Stone steppe is a state nature reserve. Its vast territory, more than 5 thousand hectares, stretches in the Voronezh region of the Talovsk region. He received his current status as a reserve on May 25, 1996, by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation. Its peculiarity is that thanks to the activity of human hands, it was possible to preserve both classical chernozem soils and steppe pristine areas.
Steppe open spaces
Nature has made Russia many generous gifts: rivers and mountains, minerals and vast forests. Few people consider all this to be such a rich gift, and even more so - fertile soil cover. The central Chernozem region of the country today includes five regions: Kursk, Lipetsk, Belgorod, Tambov and Voronezh.
These rich lands have long been inhabited by farmers, but their numbers in the forest-steppe areas were small. The harvest was more than enough for the locals to not be in poverty. But the raids of the steppe nomads led the land into decline, they passed from hand to hand of different tribes: Alans, Khazars, Pechenegs. It was the territory of a huge virgin forest-steppe.
With the formation and strengthening of the Moscow state here, on its southern borders, fortified cities appear: Voronezh and Belgorod. Since the XVIII century, Russia begins to actively develop this territory. Land is being plowed, including the Stone Steppe, the crop is sent to the central regions.
World Exhibition in Paris
In 1889, Russia was honored: she was invited to participate in the annual International Exhibition of Science and Technology Achievements. The successes of European states in this direction were sensational.
The highlight of the press program called electricity. Steam engines, textile machines, a Benz car were presented. The famous Eiffel Tower was the entrance gate to several museum pavilions. At the end of the exhibition, they planned to dismantle it. But how could Russia surprise the world community?
What is chernozem?
In the agricultural exposition, geologist and soil scientist VV Dokuchaev showed a collection of Russian soils. For the first time in Paris, soil samples, maps and printed, scientific works were presented. Helped Vasily Vasilievich V.I. Vernadsky. These surnames of great scientists will later be closely associated with the Voronezh Stone Steppe.
The central place in the exposition at the exhibition was occupied by a monolith of chernozem cut in the shape of a cube. It was carefully covered with a glass dome. The rest of the collection is laid around it. In this sample, taken from the earth in the central Chernozem region of Russia, humus contained up to 10%. So at this exhibition, the scientific world inscribed in the classification of the natural world of Karl Linnaeus, consisting of three kingdoms, animal, vegetable and mineral, the fourth - the kingdom of soils.
The Department of Russian Soils was awarded the gold medal of the exhibition, and VV Dokuchaev was awarded the Order of Merit for Agriculture.
Why are yields falling?
Harvests that were collected in the regions of black earth steppes broke all conceivable records. More land was leaving under the arable land. For this purpose, primary virgin lands were plowed up, forests were cut down, which led to the disappearance of animals and birds, to the shallowing of rivers. For unknown reasons, field yields began to decline, crops perished.
And 10 years after the famous exhibition, a terrible disaster struck Russia. A severe drought destroyed the crop in 20 chernozem provinces. Famine began in the country, from which entire families and settlements died.
In such a difficult situation, Vasily Vasilyevich Dokuchaev was finally heard. He was able to convince colleagues and the government that the impoverishment of the land is the result of thoughtless use. He was sure that everything was spoiled by the man himself, "... grossly violating the natural connections within a single, inseparable nature."
Beginning of the work of the “Special Expedition of the Forest Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and State Property”
On June 4 (May 22 according to the old style), 1892, a “Special Expedition ...” was established, headed by professor of St. Petersburg University V.V. Dokuchaev. The aim of the work was to conduct a series of experiments in order to obtain evidence of the possibility of human climate change and reduce aridity.
For the purity of the experiment, plots far from rivers, in low-water areas, the most exposed to dust storms, were selected. One of the three experimental territories was the Stone Steppe of the Voronezh Region, Talovsky District. An action plan has been developed to achieve this goal. Today it is called forest reclamation.
Activities of the “Special Expedition ...”
Why were ruthlessly cut down forests? Yes, because new arable land was required. And scientists were convinced that the trees, absorbing a huge amount of water from their roots, gradually lower the groundwater level. The first step in restoring the vital functions of nature was the laying of forest belts.
In order to conduct regular observations (today they would say constant monitoring), wells were made at the same time as the trees were planted, which made it possible to document or deny the conclusions of scientists. One of them works today, it bears the name "Dokuchaevsky well." Ahead of events, it should be said that over the past years, the water level in the Stone steppe of the Voronezh region has risen by 10 meters. Now some sites even need drainage.
Protective forest belts and artificial ponds
Enormous work has begun on planting trees, strengthening ravines and beams. In the short time, 80 pilot works were carried out on 43 protective zones, which allowed foresters to develop tactics for steppe forest cultivation. This has never been done before. The technology of planting and caring for trees was determined, the sizes of the strips optimal for these places were calculated, the most suitable types of trees were identified.
In the Stone Steppe, an oak turned out to be such a tree. It was used as the main breed. But this is a tree that cannot grow alone. He was selected the best "companions" in these conditions. In addition, the oak does not grow rapidly, and the problem had to be solved at an accelerated pace.
In 1899, forestry was organized on the basis of Dokuchaev's forest belts. It continued the pilot work that had begun, and the Stone Steppe of the Talovsk District acquired the status of a scientific object.
The terrain was used to create cascades of ponds. The work performed did not allow rain or melt water to slide into useless fast-drying streams, but to collect in special drives. This, by the way, reduced the degree of ravine formation on the ground.
Water volumes began to raise the level of groundwater and contributed to the creation of a microclimate. The first obvious results of the work of the Special Expedition appeared.
When thunder strikes
There was enough bread in Russia, and the terrible hungry years began to be forgotten. Funding for the work of the “Special Expedition ...” was getting smaller. In 1897, Vasily Vasilievich fell ill, work continued for some time by inertia and ceased in 1909.
Then thunder struck. Rather, quite the opposite. The drought that came in 1911 was just as terrible as it was twenty years ago. An experimental agricultural station named after V.V. Dokuchaev was again urgently created in the Stone Steppe near Voronezh.
But until the 1920s, the Dokuchaev Oasis was going through difficult times. The difficult situation in the country, the lack of an authoritative leader and funding almost brought to naught the many years of work. There were people who even wanted to start cutting down "obsolete" trees. But in the 20s, Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov came to the leadership of the station and the revival of the facility began.
The steppe is wide, the steppe is split
A well-known scientist invited colleagues who left there to return to work, replenished the staff with young and talented people. Scientific work has gained momentum.
K. E. Sobenevsky proved that there are no "obsolete" forest belts in the "oasis", oaks can stand almost forever. Testing of trees suitable for planting continued. A “corridor” method of planting oaks was invented.
In 1927, an arboretum of extraordinary shape was laid. Paths diverged from the central circle. Each sector thus formed was planted with plants of a certain part of the world.
In these years, work began on crop breeding, which was picked up by the current Institute of Agriculture of the Central Black Earth Strip. V.V. Dokuchaev, located in the Stone Steppe of the Voronezh Region, Talovsky District. The best varieties of wheat, corn, sunflower, soy and other crops have been created here.
In the postwar years, the Stone Steppe reached the level of maximum return on labor invested in it. The steppe landscape supported by human labor was adjacent to agricultural land. They did not interfere with each other. Moreover, the drought of 1946 passed for this territory with the least losses. Harvest in the fields of the Stone steppe near Buturlinovka was 3-4 times higher than in other territories.
Stalin's post-war plan for the transformation of nature was based on materials and scientific conclusions made by employees of the Research Institute.
Walk on the Stone Steppe
How are things today? Tour operators of the Voronezh region offer sightseeing trips to the Stone steppe. Several routes of different lengths have been laid here, allowing you to see all the most remarkable. Hiking trails are laid so as not to damage the Dokuchaevsky Oasis.
Layered forests have grown and reached a height of more than 20 meters. The upper tier is, of course, oak and maple. Under them lie lindens and apple trees. Further bird cherry and acacia. Man-made forest has become very real. Here appeared woodpeckers, birds that do not live outside the forest. In general, more than 100 species of birds nest in the “oasis”. There are many animals in the forests: from wild boars to hamsters.
Separate words require a water, also man-made, system. Forest lakes surrounded by trees do not give a drop to a drop of water. Their size is so impressive that some of them are called seas by the locals.