IFS RAS has a long history and its roots go back to the distant, military year 1944. At the General Meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences on October 16, 1944 the Director of the Institute was approved by Academician V.N. Sukachev.
In a letter from the Office of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR on August 13, 1944, № 77-1 to the President of the USSR Academy of Sciences, it was reported that “the USSR SNK has no objections to the decision of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences to organize the Institute of Forestry of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow”. By Decree of the USSR Council of People’s Commissars No. 19229-r of September 29, 1944 the forests of Serebryanoborskoye lesnichestvo of the Moscow forestry of the Moscow region and the forests of Tellermanovskoye leskhoz of the Tellermanovskoye leskhoz of the Voronezh region were transferred to the Forest Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences. At the General meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences, which was held on October 16, 1944 Director of the Institute was approved by Academician VN Sukachev.
In the following years, the network of scientific hospitals continued to expand. In 1958, in connection with the transfer of the Forest Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Krasnoyarsk, Moscow as an independent institution was established Laboratory of Forestry of the USSR Academy of Sciences (since May 1991 – IFS RAS). The organizer and first director of the Institute was Hero of Socialist Labor, Academician V.N. Sukachev. Since 1962, the Institute was headed by Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences A.A. Molchanov; since 1978 – by Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences S.E. Vompersky (since 2004 – Scientific Director of the Institute); in 2004, the Institute was headed by Candidate of Biological Sciences L.I. Savelyeva; from 2008 to 2009, the Director was acting Dr. M.G. Romanovsky; since 2009 – by Dr. A.A. Sirin.
Today, IFS RAS is the leading research institution in the European part of Russia on the problems of forestry and forest biogeocenology.
In a letter from the Office of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR on August 13, 1944, № 77-1 to the President of the USSR Academy of Sciences, it was reported that “the USSR SNK has no objections to the decision of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences to organize the Institute of Forestry of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow”. By Decree of the USSR Council of People’s Commissars No. 19229-r of September 29, 1944 the forests of Serebryanoborskoye lesnichestvo of the Moscow forestry of the Moscow region and the forests of Tellermanovskoye leskhoz of the Tellermanovskoye leskhoz of the Voronezh region were transferred to the Forest Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences. At the General meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences, which was held on October 16, 1944 Director of the Institute was approved by Academician VN Sukachev.
In the following years, the network of scientific hospitals continued to expand. In 1958, in connection with the transfer of the Forest Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Krasnoyarsk, Moscow as an independent institution was established Laboratory of Forestry of the USSR Academy of Sciences (since May 1991 – IFS RAS). The organizer and first director of the Institute was Hero of Socialist Labor, Academician V.N. Sukachev. Since 1962, the Institute was headed by Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences A.A. Molchanov; since 1978 – by Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences S.E. Vompersky (since 2004 – Scientific Director of the Institute); in 2004, the Institute was headed by Candidate of Biological Sciences L.I. Savelyeva; from 2008 to 2009, the Director was acting Dr. M.G. Romanovsky; since 2009 – by Dr. A.A. Sirin.
Today, IFS RAS is the leading research institution in the European part of Russia on the problems of forestry and forest biogeocenology.
After graduating from the Kharkov Real School, he entered the St. Petersburg Forest Institute and in 1902 graduated with a gold medal. Vladimir Nikolaevich started his scientific activity as a student: his first scientific work was published in 1898, at the age of 18. Since then, he has fully devoted himself to serving science and studied in depth and brilliantly solved a variety of issues of botany and forestry for half a century. He wrote bright pages in the history of Russian botanical science and forestry.
V.N. Sukachev started his scientific activity in the end of XIX century. It was a period of the statement in natural science of materialistic ideas, in particular ideas about genetic and natural connections between the separate phenomena of the nature, Dokuchaev’s doctrine about soil and soil formation, studying genesis of modern flora. At this time V.N. Sukachev devoted a number of works to the issues of botanical geography, and then engaged in phytosociology. On the basis of this young science he built his deep and original teaching about the forest, turning forestry from a purely practical discipline into science.
Particularly important work is the work of Vladimir Nikolaevich on the properties of phytocoenosis, its development, relationships with the environment, the principles of classification, the methodology of research (“Introduction to the teaching of plant communities”, 1915). According to the teachings of V.N. Sukachev, plant communities in all their properties and development are closely associated with physical and geographical conditions, with the environment. At the same time, the communities themselves influence the conditions of their habitat, transforming and processing within themselves both climatic and soil conditions. In conclusion, V.N. Sukachev emphasized that all plants of the community together with the environment around them form one whole. At the same time, the process of development of plant communities, their changes caused by changes in their habitat is carried out through interspecific competition; the dynamics of vegetation is continuous (“Plant communities”, 1928).
These works laid the theoretical foundations of modern phytocoenology, and hundreds of expeditions from the Arctic to Central Asian deserts and from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean confirmed the theoretical foundations and their practical importance, and collected new material that requires broad generalizations.
Phytocenology owes V.N. Sukachev deeply developed the morphology of plant communities, their dynamics, typology, classification and methodology of research, which he outlined in several editions of the book “Plant communities” (1915, 1922, 1926, 1928), in the “Guide to the study of forest types” (1927, 1930, 1932) and in the classic work “Swamps, their types and origin” (1914, 1923, 1926), as also in numerous journal articles and in the co-authorship textbook “Dendrology with the basics of forest geobotany” (1938).
In 1942-1945. V.N. Sukachev comes to the idea of biogeocenosis and formulates the basis of a new science – biogeocenology (“Fundamentals of the theory of biogeocenology. Jubilee Collection dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, part 2”, 1947). It reveals the comparative importance of individual components of Biogeocenosis in the transformation of matter and energy on the earth’s surface, calling vegetation and animal life the most important transformers of matter and energy.
In the same period V.N. Sukachev became the Director of the Forest Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the village of Uspenskoye (1944). Subsequently, the Forest Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences was transferred to Krasnoyarsk (1958). In the village of Uspenskoye was established Laboratory of Forestry of the USSR Academy of Sciences (since May 1991 – IFS RAS), organizer and first director was VN Sukachev. V.N. Sukachev goes deeper into forest typology as a special case of the teachings on plant communities, and forest type – as a type of forest plant community (forest biogeocenosis). Sukachev paid most attention to the clarification of forest type and the principles of forest classification based on natural-historical features (“Proceedings of the meeting on forest typology. Resolution of the meeting on Forest Typology convened by the Academy of Sciences of the USSR 3-5 February 1950”, 1951).It identifies indigenous (developing without human influence) and derived forests.
It should be noted that V.N. Sukachev was also the largest scientist in experimental phytocoenology, one of the founders of scientific marsh science, the initiator of study of quaternary flora using pollen analysis and analysis of plant remains in peat, glacial and interglacial sediments, sapropel. He made many important discoveries in the history of Arctic flora, the origin of taiga, and the history of loess. V.N. Sukachev is an authoritative expert in the field of selection of forest tree species, who put forward the idea of overcoming time in forestry and improving the composition of forests by methods of selection.
V.N. Sukachev led dozens of expeditions, laboratories, scientific societies.He taught at the Leningrad Forestry Engineering Academy, where he organized the Department of Dendrology and Plant Systematics. He was also a lecturer at other institutions of higher education in St. Petersburg. In Moscow, Vladimir organized the Department of Dendrology and Plant Systematics at the Forestry Engineering Institute and the Department of Geobotany at the Geography Faculty of Moscow State University.
V.N. Sukachev led dozens of expeditions, laboratories, scientific societies.He taught at the Leningrad Forestry Engineering Academy, where he organized the Department of Dendrology and Plant Systematics. He was also a lecturer at other institutions of higher education in St. Petersburg. In Moscow, Vladimir organized the Department of Dendrology and Plant Systematics at the Forestry Engineering Institute and the Department of Geobotany at the Geography Faculty of Moscow State University.
V.N. Sukachev was awarded the Order of Badge of Honour, the Order of Labor Red Flag and two Orders of Lenin. In 1920 he was elected a corresponding member, and in 1943 – a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1946 he was elected President of the All-Union Botanical Society, and in 1955 – President of the Society of Nature Testers and an honorary member of the Geographical Society of the USSR.
The source: Дылис Н.В. Труды Института леса. Т.37. Работы по лесоведению. Академик Владимир Николаевич Сукачев. Изд-во Академии наук СССР. 1958. С. 5-16.
L.P. Rysin was born on April 17, 1929 in Yaroslavl, from 1946 he lived in Moscow.In 1947 he entered the Geography Department of Moscow State University, where he listened to lectures by the outstanding Russian biologist, acad. V.N. Sukachev at the Department of Biogeography. Lev Pavlovich later became his postgraduate student, and after graduation in 1955 he began working at the Institute of Forestry of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
Even during his studies, L.P. Rysin participated in expeditions to the Far East (1950) and the Baikal region (1951, 1953). Having become a postgraduate student, he went to Transbaikalia (1954) as a member of the forest unit of the Buryat-Mongolian complex expedition and independently within several months examined the forests of the actually unexplored area. These researches became a basis for his PhD thesis: “Forest vegetation of the Kizhinga river basin of the Buryat-Mongolian ASSR” (1956).
In 1956-1958. L.P. Rysin worked at hospitals in Vologda and Yaroslavl Regions with visits to Perm and Arkhangelsk Regions, developing typological classifications of taiga forests. Since the late 1950s, the main area of his field research has been the Moscow Region. the area. The results of ecological and forestry and geobotanical studies in complex pine forests formed the basis of the monograph “Complex pine forests of Moscow region” (1969) and his doctoral thesis: “Complex pine forests of the central part of the Russian Plain (broadleaved coniferous forests subzone)”, protected in 1972.
The results of the study of underground organs of forest herbaceous plants in different ecological conditions are presented in the monograph “Morphological structure of underground organs of forest herbaceous plants” (1987), written in collaboration with G.P. Rysina. Later on these studies were summarized in the monograph “Summary of the forest flora of the middle belt of the Russian Plain (vascular plants)” (2009). To the 50th anniversary of the classic publication “Fundamentals of Forest Biogeocenology” L.P. Rysin summarized the latest achievements of biogeocenology in the monograph “Biogeocenological aspects of forest research” (2013).
In 1970s, L.P. Rysin started to study and preserve the biological diversity of forests in the center of the Russian Plain; an important achievement in this direction was the creation of a system of forest protected areas in the Moscow region, which is currently used for many years of research on the dynamics of different types of forests. The substantiation of these studies is described in the monograph “Forest Protected Areas” (1985).
In 1976-1990. In 1976-1990 L.P. Rysin headed a large group of specialists from different regions of the country who studied recreational forest management: a lot of works on the theory and methodology of recreational forest management were published, a large number of meetings were held, several collections and monographs were published, in which various aspects of recreational forest management were considered and ways of its optimization were identified; a corresponding industry standard and a number of methodological guidelines were developed.
In the mid 1990s, under the leadership of L.P. Rysin, practical work was carried out to monitor parks and forest parks in Moscow. This work was logically continued by the book “Urban forestry” (2012 г.), published in co-authorship with S.L. Rysin, which started a new direction in forest science.
L.P. Rysin published a number of theoretical and methodological works on various aspects of forest typology, including the monographs “Pine forests of the European part of the USSR” (1975) and “Forest typology in the USSR” (1982). Under his leadership and with his direct participation, the study of forests in the Moscow region was conducted, which resulted in the publication of several monographic collections and the monograph “Forests of Moscow region” (2012). A new direction in forest typology – development of formation and regional cadastres of forest types – was created and is successfully developing. The main results of this work were published in the monograph “Inventories of forest types and types of forest biogeocenoses” (2007).
L.P.Rysin’s excellent knowledge of scientific literature, excellent literary language and work capacity were embodied in a series of his review monographs “Coniferous forests of Russia”. From 2002 to 2012, five fundamental publications were published by the Nauka and the KMK Scientific Publications Association: “Spruce forests of Russia (2002, co-authored with L.I. Savelyeva); Pine forests of Russia (2008, co-authored with L.I. Savelyeva); Larch forests of Russia (2010); Cedar forests of Russia (2011); Fir forests of Russia (2012, co-authored with Y.I. Manko and S.M. Bebiya). For the publication of this series L.P. Rysin was awarded the V.N. Sukachev Prize of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2013. The international recognition of L.P.Rysin’s contribution to the study of coniferous forests in Russia was the invitation to become a co-author of the world encyclopedic publication “Ecosystems of the World”, the volume “Coniferous forests – Coniferous forests of the world” (2005). In 2013, the monograph “Biogeocenological aspects of forest research” was published. L.P. Rysin planned to prepare a series of monographs on deciduous forests of Russia. The first book of the series, “Linden forests of the Russian Plain”, he printed shortly before his death – in late 2014.
In total L.P. Rysin has published more than 340 scientific works, including 24 monographs. For many decades L.P.Rysin was not only a scientist but also an organizer of science. From 1986 to 2006 he headed the Laboratory of Forest Typology and Geobotany in IFS RAS. From 1987 to 2010 he was Deputy Academician of the Secretary for scientific and organizational work in the Department of General Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences. From 1980, he headed the Forest Typology Section of the Scientific Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Being Deputy Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences for the Study and Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage, L.P. Rysin became one of the organizers and direct participant of the publication of the series “Natural and Cultural Heritage of Moscow” (this series included more than 30 popular scientific brochures, many of them co-authored by L.P. Rysin).
In different years, Lev Pavlovich was a member of the editorial board of the journals “Forest Science”, “Plant Resources” and “Journal of General Biology”, participated in the work of specialized councils in IFS RAS, Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow State University of Forestry.
In 1994, L.P. Rysin was elected corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He was awarded the Badge of Honor Order (1981) and medals. Till the last days of his life Lev Pavlovich Rysin was faithful to science, at the same time not losing interest to many other spheres of life, first of all literature and art. His erudition and reading, unpretentiousness to material conditions of the existence, the delicate attitude to colleagues irrespective of their age or status caused universal respect.
The source: Лев Павлович Рысин (1929-2015) // Лесоведение. 2015. №3. с.235-237.
Work in his life was the main dominating factor, determined by his exceptional performance and determination. A.A. Molchanov gave more than 60 years of his life to the Russian forest and forest science. These years can be divided into two periods: 1933-1945 – working in the Northern Experimental Forestry under the supervision of a famous forester S.V. Alekseev; 1945-1978 – working at the Forest Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, first as head of the theme, and then as head of the Laboratory of Hydrology and Climatology, scientific supervisor of the Tellerman Experimental Forestry, and from 1962-1978 – director of the Forestry Laboratory of the USSR Academy of Sciences (now IFS RAS).
In the Northern Experimental Forestry under the leadership of S.V. Alekseev, a young energetic and inquisitive forester A.A. Molchanov quickly mastered many methods of forest research, expanded his theoretical horizons and general cultural level, imbued with respect for research work. During 1933-1941 he worked as an associate researcher. His scientific interests included tree bearing, reforestation under the canopy of the forest and at clearings, fires and their impact on the forest, etc. His research materials were summarized together with S.V. Alekseev in the following monographs: “Clearing the logging sites in the practice of northern forestry” (1937); “Clear cutting in the North” (1938) and “Selected cutting in the forests of the North” (1954). The analysis of interaction between post-fire stands and groups of insect pests was the subject of A.A. Molchanov’s PhD thesis. Soon he was approved in the academic rank of senior researcher.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, A.A. Molchanov’s research activity is interrupted. He becomes first the head of the section, and then the chief engineer of the trust Sevtransles, performing defense tasks for the harvesting of special wood in the forests adjacent to the Northern Railway on the section Arkhangelsk-Volga. His work during the war years was highly appreciated. In 1942 he was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor.
Later, already working in Moscow, A.A. Molchanov repeatedly returned to the study of taiga forests, organized Onega experimental station in the north taiga subzone of the Arkhangelsk region.
On M.E. Tkachenko’s recommendation, in 1945 Molchanov was invited to the Forest Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences (now IFS RAS), headed by Academician V.N. Sukachev, to lead the target topic on forest hydrology. The research was started in the Prokudinsky forest of the Moscow region. The result was the monograph “Hydrological Role of Pine Forests on Sandy Soils” (1952), which became and his doctoral thesis. A.A. Molchanov becomes a recognized authority at home and abroad in matters of interaction between forest and water.
In 1951-1962, A.A. Molchanov was the scientific director of the Tellerman Experimental Forestry of the Forest Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (now IFS RAS). Here the complex stationary observations in oaks of the forest-steppe were further developed, the radiation and water regime of forests, their biological productivity, the cycles of exchange of biogeochemical elements in the atmosphere-vegetation-soil system, the role of heterotrophic organisms in the decomposition of plant residues, etc. were studied.A large number of permanent test areas have been established to analyze the dynamics of oak trees and their derivatives, to assess the efficiency of thinning, etc.
As director of the Forestry Laboratory of the USSR Academy of Sciences during 1962-1978, Molchanov continued to lead research in Tellerman’s experimental forestry. During this period, under his leadership, many scientific teams of the country were working on topics to determine the norms of optimal forest cover in the European part of the USSR and the width of protective forest strips on river banks in different geographical zones.
According to the research results, Molchanov published more than 200 works, including 23 monographs (7 of them with co-authors), he was an editor in 7 more monographs. The majority of his monographs can be considered classical: “Hydrological Role of the Forest” (1960); “Hydrological Role of Field Strips and Methodology of its Study” (1962); “Forest and Climate” (1961); “Forests and Forestry of the Arkhangelsk Region”. (1957); “Scientific bases of forest management in oak forests” (1964); “About the regime of use and ages of cutting in the forests of group I” (1963); “Relationship of biogeocenosis components in deciduous young growths” (1970); “Interrelationships in Forest Biogeocenosis (1980); “Influence of Forest on Environment” (1973); “Impact of Anthropogenic Factors on Forest” (1978); “Geography of Fruit-bearing of the main tree species in the USSR” (1967); Dendroclimatic Basics of Weather Forecasting” (1967). (1976); “Forest and Environment” (1968); “Optimal Forest Coverage (on the example of CDM)” (1966); “Basic Types of Northern Taiga Biogeocenosis” (1977); “Principles for Identifying Protective Forest Bands” (1977); “Productivity of Organic Mass in Forests of Different Zones” (1971); “Formation and Growth of Oaks at Clearings in the Forest Steppe” (1965).
A.A. Molchanov was an active member of many scientific and technical councils (SCST of the USSR, State Forestry Committee of the USSR, Ministry of Forestry of the RSFSR), scientific councils, Supreme Attestation Commission, editorial boards of scientific journals and publishing houses “Lesnaya Promyshlennost”, he participated in three world forest congresses (1954, 1960 and 1965), several UNESCO symposiums, etc.
The name of the scientist of the forester, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Honored Scientist of the RSFSR, Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences AA Molchanov for a long time took a worthy place among the scientists who made the most significant contribution to the study of the Russian forest. The work of A.A. Molchanov was marked by the Order of “Badge of Honor” (1942), two Orders of the Labor Red Flag (1971 and 1975), as well as several medals.
The source: Molchanov Alexander Alekseevich (1902-1985) // Forestry. 1985. №4.
M.V. Rubtsov was born in 1937 in Moscow in a family of teachers. In 1954 he entered the Forestry Faculty of the Moscow Forestry Engineering Institute and worked in forest management parties in the Far East. In 1959, Mikhail Vladimirovich was assigned to the 1st Moscow Aerial Photographic and Forestry Expedition of the All-Union Association (V/O) “Forest Project”, which was organizing mountain forests in Kyrgyzstan. Here he mastered methods of nut-and-fruit and juniper forests taxation and approaches to studying their growth course.
In 1965 M.V. Rubtsov defended his PhD thesis on “Basics of forest management in prohibited areas along the rivers of the Leningrad region”. Then for more than 20 years he worked at the All-Union State Design and Research Institute “Soyuzgiproleskhoz”, having worked his way up from senior engineer to head of the Laboratory of Protective and Water Protection Forests (since 1972). In 1965-1971, on the instructions of the State Forestry of the USSR M.V. Rubtsov performed a mass survey of forest crops and logging areas in the central region of European Russia. The material collected made it possible to assess the efficiency of felling methods and forest crops, to substantiate the system of measures to improve the forest regeneration in the region.
In 1969, under the leadership and with the participation of M.V. Rubtsov, a series of permanent trial plots were laid in Porechye to study the growth and formation of unique in composition and productivity of coniferous crops, created by K.F. Turmer in the second half of the XIX century studies of forestry practice K.F. Turmer Mikhail Vladimirovich led already in the IFS RAS, until the end of his life. At the initiative of M.V. Rubtsov forest cultures of K.F. Tyumer were transferred to the category “Forests of scientific and historical importance”.
In 1972-1992 M.V. Rubtsov was engaged in assessment of protective and water-protective functions of the forest, development of theoretical foundations and regulatory and methodological basis for the organization of multi-purpose forestry aimed at preserving and improving the protective and social role of forests. Under his leadership and with his direct participation for the first time in the European North long-term stationary and expeditionary studies of protective and water-protective functions of forests in the valleys of taiga rivers, water balance of spruce stands, the impact of forests on the water regime of small rivers were conducted. In the USSR Komi, M.V. Rubtsov organized the Lyalsky stationary, which became an experimental base of the Komi Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
M.V. Rubtsov developed the direction of “taiga floodplain forestry and forestry”, which became an independent scientific school. He developed a method and regulations for the allocation of prohibited areas along the rivers in the forest zone of the European part of Russia, justified the appropriate structure of protective and water-protective forest plantations, methods of felling and reforestation. The positive influence of the forest on the water resources reserve in the basins of large rivers of the forest zone was established.The main results of these studies formed the basis for the doctoral thesis of M.V. Rubtsov “Scientific basis of forest management activities in protective and water protective forests along the rivers of the European North” (1982) and published in his monographs “Protective and Water Protective Forests” (M.V. Rubtsov. (Moscow: Forest Industry, 1972. 120 p.), “Protective function of forests along taiga rivers” (Moscow: Forest Industry, 1983. 192 p.), “Water-regulating role of taiga forests” (in co-authorship; Moscow: Agropromizdat, 1990. 200 p.).
In addition, M.V. Rubtsov developed theoretical foundations for classifying forests according to their intended purpose, which determine the ecological and social orientation of multi-purpose forest use. Under his guidance, the standards for identification of main forest categories of the first group were developed.
From 1989 to 1992 M.V. Rubtsov headed the forest laboratory of the first group in the All-Union Research Center for Forest Resources, organized on the basis of scientific parts of the Institute “Soyuzgiproleskhoz” and the All-Union Association “Forest Project”.
In 1992 M.V. Rubtsov became an employee of IFS RAS, where he headed a forestry laboratory almost to the end of his life. Having become a scientific director of the Northern Forest Experimental Station (Yaroslavl region), he organized stationary studies of regeneration, age, and spatial dynamics of spruce stands during demotation change of soft-leaved stands and after their felling with preservation of spruce’s young growth.
More than 160 scientific works, including 3 monographs, have been published by M.V. Rubtsov. Under his leadership 8 candidate dissertations were defended. He was a member of dissertation councils at IFS RAS, St. Petersburg Academy of Forestry Engineering, VNIILM, acted as an official opponent and scientific consultant to the candidates for the degree of Doctor of Science.
M.V. Rubtsov was chairman of the section “Forestry” of the Scientific Council on Forest Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a member of the Presidium of the Republican Council of the Russian Society of Foresters, editorial boards of journals “Forest Science”, “Herald of the Moscow State University of Forestry – Forest Vestnik”, “Forest Information”, was a member of the Expert Council of the Higher Attestation Commission on Agronomy and Forestry, was an expert on biological sciences of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research.
M.V. Rubtsov was awarded the honorary title “Honored Forester of Russia” (1991), the academic title “Professor” (1994). In 1997 he was elected a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and in 2014 – a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.In 2006, M.V. Rubtsov was awarded a gold medal named after G.F. Morozov for his work “Scientific and experimental bases for increasing the protective and water-protective role of taiga forests”.
The source: Михаил Владимирович Рубцов (1937-2015) // Лесоведение. 2016. №1. с.74-76.
A.I. Utkin was born on June 10, 1929 in the village of Rakitino, Ruzsky district, Moscow region, in a peasant family. After graduating from high school, Anatoly Ivanovich studied at the Forestry Faculty of the Moscow Forestry Engineering Institute in 1948-1953. Since 1951, A.I. Utkin worked as a collector and laboratory assistant of the forest unit of the Yakut complex expedition of the Council for the Study of Production Forces (SOPS) of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Here he passed the school of a forest researcher, mastered the methods of enumeration, field geobotany and soil science.
In 1953, A.I. Utkin entered the postgraduate course of the Forest Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, whose director was the founder of forest biogeocenology, academician V.N. Sukachev. During his postgraduate studies Anatoly Ivanovich was engaged in ecological and phytocenological study of forests in central and western regions of Yakutia. He developed a classification of forest types; ideas about permafrost of soil as an ecological factor and abiotic component of forest ecosystems; a hypothesis about progressive drying of the Central Yakutia territory, constrained by thermokarst processes. The results of these studies are presented in the PhD thesis (1965) and monograph “Forests of Central Yakutia”.
From the very beginning of his scientific activity, Anatoly Ivanovich attached great importance to comprehensive expeditionary and stationary research, without which progress in forestry and many areas of biology is impossible.
In 1960-1961, working in the Institute of Forestry of the USSR Academy of Sciences, transferred to Krasnoyarsk, Anatoly conducted expeditionary research in Chita region, Buryat and Tuva ASSR, where he studied the typology of cedar forests and forest fires as leading mechanisms of the forest formation process in Siberia.
The main (from 1962 to 2006) scientific activity of A.I. Utkin took place in the Institute of Forest Science Russian Academy of Sciences (until 1991 the Laboratory of Forestry of the USSR Academy of Sciences). Here he rose from Junior Researcher to Head of the Laboratory and Deputy Director for Research of IFS RAS (1982-1985). From 1993, A.I. Utkin worked at the Center for Problems of Ecology and Productivity of Forests of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where he headed the Laboratory of Biosphere Functions of Forests. In recent years, he has been working in both institutes as Chief Scientific Officer.
On the basis of research in broad-leaved spruce forests of the Russian Plain, A.I. Utkin formulated ideas about the horizontal and vertical structure of biogeocenoses, which initiated a comprehensive study of types of forest biogeocenoses at the parcellular level. He created a sketch of biogeocenotic classification of ecosystems at different levels.
A.I. Utkin made a great contribution to the study of forest production process (“Biological productivity of forests: methods of study and results”, 1975). Under his guidance the data on connection of the mass of fractions of trees and stands with dendrometric and taxation indices, on peculiarities of vertical fractionation addition of phytomass, on dynamics of productivity in age development of stands were obtained. The idea of the productive invariance of forest phytocoenoses was formulated. Based on the results of these studies, A.I. Utkin in 1981 defended his doctoral thesis “Structure and Biological Productivity of Forest Biogeocenoses” in the form of a paper on the set of works.
Under the leadership of Anatoly Ivanovich Utkin, the “Database on Phytomass and Productivity of Forests” was created, accumulating data on thousands of test areas in the USSR and neighboring countries.
In recent years, A.I. Utkin has been working on the problem of assessing the role of forest vegetation in Russia in the carbon cycle of the biosphere, and has developed ideas about the carbon cycle of forests and its contribution to atmospheric and biospheric processes. Numerous publications by A.I. Utkin on the dynamics of the Russian forest carbon budget were included in the collective monograph “Carbon in the Forest Fund and Agricultural Lands of Russia” (2005) and were in demand during the preparation for the Kyoto agreements.
The results of A.I. Utkin’s long-term scientific activity are reflected in 410 publications, including 7 monographs, 80 articles and notes in encyclopedias. Under the guidance of Anatoly Ivanovich several PhD theses were defended. For many years he was deputy chairman of the Dissertation Council at ILAN RAS, member of the Expert Council on Biological Sciences of VAK. In 1998, the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences awarded A.I. Utkin the Sakharov Prize. In 1998, the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences awarded A.I. Utkin the V.N. Sukachev Prize for a series of works “Development of Actual Trends in Forest Biogeocenology”.
In 1967, the acad. V.N. Sukachev introduced A.I. Utkin into the editorial board of the journal “Forest Science”, where he worked for 36 years, of which more than 20 years – deputy editor-in-chief. In addition, Anatoly Ivanovich was a member of the editorial board of the “Forest Encyclopedia” and the encyclopedia “Forest of Russia”. He also supervised forest ecology research, was Deputy Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Department of General Biology (OUB) of the Russian Academy of Sciences on problems of ecology, a member of the Scientific Council of OUB RAS on forest problems, took part in symposiums of the International Union of Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the Program “Man and the Biosphere”.
Anatoly Utkin has always generously shared his extensive knowledge with colleagues regardless of their status. He was a remarkable scientist who gave his life to forest science.
The sources:Анатолий Иванович Уткин (1926-2006) // Лесоведение. 2007. №2. с.72-77
Памяти выдающегося ученого Анатолия Ивановича Уткина // Лесоведение. 2007. № 6. С. 5-10.
Анатолий Иванович Уткин: воспоминания коллег, друзей и близких. М.: Эдитус, 2014. 172 с.