SCIENTIFIC SUBSTANTIATION OF INDICATORS FOR ASSESSING THE ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF FOREST RESTORATION IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE CARBON POTENTIAL OF FORESTS

Abstract

Introduction. The aim of the study was to substantiate indicators for the ecological and economic assessment of the effectiveness of reforestation on forest fund lands in the constituent entities of Russian Federation. The main objectives of this study are to identify indicators that most fully characterize the potential of forests, the transformation of the results of forest management measures in order to maintain the carbon capacity of forests, and the scientific justification for their use in assessing the ecological and economic efficiency of measures to restore the natural capital of forests. Materials and methods. The scientific substantiation of indicators 1 The work was carried out within the framework of state contract № 0373100032224000014 from 14.06.2024 for the implementation of research work on the topic «Development of a set of scientifically based regulatory measures to ensure low-carbon development of forestry in order to achieve the indicators of the Strategy for the socio-economic development of Russian Federation with a low level of greenhouse gas emissions». for assessing the ecological and economic efficiency of reforestation in order to maintain the carbon potential of forests was carried out based on industry reporting data on the transfer of powers to Russian Federation in forest relations. The degree of realization of the carbon potential in restoration measures in the constituent entities, expressed in the calculation of the average annual volume of paired gas groups (CO2) in the process of reforestation during the growth of forest crops, is carried out based on the methodology of information and analytical assessment of the budget of forest plantations. The calculation of phytomass accumulation by the pool is based on the stock-difference method, which utilizes the dynamics of forest populations obtained from regional tables of population growth for the main forest-forming species in Northern Eurasia. Research results of the study, based on meta-analysis data, indicate that the potential benefits of greenhouse gas forests are most fully demonstrated by the efficiency indicators of forest management measures: the proportion of forest stands converted to hidden forest vegetation; the ratio of reforestation and afforestation areas to the area of felled and dead forest stands. The conducted zoning of territories based on these two indicators identifies 17 subjects of Russian Federation with a high level of ecological and economic efficiency of measures to restore natural capital forests and their «critical zone»-territories with unsatisfactory forest conditions, low rates of forest reproduction, and a high risk of failure of existing forest management practices. An assessment was made of the carbon potential of forest restoration activities in regions classified as «critical zones». Discussion and conclusion. It was established that forest restoration processes in the «critical zone» regions are fundamentally characterized by a systemic underutilization of the carbon potential of artificial plantations, which is associated with both forest growth conditions and organizational and methodological factors. This decision resolved the need to shift the management focus from numerical indicators (such as the «share of reforestation and afforestation areas relative to the area of felled and dead forest stands») to indicators such as the share of converted forest plantations to forested area relative to the area of original established forest plantations, the timing and completeness of conversion, and monitoring of their preservation over an 8-10-year horizon