Neither birch nor pine: what trees grow the most in Russia, and how they are unique

Most people associate the image of Russia with a white-birch birch, and yet this is not the largest tree in our country. The first place in the number and area of forest plantations not only in our country, but also in the world is occupied by larch. But this is not the only unique feature of the coniferous beauty. Let's see what else this tree is interesting and get to know it better.

Throws needles for the winter

Larch is a coniferous species of the larch family of the pine family. Unlike most of her relatives, she loses needles in the fall. With the onset of cold weather, larch trees turn a beautiful golden color and their needles fall off, like deciduous trees.

In autumn, larch trees stand out from the rest of conifers.

This is the only coniferous species in our country, which thus gets rid of needles. Scientists attribute this phenomenon to the adaptation of the plant to a harsh climate, because preserving needles in winter conditions requires some effort from the tree.

The most frost-resistant tree in the world

Larch is surprisingly unpretentious to habitats. The only thing she makes high demands on is good lighting. Larch is a very photophilous tree that prefers open spaces, and when shaded from other trees it grows slowly and does not form cones.

Larch in early autumn

But Siberian frosts down to -60 degrees or permafrost in the soil do not bother larch at all. In addition, it has a very branched and deep root system that saves the tree from strong winds. It is such increased resistance to adverse climates that allowed larch to occupy the northernmost regions of our planet and even step beyond the Arctic Circle.

Venice stands on larch stilts

Larch wood is durable, has high strength and increased resistance to moisture. It is no accident that the lower crowns of buildings in the famous Venice are made of larch. Standing several hundred years in the water, larch buildings only gained additional strength and do not cause any concern.

All houses in Venice stand on larch stilts.

Larch was used for the construction of ships, water mills, houses. Today, the valuable wood of this conifer is most often used for the construction of baths, houses and in furniture production. Due to the increased resinity and density, it is difficult to process larch, which, in turn, increases the final cost of production.

Most of all in Russia and in the world

Due to its unpretentiousness and endurance, larch occupies vast spaces with a harsh climate on our planet. It forms joint plantings with other coniferous or purely larch forests where other trees simply do not survive. Therefore, with the advance to the north, the percentage of larch in the species composition of forests increases.

Larch in the summer

7 species of these amazing conifers grow in Russia. Different representatives of the larch genus, according to statistics on the forest fund of the Russian Federation, occupy 36.9% of the land covered by forest. Further, pine and birch go by a large margin, which occupy 15.6% and 13.9% of the forest lands of our country, respectively.