.
"Natural forests with water bodies, meadows with thousands of plant species are difficult to develop. But they can do without human intervention. Because they have what is necessary, which will help the ecosystem to feel more stable", – say the activists.
They insist that it is necessary to change the approach to forestry, to organize and rotate landscapes in such a way as to ensure biodiversity, which is a condition for the stability of nature.
In the middle of September EcoPolitic reported that in the Kharkiv, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions due to dry weather and strong gusty winds firefighters had to make extraordinary efforts to localize and eliminate large-scale fires, in particular in the Poltava district.
