Forests of Semirechye.

"Furthermore, the Verny State Forest Grove, whose nurseries and schools occupied an area of ​​47 dessiatines in 1891, released 163,912 tree saplings for rent and 82,891 free of charge that year. Elm (a variety of elm) is grown in the tree nurseries; this species is most suitable for mass propagation and is suited to the country's climatic conditions. Ash, poplar, willow, birch, and, to a lesser extent, oak, maple, linden, hazel, white acacia, mulberry, dzhigida, ailanthus, and honey locust are also grown."

"Volosts and populated areas of Semirechye region." Issue 7. 1893.

Forest natural landmark of city of Verny.

Forests in Semirechye occupy primarily mountainous areas and serve as water conservation areas, protecting against erosion and mudflows. They protect rivers and other springs from drying up, provide moisture to the air, and given that most of the region is desert and steppe, their importance is even greater.
The issue of protecting existing forests arose immediately with the construction of the Verny fortification. Governor Gasfordt, on his first visit to Verny in 1958, ordered "no new wooden buildings be allowed in the Almaty villages, and those wishing to do so must be ordered to build from stone or mud brick."
The authorities, who had already established dachas and country houses in the Malaya Almatinka Gorge, understood the water conservation value of the mountain forests and recognized and valued their aesthetic and health benefits. In July 1970, the "Temporary Forest Regulations of the Semirechye Region" came into force.
The position of regional forester was established. Paragraph 22 of the "Code of Regulations for the Development of the City of Verny" stated:
"The construction of wooden houses and outbuildings is strictly prohibited in the new city."
However, Russians, especially Siberians, built wooden houses. The authorities attempted to somehow limit the felling of trees, and these were the mountain spruce trees. Completely eliminating the use of wood in construction was impossible, so each developer was allowed, with a permit, to cut 10 - 15 spruce trees for rafters, beams, floors, and ceilings.
At the same time, wood heating was restricted, and the construction of wooden fences and outbuildings was prohibited. Compliance with these regulations was monitored. On April 15, 1871, the governor sternly reprimanded the mayor (chief of police) for violations, noting that "wooden structures and even houses are being built in the city."
On average, timber harvesting figures for the period from 1881 to 1884 were as follows: 14,764 roots of timber, 11,725 ​​poles, 8,750 cubic meters of firewood, and 31,909 cubic meters of brushwood. The reduction in wood heating was due to the increased use of dung and kurai (weeds).
The situation changed dramatically after the catastrophic earthquake of May 28 1887, when stone construction was banned. The city grew, and willy-nilly, the felling of trees was forced upon the city. By 1904, of Verny's 2,046 houses, only 7 were made of stone.
Much timber was used to install telegraph poles and build bridges across numerous rivers. In 1884, 2,510 roots were used for telegraph lines; attempts to replace the wooden poles with other trees were unsuccessful, and one can only marvel that the famous Tien-Shan spruce forests survived at all.
The first forestry service in the region was organized back in the 1860s. The spruce forests of the Zailiskiy Ala-Tau were in particular need of protection. Cordons were established in each gorge, and foresters were stationed to guard the forests.
Foresters began releasing timber with special permits, issuing tickets, and following the instructions of the forester on site. Trees were selected for felling with the aim of minimizing damage to forests, especially mountainous ones. All this made it possible to preserve the mountain spruce forests, despite the fact that the town of Verny is built primarily of wood.
The streamlining of forestry, beginning in the 1870s, is associated with the work of E. O. Baum, a passionate defender of the forest. By order of March 10, 1876, he was appointed Semirechye Regional Forester and served faithfully in this position for 20 years.
In 1895, he reorganized the forestry, becoming a forest inspector in charge of six forestry units established in all districts. Their number subsequently increased. Each forestry unit was divided into forest dachas (more than 60 in total). A forest inspectorate was established, consisting of 82 rangers and 39 foresters.
Forestry duty was dangerous in the event of clashes with unauthorized loggers, so they, like rangers, were issued personal weapons in the form of revolvers. They were allocated 6 hundred square meters of land for farming, along with other benefits, and were under the tireless supervision of E. Baum, who wielded considerable authority among the authorities.
According to the law of the Russian Empire, forests were considered state-owned; in Semirechye, they were under the jurisdiction of the Regional Government. Due to the lack of an independent Semirechye administration for agriculture and state property, this role was fulfilled by the vice-governor at the beginning of the XXth century.
The regional governor (from 1903, Pavel Petrovich Ostashkin). Felling was carried out selectively under the supervision of foresters. Trees destined for felling were those that were dead or destined for stacking. In first-class forest dachas (usually near cities), felling was carried out only with the permission of the vice-governor.
Every felled trunk counted, as can be judged by reading the documents on the construction of the Cathedral in 1904 - 1906. 
Attention was also paid to afforestation. In 1898, 3 dessiatines of forest were planted. In total, more than 25 forest nurseries were founded using forest loan funds:
4 in the Lepsinsky Forestry, 3 in the Kopalsky Forestry, 2 in the Dzharkentsky Forestry, 2 in the Pishpeksky Forestry, 2 in the Przhevalsky Forestry, and 12 in the Vernensky Forestry. Beginning with the expansion of the main forest nursery - the Vernensky Forest Grove, now known as the Baum Grove - Eduard Ottonovich set about organizing an entire network of forest nurseries, which gradually evolved into groves, many of which still exist today.
Among the nurseries were:
In the Vernensky Forestry: in the Kazennaya Grove, in the Kargalinskaya Grove (near the village of Kazansko-Bogorodskoye), in the villages of Sofiyskaya and Nadezhdinskaya, in the villages of Mikhailovskoye and Zaytsevsky, and at the Samsinsky and Otarsky pickets.
In the Kopal Forestry: In the town of Kopal and the village of Karagalsky. In the Lepsinsky Forestry: in the villages of Sarkanskaya and Urdzharskaya, and the villages of Osinovsky and Stefanovsky. In the Dzharkent Forestry: In the Borokhudzirsky State Garden and near the Konur-Olen picket.
In the Przhevalsky Forestry: in the town of Przhevalsk and the village of Sazanovka. In the Pishpek Forestry: in the town of Pishpek and Tokmak. In addition to the Vernensky Grove and the State Garden, the Borokhudzirsky Garden, the groves in the Issyk and Turgen Gorges, the Chingildinsky Grove near the Chilik River, the forest nursery in Iliysk, the elm, oak, and birch groves in the Maloalmatinsky Gorge, and others, the Vernensky Forestry officially included:
The Aksai Grove, established in 1871 simultaneously with the construction of the road to Aksai and beyond. By 1877, 8 dessiatines of land adjacent to the Aksai River were planted. In 1878, the road to the Kargalinka River was lined with strips of trees on both sides, 5 sazhens wide and extending for 2 miles.
In 1882, plantings were extended from General Kolpakovsky's Grove to the Aksai River in strips 4 sazhens wide on both sides of the road for two miles. The work was financed by state forestry funds. A grove in the Koturbulak Gorge near the forest cordon. By 1879, 12 dessiatines were planted; by 1899, 30 dessiatines.
A grove with a nursery in the Kaskelen Gorge. By 1899, 8 dessiatines were planted. A grove in the Issyk Gorge, planted in 1880, occupied 12 dessiatines by 1898. Or some grove. Conscientious, knowledgeable forestry specialists worked in the region, such as V.V. Beik, V.V. Perovsky, and Yu.D. Adzhenkovich. Skorobogatko, Galcha, V.A. Shavrov, and others.

Authority:
Alexander Lukhtanov. "The City of Verny and the Semirechensk Region." Almaty, 2014.

Forestry in Semirechye Region in 1893.

Semirechye Region is poor in forests. In 1887, the region's naturally grown forests were declared state property, and they are currently receiving special attention from the local administration due to their enormous importance to the country. It is no exaggeration to say that the existence of forests in the Semirechye Region is inextricably linked to agriculture, and therefore, the country's culture.
Here, the forest's primary function as a moisture regulator is clearly evident, which, given its scarcity, makes it highly valuable. Naturally, therefore, the issue of artificial afforestation occupies a prominent place in the administration's concerns, striving, as far as possible, to prevent the depletion of the region's few existing forests.
The measures taken to achieve this goal are based on the idea that the population itself must directly participate in artificial afforestation. For centuries, the government, with its own resources, has supported this activity by establishing tree and garden nurseries, distributing seedlings free and for a fee, through economic councils, and so on.
Naturally, the results of these noble initiatives are still insignificant, and cannot be otherwise, given certain unfavorable conditions, among which legal land relations occupy a significant place. For example, despite the fact that the region's nurseries are overflowing with free tree seedlings, tree plantings are mostly confined to homesteads and streets.
Larger-scale plantings are, of course, practiced where climatic conditions are more favorable; therefore, the Sergiopol district ranks last in terms of afforestation. On the other hand, the frequent redistribution of public lands and the lack of plots free from redistribution are, in many places, a significant obstacle to more serious afforestation, since under such conditions, there is no certainty that, having planted trees, they will actually reap the benefits of their efforts, especially since afforestation only yields tangible benefits in the relatively distant future.
There are 24 state-owned forest nurseries in the Semirechye region, of which 3 are in the Sergiopol district, 12 in Vernoye, 3 in Kopalsky, 2 in Tokmaksky, 2 in Issyk-Kulsky, and 2 in Jarkentsky district. These nurseries occupy 67 dessiatines (1,500 acres); Of these, approximately 360,000 saplings were released for a fee and 82,891 saplings were released free of charge:
In 1888, approximately 360,000 saplings were released, in 1889, 170,000 saplings were released, in 1890, 250,000 saplings were released, and in 1891, 335,696 saplings were released. Furthermore, the Vernoye State Forest Grove, whose nurseries and schools occupied an area of ​​47 dessiatines (1,500 acres) in 1891, released 163,912 saplings for a fee and 82,891 saplings free of charge.
The nurseries cultivate elm (a variety of elm); this species is best suited for mass propagation and is well-suited to the country's climatic conditions. Other trees grown include ash, poplar, willow, birch, and, to a lesser extent, oak, maple, linden, hazel, black locust, mulberry, dzhigida, ailanthus, and honey locust.
Most nurseries cultivate apple and wild apricot trees. The profitability of natural stands in the Semirechye region increased especially after the earthquakes of the late 1980s, when it was deemed necessary to allocate timber for construction; prior to that, the use of state-owned timber for construction had been prohibited.
Forest profitability increased especially significantly after the earthquake in the Issyk-Kul district, as it was the hardest-hit area. The decline in firewood supply, compared to the years preceding 1888, is explained by the increasing use of substitute wood fuel (dung and kurai), as well as the fact that in areas where afforestation is more developed, such as in the Vernoye and Tokmak districts, the population obtains not only fuel but also timber and other timber from artificially planted stands. In addition to general factors, such as the need to allocate timber for construction, forest management is adversely affected by forest fires, unauthorized logging, and earthquakes, which in the 1980s destroyed a large amount of forest from avalanches and landslides.
But beyond this damage, earthquakes also have a detrimental effect on growing forests; for example, the Vernoye earthquake resulted in an increase in the number of dead trees each year, which is explained by the disruption of the root system. Like forest nurseries, the region also has horticultural nurseries.
The oldest of the state-owned gardens is Vernensky, followed by Borokhudzirsky, Pishpeksky, Dzharkentsky, Przhevalsky, and Arassansky.
The Vernensky garden produced:
Forest, fruit, and ornamental trees.
In 1888 – 41,116, in 1889 – 8,810, in 1890 – 7,190, in 1891 – 14,678.
The decrease in seedling releases compared to 1888 is due to the fact that the unpaid release was discontinued in 1888. In 1888, 1889, 1890, and 1891, 7,711 seedlings were sold from the Borokhudzirsky Garden, including 2,605 fruit trees, and 36,800 seedlings were given away free of charge, including 8,150 fruit trees.
The Pishpek City Garden is distinguished by the richness of its garden nurseries; in 1891, it contained over 100,000 fruit, ornamental, and forest seedlings, including 10,000 grafted ones.

Authority:
"Volosts and Settlements of the Semirechye Region." Issue 7. 1893.