Hiking season in Kazakhstan.

"In the fir forest - work, in the birch wood – have fun, in the cedar wood - pray to God"

Skiing outing in West Altai reserve.

The West Altai national natural reserve is organized by the Resolution of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 1519-XN of July 3, 1992. The reserve is created for the purpose of implementation of functions on preservation and studying in natural state and to development of natural processes of typical and unique ecological systems, biological diversity and genetic fund of a plant and animal life of the Western Altai.
Now the total area of the reserve makes 86122 hectares. From them the area covered with the wood - 49002 hectares that makes 57% of all territory. Occupies parts of the administrative territory of the town of Ridder (54.533 hectares) and Zyryanovsky district (31589) hectares.
The area of a security zone makes 22475 hectares including on city lands of Ridder of 14318 hectares, on lands of Zyryanovsky district of 8157 hectares. In West Altai Nature Reserve there are 4 ecological educational routes: 1. Aleshkina stitches 2. Standard of the Western Altai 3. Reserved Dali 4. Stone fairy tale.
West Altai Nature Reserve not the biggest reserve in Kazakhstan across the territory, has many interesting places and puzzles. All sights strike with the beauty and are surprising unusual to manifestations of the nature.
On these natural sights it is necessary to spend the time. The pine Siberian (Cedar) (Latin Pínus sibírica) Kazakh - Sibir samyrsyna grows in mountains of the ridge Lineysky in the territory of the West Altai national natural reserve.
Diameter of the main trunk of a pine the Siberian 2 meters, height – 18,5 meters. At the height of 2 meters the trunk at a pine is divided into 7 trunks, a branch which is from East side dried. The age of a pine from 400 to 500 years, tree regularly fructifies cedar cones.
The cedar is on a popular route "Reserved distances", the tree can be seen from a track. The cedar at many people of Siberia and Altai is considered a tree sacred. Not without reason in the people it is told "In the fir forest - work, in the birch wood – have fun, in the cedar wood - pray to God".
The cedar gives to people, animals, birds in the wood life, all eats nuts of a cedar live in the wood. There are no nuts – there are no forest inhabitants in a taiga. A cedar – the tsar of a taiga, any other tree in Siberia with a cedar is incomparable.
Cedar giant athlete. Cedars grow in all territory of the reserve including in the neighborhood of the natural boundary "Monomakh's Cap".

Author
Elena Lyamkina, town of Ridder.

Photos
Alexander Petrov.