Slavic Landscapes: Russian Taiga (2)

The taiga (the name is Russian for 'forest') was not settled to any extent by the Slavic-speaking communities until East Slavs penetrated the fringes of the zone (in the vicinity of Lakes Ladoga and Onega and the shores of the Gulf of Finland) some time before the 11th century AD. Another name for the ecozone is the Boreal coniferous forest, and it lies just south of the tundra. The winters in the taiga are very cold with only snowfall, while the summers are warm, rainy, and humid, though also very short with about 50 to 100 frost free days. The dominant species are coniferous trees, especially species of fir, larch, pine, and spruce (though some broad-leaved angiosperm species, especially aspen, birch, poplar, and willow also grow). The area is susceptible to wildfires and insect damage which may lead to deforestation of large areas. The fauna includes beaver, red squirrels and voles, red deer and elk can be found in regions of the taiga where more deciduous trees grow. There are also quite a few predators such as the lynx and mustelids such as wolverines, minks and ermine. Several of these species were valued in Early Medieval times for their furs.

There are some wonderful photos of the ecosystems of the region on the www.ecosystema.ru website the first five used on this page were taken by Anatoly I. Haritonov.

Mixed forest. Ladoga Province of taiga, Nizhnesvirsky Reserve, Leningrad Region-

Mature pine (light-coniferous) blueberry forest with Ledum. South Karelia

The Dolgaya river - a tributary of the river Luga.
Ladoga Province of taiga, Nizhnesvirsky Reserve,
Leningrad Region

Waterlogged dark coniferous (spruce) forest.
Ladoga Province of taiga, Nizhnesvirsky Reserve,
Leningrad Region

Steep bank of Lake Ladoga. Ladoga Province of taiga, Nizhnesvirsky Reserve,
Leningrad Region

And a few photos to remind us why the area was not particularly inviting for settlement. These three photos from the villa.ru website, taken in the St Petersburg region in winter.