The environmental monitoring at JSC “Krasnaya Polyana” ski complex consists in tree status assessment on 4 permanent sample areas, which takes place twice a year. Changes in the vital status of forest stand are recorded, each tree is accounted and the undergrowth is assessed.

In the reporting period (autumn 2013) the vital state of trees was as follows:

Riparian mixed alder forest (sample area #1)

The forest stand on this sample area is represented by common hornbeam and speckled alder, with sycamore maple, oriental beech, Georgian oak and sweet chestnut.

The vital state of the stand is slightly declining and is now at level 3. Tree leaves are more damaged by spotting and scorch. The canopy becomes sparse and damaged by 30-40%. There are more galls on beech leaves (up to 25% of canopies). Note should be made of such tree injuries as broke branches, damage of bark and undergrowth.

The projective cover of the undergrowth was declining due to injuries and is 65-70%. The undergrowth height varies within 0.5-3.5 m. Generally the undergrowth is established, but shows spotting and scorch. The undergrowth is predominantly represented by common hornbeam, partly oriental beech and sporadically speckled alder.

The observed damages of the trees and undergrowth and some decline in the stand vital state is most likely due to adverse weather conditions in September-October 2013. Heavy rain, mudflows and subsequent dryness in the second half of October and November 2013 resulted in multiple injuries and decreased resistance of trees to diseases.

Mixed beech forest (sample area #2)

The forest is made of oriental beech and hornbeam, as well as sweet chestnut and occasional speckled alder. The vital state is assessed at level 3: the canopy is sparse with individual dry branches and a great amount of spotting and scorch. Leaves of oriental beech show galls and scorch, chestnut, hornbeam and speckled alder leaves are damaged by insects (especially chestnut), spotting and scorch. The forest stand is disturbed, the assimilation activity is weakened, resistance to diseases and pests is declining. The undergrowth is represented by oriental beech and Normann fir (single trees), its projective canopy is about 60%. The undergrowth is established, dense with some signs of damage and diseases. Beech leaves show some galls and spotting, and fir has yellow needles by the trunk.

Mixed hornbeam forest (sample area #3)

The forest stand is made of common hornbeam, speckled alder and some sweet chestnut, oriental beech, Georgian oak, common maple and Caucasian pear. The vital state of the forest in autumn 2013 was declining and rated as level 2-3. The canopy is sparse, leaves are damaged by spotting, chestnut canopy contains drying branches. The forest stand is covered with dust. The undergrowth is established, dense, with the projective cover up to 65%. The undergrowth is represented by oriental beech, common hornbeam, common maple and speckled alder of 3,5-4 m height. Young trees of maple show gray spotting of leaves, and oriental beech has single galls.

Mixed beech-fir forest (sample area #4)

The predominant in the forest stand are oriental beech and Nordmann fir, with some common hornbeam, speckled alder, sycamore maple and trembling poplar.

The vital state of the forest in autumn 2013 was stable and rated as level 3 - the stand is disturbed. Nordmann fir trees continue showing drying lower branches and falling brown needles, some tree trunks are hollow. There are drying trees. Beech leaves show galls, leaves of hornbeam, alder, aspen and maple are damaged by insects, scorch and spotting.

The undergrowth is established, medium density, with the projective cover up to 45-50%. The undergrowth is represented by Nordmann fir, oriental beech, sycamore maple up to 4 m high.

Generally the state of the forest stand on this territory was deteriorating during the reporting period, trees became weaker due to both human-induced pressure and adverse weather conditions of the 2013 autumn.

1780-rooms Olympics media village (540 m above the sea level)

There is no forest on the territory of this village or in the immediate vicinity, environmental monitoring of forest stand is not feasible.

878-rooms Olympics media village (960 m above the sea level)

On the territory of the village the forest has been cut off and only single trees of sweet chestnut and oriental beech are present. In the vicinity, 2 monitoring areas were set up. The vital state of the forest is as follows:

Mixed beech-chestnut forest (sample area #1)

The forest is made of oriental beech and sweet chestnut with single trees of sycamore. The vital state in autumn 2013 is rated as level 2-3 – the stand is weakened. Leaves of oriental beech show plenty of galls and are damaged by insects and spotting. Chestnut and sycamore leaves are damaged by insects, spotting and rust. The chestnut canopy shows drying branches, mainly in the lower part. The canopy is damaged by 35-40%.

The undergrowth is established, sparse, with the projective cover up to 40%. The undergrowth is represented by oriental beech and sweet chestnut, its height is up to 0.7-2.0 m.

Mixed beech forest (sample area #2)

The forest is made of oriental beech, with equal portion of sycamore maple and sweet chestnut and occasional speckled alder. The vital state is rated as level 2.

Leaves of all trees are damaged by insects and spotting. Leaves of oriental beech show galls, leaves of chestnut are damaged by scorch and some of its trunks are hollow, the lower canopy branches are dry.

The undergrowth is moderately dense, with the projective cover up to 55%. The undergrowth is up to 2.5 m high and represented by oriental beech, sweet chestnut and sycamore maple. The undergrowth is established, with single spots on beech and maple.

As of today, the vital state of the forest stand is weakened. This is demonstrated by sweet chestnut which in addition to damaged leaves, like other tree species, has drying branches and sparse canopy. Further monitoring of the vital state of the forest stand will allow evaluating better the dynamics of the forest stand.

There is practically no forest on the territory as a result of clearing, except for several separate groups of 15-20 trees each. The monitoring object is one of the separated forest stands on the territory of the ski jumps and two plots in the vicinity – by the motor road and next to the ski jumps. The vital state of the forest in autumn 2013 is as follows:

Mixed chestnut forest (separated forest stand on the complex territory, sample area #1)

The forest is made of sweet chestnut with sycamore maple. The stand is severely disturbed, the vital state is rated as level 3-4. Chestnut trees are gradually drying, all of them have dry tops and major parent branches. Chestnut leaves are damaged by scorch. Maple leaves show spotting and scorch. All trees are heavily dusty, as a result their assimilation activity is reduced, which negatively affects their resistance to adverse environmental factors.

The undergrowth is sparse, with frequent damage of chestnut leaves, covered with dust, the projective cover is up to 35%, its height being 0.5 m.

Mixed beech-chestnut forest (by the ski jumps) (sample area #2)

The forest is made of oriental beech and sweet chestnut, with occasional speckled alder and sycamore maple. The vital state is rated as level 2-3 - the stand is strongly weakened. Canopy is sparse, damaged by insects, spotting and scorch. Beech leaves show galls, some chestnut trees have drying branches in the middle part of the crown. Some chestnut trees have hollow trunks.

The undergrowth is represented by oriental beech, sweet chestnut and sycamore maple, its height being 1.5 m. The undergrowth is established, with slight signs of diseases and damage –some leaves show spotting and scorch , the projective cover is up to 50%.

Mixed beech-chestnut forest with maple (by the motor way ) (sample area #3)

The forest is made of sweet chestnut and oriental beech, with significant proportion of sycamore maple. The vital state is rated as level 2-3 - the stand is severely weakened. Being covered with dust, trees assimilation activity and resistance to diseases is reduced.

Leaves are significantly damaged by scorch and spotting, beech leaves show galls. Canopy of trees is sparse, some branches are drying on chestnut

The undergrowth is generally established, with some leaves damaged by scorch and spotting.

Projective cover is up 60%, the height being 0.5-1.5 m. The undergrowth is represented by sweet chestnut, sycamore maple and oriental beech.

Over the past period negative dynamics was seen in the vital state of the forest stand. human-induced impact and associated sparse canopy dustiness, changes in the hydrological regime and soil pollution, along with adverse weather conditions have resulted in a deterioration of the forest stand. Particularly negative changes are observed for sweet chestnut – the tops and main branches of this tree species are drying.

The environmental monitoring at JSC “Krasnaya Polyana” ski complex involves assessment of tree status on 4 permanent sample areas located in the main forest types with allowance for altitudinal zonality. In the reporting period (summer 2013) the vital state of trees was as follows:

Riparian mixed alder forest (sample area #1)

The forest stand on this sample area is represented by common hornbeam and speckled alder, with sycamore maple, oriental beech, Georgian oak and sweet chestnut

The vital state of the stand is attributed to levels 2-3. Leaves of maple, oak and chestnut are damaged by insects, spotting and scorch. The canopy is damaged by 25-30%. Oriental beech leaves are damaged by galls (up to 15% of canopies). Speckled alder leaves also show damage by insects and scorch, hornbeam trees have sparse canopy, their leaves are damaged by insects and scorch

The undergrowth is established, the projective cover of the undergrowth is up to 80%.

The undergrowth height varies within 0,5-3,5 m, with common hornbeam predominantly, and partly oriental beech and sporadically speckled.

Mixed beech forest (sample area #2)

The forest is made of oriental beech and hornbeam, as well as sweet chestnut and occasional speckled alder. The vital state has not changed lately and remains stable. The phytosanitary status as assessed as level 2-3 – the forest stand is disturbed, the overall canopy damage is as high as 35%. Leaves of oriental beech show galls and scorch, chestnut and alder leaves are damaged by insects, spotting and scorch. The hornbeam state has got stabilized – tree canopy is thin, trees are weak, at present their state does not deteriorate any further up to 60%. It is represented by oriental beech and Normann fir (single trees).

Mixed hornbeam forest (sample area #3)

The forest stand is made of common hornbeam, speckled alder and some sweet chestnut, oriental beech, Georgian oak, common maple and Caucasian pear. The vital state of the forest also remains stable and rated as level 2 - the stand is weakened The hornbeam state has stabilized, it does not deteriorate, but leaves of almost all stand components show damage by insects, scorch and spotting. Besides, leaves are dusty. The overall damaged trees make 25 % of the entire stand. The undergrowth is established, with the projective cover up to 65%. The undergrowth is represented by oriental beech, common hornbeam, common maple and speckled alder and is 3,5-4 m high.

Mixed beech-fir forest (sample area #4)

The predominant in the forest stand are oriental beech and Nordmann fir, with some common hornbeam, speckled alder, sycamore maple and trembling poplar. The vital state of the forest is rated as level 3 - the stand is disturbed. Some of Nordmann fir trees show drying lower branches and falling brown needles., some tree trunks are hollow. There are drying trees. Hornbeam leaves show galls, leaves of other trees are damaged by insects, scorch and spotting. The undergrowth is established, medium density, with the projective cover up to 45-50%. The undergrowth is represented by Nordmann fir, oriental beech, sycamore maple up to 4 m high.

Generally the state of the forest stand on this territory is stabilized, in the first place, due to stabilization of the state of common hornbeam – the main element in the forest stands of interest. There is no deterioration in the state of the forest stand, as of today.

1780-rooms Olympics media village (540 m above the sea level)

There is no forest on the territory of this village or in the immediate vicinity, environmental monitoring of forest stand is not possible.

878-rooms Olympics media village (960 m above the sea level)

On the territory of the village the forest has been cut off and only single trees of sweet chestnut and oriental beech are present. In the vicinity, the forest is represented by mixed forest with predominant sweet chestnut and oriental beech, a significant portion of hornbeam, sycamore maple and speckled alder. For the monitoring purposes 2 monitoring areas were set up next to the complex. The vital state of the forest is as follows:

Mixed beech-chestnut forest (sample area #1)

The forest is made of oriental beech and sweet chestnut with single trees of sycamore. The vital state is rated as level 2 – the stand is weakened. Leaves of oriental beech show plenty of galls and are damaged by insects and spotting. Chestnut and sycamore leaves are damaged by insects, spotting and rust. The canopy is damaged by 30%. The undergrowth is established, sparse, with the projective cover up to 40%. The undergrowth is represented by oriental beech and sweet chestnut, its height is up to 0.7-2.0 m.

Mixed beech forest (sample area #2)

The forest is made of oriental beech, with equal portion of sycamore maple and sweet chestnut and occasional speckled alder. The vital state is rated as level 2. Leaves are damaged by insects and spotting. Leaves of oriental beech show some galls, leaves of chestnut are damaged by scorch and some of its trunks are hollow, the lower canopy branches are dry.

The undergrowth is established, no signs of diseases and damage, medium density, with the projective cover up to 55%. The undergrowth is up to 2.5 m high and represented by oriental beech, sweet chestnut and sycamore maple.

As of today the vital state of the forest stand is stable, with no signs of major adverse changes. Further monitoring of the vital state of the forest stand will allow obtaining more detailed information.

There is practically no forest on the territory as a result of clearing, except for several separate groups of 15-20 trees each. The monitoring object is one of the separated forest stands on the territory of the ski jumps and two plots in the vicinity – by the motor road and next to the ski jumps. The vital state of the forest is as follows:

Mixed chestnut forest (separated forest stand on the complex territory, sample area #1)

The forest is made of sweet chestnut with sycamore maple. The vital state is rated as level 3 – the forest is disturbed. Maple leaves are damaged by insects and spotting. Chestnut trees are drying, almost all of them have dry tops and major parent branches. They also show significant spotting and scorch. The leaves are heavily dusty.

Leaves of oriental beech show some galls, leaves of chestnut are damaged by scorch and some of its trunks are hollow, the lower canopy branches are dry.

The undergrowth is sparse, with separate damage of chestnut leaves, covered with dust, the projective cover up to 35%, its height is up to 2.5 m.

Mixed beech-chestnut forest (by the ski jumps) (sample area #2)

The forest is made of oriental beech and sweet chestnut, with occasional speckled alder and sycamore maple. The vital state rated as level 2 - the stand is weakened. Up to 35% of canopy is damaged by insects, spotting and yellow discoloring. Beech leaves show galls, some chestnut trees have hollow trunks. Generally there are no signs of pathological changes in the stand and the state is stable.

The undergrowth is established, no signs of diseases or damage, the projective cover is up to 50%. The undergrowth is represented by oriental beech, sweet chestnut, and sycamore maple, its height is up to 1.5 m.

Mixed beech-chestnut forest with maple (by the motor way ) (sample area #3)

The forest is made of sweet chestnut and oriental beech, with significant proportion of sycamore maple. The vital state rated as level 2 - the stand is weakened. What is noticed in the first place is that the stand is covered with dust which has a negative impact on the tree health, decreasing assimilation and resistance to diseases. Leaves are significantly damaged by insects, spotting and scorch, beech leaves show galls. Chestnut canopy is sparse.

Up to 35% of canopy is damaged by insects, spotting and yellow discoloring. Beech leaves show galls, some chestnut trees have hollow trunks. Generally there are no signs of pathological changes in the stand and the state is stable.

The undergrowth has leaves damaged by scorch and spotting, the projective cover is up to 55-60%, the height is up to 0,5-1,5 m. The undergrowth is represented by of sweet chestnut, sycamore maple and oriental beech.

The vital state of the forest stand on the monitoring area #1 is indicative of negative dynamics: sparse canopy, changes in the hydrological soil regime, dustiness and high human-induced impact have resulted in a sharp deterioration of the sweet chestnut health. In future, total attrition of chestnut trees are to be expected on this area. The vital state of the forest stand on area #2 is more or less stable, as these trees were not exposed to sharp changes in their habitat and continue to be part of a large forest. Nevertheless dust has an adverse impact on the tree health, decreasing its resistance.

The ecological monitoring of the “Karusel” ski complex aims at detecting and monitoring possible negative consequences due human-induced stress. The main types of forest here are mixed alder forest, mixed beech forest, hornbeam and beech-fir forests. Permanent monitoring plots were established in these forests on which twice a year (autumn-winter and winter- spring) the vital state of forest stands was monitored Coordination of the integrated environmental monitoring activities was provided by the scientific department of the Sochi National Park.

In autumn-winter 2012 the following states of the forest were recorded:

Riparian mixed alder forest

Over the monitoring period, the predominant tree species on this area changed due to the changes in the hydrological regime of soils, and as a result the proportion of speckled alder in the species composition decreased significantly and it was replaced by hornbeam. Thus, the forest here should rather be referred to as mixed riparian hornbeam-alder forest. Due tot the above mentioned changes in the soil hydrological regime and hence microclimate, the phytosanitary state of the trees tends to change, primarily for the better. In spite of seasonal variations in the vital state of the forest which depends, to a considerable degree, on climate variations (temperature regime, precipitation etc) the level for the tree phytosanitary condition varies within 1-2 (healthy of slightly weakened trees).

Mixed beech forest

On this sample area the forest is made of oriental beech and hornbeam, as well as sweet chestnut and occasional speckled alder.

Throughout the monitoring period the forest state remains stable and varies within levels 2-3. The damages recorded in trees currently include; galls on beech leaves, damaged by insects, spots (yellow and black) in hornbeam, chestnut and alder and canopy spareness.

Mixed hornbeam forest

The predominant species in this forest is hornbeam, with a large proportion of speckled alder and some sweet chestnut, oriental beech, Georgian oak, common maple and Caucasus pear. The vital state of the forest also remains stable over the monitoring period.

Some weakening is noted for hornbeam, expressed in shoot drying, weakening of trees and canopy spareness.

Generally the phytosanitary state of the forest corresponds to level 2 (healthy of slightly weakened trees).

Mixed beech-fir forest

In this forest the predominant species are oriental beech and Caucasian fir, with some hornbeam, speckled alder, sycamore maple and aspen.

The phytosanitary state of the forest should be assessed by separate components, as there is a significant difference in their vital state. For example, the vital state of oriental beech, speckled alder, sycamore maple and aspen is stable. For Caucasian fir brown and yellow needles are recorded in large amounts, as well as canopy spareness, which is more pronounced towards the center of the sample area. Also, hornbeam is getting weaker, as shown by canopy spareness, shoot drying and separate hollow trunks.

Thus the vital state of the forest is attributed to level 3 (weakened forest).

The ski complex occupies one third of the Aigba ridge, from the mountain foot to the top forest border. There are 4 permanent sample areas established on the territory of the ski complex: 1.Riparian mixed forest with predominant black alder (sample area #1); 2.Mixed forest with predominant beech(sample area #2); 3.Mixed forest with predominant hornbeam(sample area #3); 4. Mixed beech-fir forest(sample area #4).

The forest states are as follows:

Sample area #1 - the state of the forest has become stable. The proportion of black alder remained at the level as in the previous reporting period. The principle species in the biocenosis has changed. In 2011 no major changes in the forest condition. Defective trees of speckled alder died, no new drying trees are noted. The phytosanitary state corresponds to level 2-3.

Sample area #2 - the state of the forest is stable. There are no signs of drying, no fungus diseases, some lateral branches are drying. The phytosanitary state corresponds to level 2.

Sample area #3 - – certain weakening of the vital state of the forest due to noticeable worsening of the phytosanitary state of hornbeam. A typical drying of hornbeam leaves, canopy spareness and overall weakening of trees are seen. The phytosanitary state corresponds to level 2.

Sample area #4 - the vital state of the trees decreased and is attributed to level 3 – drying of branches and needles in Caucasian fir continues, hornbeam is getting weaker in general, some of the trees are hollow.

High mountain trees are particularly sensitive to growing conditions. Mixed forests with predominant oriental beech, speckled alder with maples, sweet chestnut etc are more synanthropic and therefore resistant to growing changes. In this case the deterioration in the state of speckled alder was due to a sharp change in the water regime of soils. With water regime getting stable, the vital condition of speckled alder improved.

It is also worth noting the emergence of weeds on the sample areas, which is a sign of beginning degradation of the forest.

The phytosanitary state: 1level – normal forest, 2 2 level- weakened forest, 3 level - drying forest

The vital state of the forest on the territory of the JSC “Krasnaya Polyana” ski complex in 2008-2010 was as follows.

On sample area #1 (riparian mixed alder forest) the principal species tends to change: black alder is suppressed, its vital state got much worse, about 20% of trees died off. At the same time, other tree species (hornbeam, beech, maple) provide new growth and their phytosanitary condition is improving. The predominant species in the forest today is hornbeam and speckled alder with some field maple, oriental beech, Georgian oak and sweet chestnut.

The phytosanitary state: 1level – normal forest, 2 2 level- weakened forest, 3 level- drying forest

These changes took place because the microclimate changed on the territory in the course of constructing the cableway and related access ways, and the wet growing conditions changed. The conditions for alder became worse, bit they improved for hornbeam, beech and maple.

The general phytosanitary condition of the forest is in keeping with level 3 (drying forest) due to the weak vital state of speckled alder. The vital state of other tree species, except speckled alder, correspond to level 2 (weakened forest).

On other sample areas the vital state of the monitored forest remains stable.

Thus, the human-induced impact on the territory of the JSC “Krasnaya Polyana” ski complex is noted only for riparian alder forest in which the vital state of the principal species was deteriorating in the past period. On other areas, there is no significant anthropogenic impact noted.