The World Bank/WBI’s CBNRM Initiative
Case Received: January 30, 1998
Author: Abdybek Asanaliev
Tel.: +996 3312 444 707
SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF
TIMBER RESOURCES IN KYRGYZSTAN
The mountain forests of the Kyrgyz Republic are exceptionally beautiful. The importance of Kyrgyzstan’s forests extends far beyond the republic’s borders, since many rivers that supply a large share of the water used in agricultural irrigation in Central Asia have their sources in these forests.
Forest land covers 4.2 percent of the republic’s territory, and State Forest Service land extends over a total area of 2,861,300 hectares, 843,000 hectares of which is covered with forest.
Kyrgyzstan’s forests are fairly diverse and rich in valuable species. In the northern part of the republic, in the Issyk-Kul basin, Naryn Province, and on the slopes of the Kyrgyz and Talas mountain ranges, the forests are comprised mainly of Tien-Shan spruce. Juniper forests are predominant in the south, under the drier and harsher conditions of the Alai Range, and the hot, dry foothills of the Fergana range are covered with pistachio and almond trees, while at higher elevations of 1,300–1,800 meters above sea level, there are large tracts of nut and fruit trees.
The nut and fruit forests of Southern Kazakhstan are the only ones in the world of that size, value, and extraordinary beauty. Of the 130 species of trees and shrubs growing here, the most valuable are walnut, pistachio, almond, apple, pear, different forms of wild plum (cherry plum), hawthorn, barberry, and various species of dog rose; maples thrive in the upper zone, and the Tien-Shan spruce and Semyonov fir grow at even higher elevations.
The forests are comprised predominantly of the following species: Tien-Shan spruce, which covers 105,500 hectares; pine, covering 2,200 hectares; larch, which covers 1,600 hectares; walnut, with 32,200 hectares; the tree variety of juniper, with 157,900 hectares; pistachio, with 34,500 hectares; and apple trees, which cover some 16,600 hectares. Total timber reserves of all species are approximately 23.5 million cubic meters.
A Brief History of the Management and Use of Forest Resources
In the period before the Russian presence, Kyrgyzstan’s forests belonged to regional rulers (khans, emirs, etc.). The forests were used only as a source of firewood for burning in hearths. Forest reserves were not depleted, and there was no industrial use of timber.
The first studies of the forests in our mountainous region were performed in the 1890s. Then, between 1914 and 1916, forest management work began in our forests. The first forest ecology survey was performed in 1923. Timber industry complexes were set up everywhere there were large forest tracts, and they were engaged primarily in timber harvesting. Between 1925 and 1950 a total of 5.95 million cubic meters of timber was cut in coniferous forests alone. As a consequence of this kind of management, by 1956 the area covered by forests totaled 691,600 hectares, which represented a decline of 507,000 hectares from 1930. In light of the catastrophic situation that had developed in the natural resources complex, the Government adopted a decision to carry out reforestation activities in the mountainous region, and as a result, the Ministry of Forestry was created in 1947; a short time later it became the State Forest Service under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic. The first ten years following the creation of the ministry was a formative period and the beginning of development for forestry in the republic. A forest management survey was performed throughout the entire territory of State Forest Service land, which entailed a survey of forests and land resources for tree farms and for other purposes. By 1960 the experimental forestry station had developed and proposed a scientifically-based agricultural technique for the cultivation of coniferous forests (spruce, pine, and larch) and juniper under the various soil and climatic conditions at high elevations.
One of the tasks of the Ministry of Forestry was to restore forest areas that had been depleted. In light of the unsatisfactory natural renewal of forests in the republic, it was necessary to resort to artificial reforestation methods. The year 1948, the year after the Ministry was created, was marked by the widespread planting of forests. Between 1948 and the present day, a total of 200,000 hectares of forests have been planted throughout the republic as a whole. Some 106,000 hectares are remaining today, which represents 53 percent of the total. Of this area, 54,100 hectares is forested, 19,900 hectares is planted with immature trees, and 33,000 hectares is covered with forests mature enough to form a canopy. At the same time, there is another important long-term factor that has seriously interfered with the development of forestry in all areas and the natural process of reforestation. This is the fact that forests and lands under the administration of the State Forest Service were allocated to collective farms and state farms for the grazing of livestock.
Over a period of 15 or 20 years (up to 1950) all of the spruce and juniper forests in accessible locations, covering an area of more than 30,000 hectares, were subject to clear-cutting, and some 7 million cubic meters of timber and firewood was harvested. Six timber industry complexes were created in the republic for timber harvesting. The timber harvesting operations were carried out carelessly, using rapacious methods, without following harvesting regulations and standards, and as a result severe erosion processes began to occur over immense tracts of land (such as gullies, ravines, soil washouts, and slides on steep mountain slopes), the natural reforestation processes came to an end, and what’s more, the forests lost their protective functions; in all the sections that underwent clear-cutting, all that was left was stumps ranging from 0.5 to 1 meter in height; many springs and streams disappeared, and there was a significant reduction in the flow of water in rivers.
The natural reforestation processes were also disrupted by the careless, widespread, and constant grazing of livestock in fresh clear-cuts, which over the course of 15 or 20 years became overgrown predominantly by shrubs of little value and weeds, and where now a highly productive forest can be restored only through tree-planting efforts, which are very costly and require an immense amount of manual labor on steep high-mountain slopes.
Also as a result of intensive cutting in the early years of the century and in the 1930s and 1940s, and widespread, constant livestock grazing, the juniper forests were heavily logged and depleted in the three main regions where junipers account for 60–90 percent the thin forest stands. For the same reasons as those mentioned above, natural reforestation is almost nonexistent here — the last forest survey identified just 45 hectares of young juniper trees at these forestry enterprises.
Almost all of the country’s forests, growing on steep mountain slopes, perform a crucial water and soil conservation function. What’s more, the impact of our forests extends far beyond the borders of Kyrgyzstan, since the rivers whose sources are found in these forests supply water for vast agricultural irrigation operations in Central Asia and are a major reserve of hydroelectric power. All of Kyrgyzstan’s forests fall into the first category — forests that play a role in water and soil conservation.
Considering the sparse forestation of the republic, the efforts of forestry workers are aimed primarily at the conservation, reforestation, and expansion of forested areas, improvement of the species mix, and the introduction of disease-resistant, fast-growing, and hardy species.
Every year the State Forest Service plants seedlings over an area of 3,000 hectares. As a result, an area of some 55,000 hectares is now covered with forests, another 26,000 hectares are close to that point, and 32,000 hectares of cultivated forests are mature enough to form a forest canopy.
Today we need to move away from the traditional notion of the forest as just a natural factory for wood. The future lies in the multipurpose use of forests, including the preservation and protection of forest ecosystems as a critical element of the natural environment, on which such valuable assets as wildlife, water resources, and the wealth and diversity of natural landscapes are dependent. In connection with this, the National Forest Program was adopted by a decree of the Kyrgyz Republic Government on November 28, 1994; implementation of this program has become a priority for the State Forest Service. In accordance with this program, new projects and normative acts have been developed, and practical work has begun. Foresters are working on joint projects with the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Foresters and the State Tourism Agency are joined by common criteria for approaching our natural environment as a unique point of interest for visitors. Since 1995 the State Forest Service has been working in cooperation with Switzerland. The "Kyrgyz-Swiss Program to Support Forestry" is in operation in the country. The overall goal of the program is to assist the Kyrgyz Republic in ensuring the long-term ecological and economic use of forest resources. Five projects have been developed under the program, the first pilot phase is coming to an end, and three model forestry enterprises have been created.
The Government Decree "On Urgent Measures for the Planting of Trees and Shrubs and Reforestation in the Kyrgyz Republic," adopted in February 1997, is of great importance to forestry. A little later, in April 1997, the President of our country published an Edict "On Measures Related to the Development of Forestry" and a Government Decree was adopted "On the Return of State Forest Service Lands Previously Granted to Agricultural Enterprises for Their Long-Term Use and the Transfer of Collective Farm and State Farm Forests to the State Forest Service." Under the terms of this Decree, a total of 1,474,700 hectares of land is being returned to the agency. In June 1997 the President of the Kyrgyz Republic signed the Law "On Additions to the Forestry Code of the Kyrgyz Republic." All of these efforts are already producing practical results: work has been stepped up at the local level, ties are being re-established with foresters in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia, and international contacts are being broadened. For example, an International Conference on the Problem of the Preservation and Development of Nut and Fruit Forests was held in 1995. In August 1997 Bishkek was the site of an international advisory meeting of a Central Asian task force on forest biodiversity and forest genetic resources. Based on the results of the meeting, a list was compiled of high-priority forest-building species for the further organization of activities aimed at the study, preservation, and proper use of the biodiversity of forest resources.
The training of personnel for forestry has begun at the Kyrgyz Agrarian Academy, which in 2 years will start graduating 10 forestry engineers each year. Scientific research work is being performed and coordinated by the Institute of Forestry and Nut-Tree Cultivation under the National Academy of Sciences.
In light of the information provided above, it should be noted that the main reasons for the loss of forest land have been: