Bryansky Forest Nature Reserve (biosphere reserve
of the Nerusso-Desnyanskoe Polesye) is a reserve located in the
Suzem and Trubchevsky districts of the Bryansk region of Russia.
Bryansky Forest Nature Reserve is a part of the physiographic region
of the Nerusso-Desnyansky Polesye, located in the basin of the
middle reaches of the Desna River (left tributary of the Dnieper
River). The relief of the reserve is flat. The minimum height above
sea level is 134.5 m (the water line is in the Nerussa River), the
maximum is 189.4 m.
The need to create a state reserve has been brewing
since the middle of the 20th century. In 1959, in the weekly journal of
the Union of Writers of Russia “Literature and Life”, an article “In
Defense of the Bryansk Forest” by Ivan Debrin, a senior instructor of
the Central Council of the Military and Hunting Society, was published,
in which he called for the creation of a protected area in the
Trubchevsko-Suzemsky forests. However, for 25 years this idea has not
been implemented. In 1983, the photographer Igor Shpilenok, who then
worked as a school teacher in the village of Novenkoye, began to publish
essays “Notes from the Cordon” in the newspaper “Bryansk Rabochiy”.
Shpilenok's essays caused a wide response, and after the victory of his
story at the All-Russian competition for covering issues of nature
conservation, the local leadership listened to the idea of creating a
reserve.
In 1984, the natural monument "Suzemsky" was organized
on the territory of the Pogoshchensky forestry. The reserve "Bryansk
Forest" was officially established in 1987, for 10 years Igor Shpilenok
was its director.
November 10, 2001 "Nerusso-Desnyanskoe
Polesye", which includes the reserve "Bryansk Forest", its buffer zone
and the adjacent network of regional reserves and natural monuments,
received the status of a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
The Bryansk Forest Reserve is part of the
physical-geographical region of the Nerusso-Desnyansky woodland, located
in the basin of the middle reaches of the Desna River (left tributary of
the Dnieper River). The relief of the reserve is flat and flat. The
minimum height above sea level is 134.5 m (the water's edge in the
Nerussa River), the maximum is 189.4 m. Sandy and sandy loamy
soddy-podzolic soils predominate on dry valleys; in the floodplains
there are alluvial meadow and lowland bog soils. In the old days, the
Bryansk forests occupied a much larger area than now, and were
considered dense.
The modern reserve covers an area of 12,280
hectares, the protected zone around the reserve is 9,654 hectares.
The climate is subcontinental. Average annual temperature for the period 1991–2005 was +6.4 °C, which is 1 °C higher than the average annual long-term temperature of the region (+5.4 °C). The average temperature of the coldest month for the same period was −5.4 °C, which is 3 °C higher than the long-term values (−8.4 °C.). The average summer temperature was +17.9 °C, which is 0.3 °C lower than the long-term values of the previous period. The average amount of precipitation is 550 mm, which is 105 mm below the norm (average long-term values of the previous period).
In zoogeographical terms, the reserve is located in
the southwestern part of the Central Russian region of the province of
mixed forests of the boreal-forest subregion of the Palearctic region. A
feature of the animal population of these places is the passage of the
southern borders of the modern distribution of some boreal-forest
species. Among them: capercaillie, boreal owl, hare, lynx, brown bear,
wild boar, etc.
The Bryansk Forest is the only place in Europe
where all 10 species of European woodpeckers are found: large, medium,
small, Syrian, white-backed, gray-haired, green, three-toed woodpeckers,
yellow woodpecker and wryneck. 868 species of higher plants live on the
territory of the reserve, of which five are Red Book species, 23 species
of orchids, 280 species of vertebrates, 156 species of birds, 29 species
of fish.
In botanical and geographical terms, the reserve is
located at the junction of two sub-provinces (Polesskaya and Central
Russian) of the Eastern European province of broad-leaved forests, not
far from the southern border of the subtaiga region. A feature of the
vegetation cover of these places is the wide distribution of pine and
pine-oak forests on poor sandy soils, in which spruce plays a
significant role. Zonal broad-leaved and spruce-broad-leaved forests are
rare.
The reserve conducts programs to restore natural
biodiversity. Since 1996, together with the Tver biological station
"Chisty Les", a project has been underway to restore the bear
population. By 2014, 16 cubs prepared for independent life were released
into the Bryansk Forest. In 2014, the reserve launched the Bear Island
project, aimed at studying and preserving the local population of these
animals. Since October 2011, the bison population has been restored in
the Bryansk Forest. By 2022, the number of bison in the reserve has
reached 140 individuals.
The reserve has a protected area of 9654 hectares. On the territories adjacent to the reserve, a network of state reserves and natural monuments of regional significance has been created, the protection of which is carried out by land users together with the reserve. These territories are classified as buffer zones of the reserve. This includes the state nature reserve of federal significance "Kletnyansky" (area 39100 ha).