More than 60 species of rare and endangered vascular plant species are found in forests with oak. About 20 protected species grow in secondary oak forests adjacent to cities or settlements. The article provides information about the presence of rare plants in particular areas. Rare species are quite resistant to such anthropogenic influences as early spring fires, which oak forests experience almost annually. The greatest danger to the conservation of plant biodiversity is the cutting down of secondary oak forests for the construction of linear, industrial and civil objects.

An article about the famous Far Eastern forester, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Honored Forester of Russia Yuri Ivanovich Manko (25.11.1931 – 19.02.2021). After graduating from the Siberian Forestry Institute in 1954, he was assigned to the Far Eastern branch of the SB Academy of Sciences of the USSR named after V.L. Komarov and taken to the Department of Botany and Plant Science in the Laboratory of Forestry, which was organized and headed by Professor Boris Pavlovich Kolesnikov. In 1966, already as part of the Biology and Soil Sience Institute, established in 1962, the laboratory was reorganized into a non-structural forest Department. In 1962, Yu.I. Manko defended his Candidate thesis «Natural regeneration of fir-spruce forests of the northern half of Sikhote-Alin and some issues of their structure and development», in 1985 – his doctoral dissertation «Ayan spruce (distribution, biology, classification of forest types, features of age structure and dynamics of phytocenoses». The scientific heritage of Yuri Ivanovich exceeds 330 publications on forestry, botany, soil science, botanical geography, history of science, nature conservation issues. Yuri Ivanovich Manko throughout his scientific activity developed and promoted the «genetic» or «geographical-genetic» direction of forest typology closely related to the forest formation process, which was developed on the basis of the scientific heritage of B.A. Ivashkevich-B.P. Kolesnikov. He supplemented the theory of the forest formation process by characterizing the zonal features of this process in the area of the Ayan spruce with autogenous vegetation development and exogenous destructive effects. They were shown that the spectrum of particular forest-forming processes is specific for various sub-formations and geographical facies, and their dynamics depends on geomorphological conditions and the speed of modern reliefforming processes. The name of Yuri Ivanovich Manko is inscribed in the history of Far Eastern science as an outstanding researcher of forests.

The long-lived yew (Taxus cuspidata) in the National park “Udege Legend”. L.A. SIBIRINA, G.A. GLADKOVA (Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity, FEB RAS, Vladivostok). Dating the age of species of the genus Taxus presents certain difficulties due to the fact that old yews are hollow. On the territory of the National park “Udege Legend” in the Korean pine-spruce-yew forest in the basin of the Kovalevsky Stream (right bank of the Bolshaya Ussurka River), a long-lived yew grows, whose age according to the all–Russian program “Trees – monuments of the wildlife” is 2000 years. To confirm or deny this information, it was decided to use all available methods to estimate the age of this yew tree. A dendrochronological survey of this and nearby growing trees of T. cuspidata showed that the average growth rate is quite high and is 0.94 mm per year. Based on instrumental and calculated data, it is established that the age of the long-lived yew is 502 years.

The history of the creation of forestry divisions in Primorskaya Oblast is shown. The dates of its formation are established with high accuracy. An attempt was made to restore the names of the heads of forestry divisions (foresters), who managed not only of forest lands, but all state property of the region. The paper concisely reflects the legislative framework of forestry activities.

RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST SCIENCE. 2017, No. 3, pp. 163-175 APPLICATION OF THE INITIAL FOREST SURVEY MATERIALS TO FIND THE KEY INTACT FOREST SITES IN FAR EAST Y. I. Man’ko, L. A. Sibirina, G. A. Gladkova Biology and Soil Science Institute, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences 100-let-Vladivostoku ave. 159, Vladivostok, 690022, Russia E-mail: manko@ibss.dvo.ru Received 9 February 2016 We provide a short review of the development history of the Far East and the first sampling plots initiated in various forest formations by A.G. Petrovich, a pioneer in forest studies of Primorye, right after its incorporation in 1870-71. The sampling plots reflect the composition and productivity of typical forest sites, and thus could be used as etalons of intact forests. Protected areas in forests of the Far East should become the monitoring basis of forest forming processes under natural and human induced changes. 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We provide a short review of the development history of the Far East and the first sampling plots initiated in various forest formations by A.G. Petrovich, a pioneer in forest studies of Primorye, right after its incorporation in 1870–1871. The sampling plots reflect the composition and productivity of typical forest sites, and thus could be used as etalons of intact forests. Protected areas in forests of the Far East should become the monitoring basis of forest-forming processes under natural and human-induced changes. The authors recommend organizing the growth plots in undisturbed and secondary forests there.

A detailed-route survey of forests of the National Park “Udege legend” revealed the location of 7 species of the Orchidaceae family (Cephalanthera longibracteata, Cypripedium macranthon, C. calceolus, C. ventricosum, Liparis japonica, Epipactis papillosa, Oreorchis patens), 5 of which are included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation. In the park, one of the largest Cephalanthera longibracteata populations in Primorsky Krai, numbering more than 120 individuals, was found. A point-based account of Orchidaceae showed that their main populations are located in an oak formation in which crown and ground fires should be eliminated. Findings of representatives of the Orchidaceae family in the National Park supplement the information on the distribution of protected species in the territory of Primorsky Krai.

The results of an investigation of mixed broadleaved forest in the basin of the Bolshaya Ussurka River (territory of National Park «The Udege Legend») with the following relict vascular plant species: Taxus cuspidata, Picea jezoensis, Coniogramme intermedia, Osmundastrum asiaticum, Osmorhiza aristata in the basin of the Bolshaya Ussurka River (territory of National Park «The Udege Legend») are presented. Taxus cuspidata is a dominant in this forest. High biological diversity is typical for this forest type. 89 species of vascular plants, belonging to various ecobiomorfological groups, are recorded on the studied plot.

Prickly castor-oil tree (Kalopanax septemlobus) is a valuable medicinal, edible and ornamental tree. It is included in the «Red Book of the Russian Federation» as a rare species. The mean density on 1 ha of Kalopanax stems and understory individuals on the Russian Island were respectively 5.8 and 20.5. The density of potentially mature trees was3.4 stems/ha. These unique species habitats on the Russian Island are destroyed or degraded due to large-scale construction, fires and high recreational load. The stands with Kalopanax participation should be protected; it is necessary to take measures to its natural and artificial regeneration.

Fir-spruce forest condition in the Central Sikhote-alin is considered in the article. It is determined that natural dark coniferous forests in the Bikin river upper courses are in the unstable condition. Secondary ripening even-aged fir-spruce forests which did not suffer from large drying out in 1980th now got the structure, which is characteristic to the normal forest stands.

Rare plant communities of the "Ussuriisk" nature reserve are considered in the article. Rarity categories, protection reasons, laws of their distribution, habitat conditions and the basic destabilizing factors are given for each community.

The article gives the results of the research of soil ranging in broad-leave cedar forests of the Ussurisk national park according to the natural fertility character and productive moisture reserves. The character of the definite soil types (subtypes) relevant to the types of forests is shown.