It’s for a reason that Karelia is called the land of lakes and woods. Forests, represented in the region by northern and middle taiga, occupy over 85% of the territory. No wonder the life and work of many Karelian inhabitants is connected with the forest in one way of another. Naturally, there is a whole institute at the Karelian Research Centre RAS to perform forest studies. Forest Research Institute KarRC RAS was founded back in 1957, and its employees have contributed greatly to the conservation of the biodiversity, management and regeneration of the biological-resource potential of boreal forests.

The Institute develops recommendations and guidelines in the fields of forestry, sustainable environmental management, and nature conservation. Furthermore, the Institute was among the initiators of creating many protected areas in the republic, such as nature reserves and national parks.

The day before, on Sept. 18, Forest Workers’ Day was formally celebrated at a gathering at the Petrozavodsk Forest Engineering College. The Head of Karelia was there to congratulate specialists on their professional holiday. At this event, the team of the Forest Research Institute KarRC RAS was awarded a certificate of honor for their professional excellence and contribution to the development of the forestry sector of the Republic of Karelia.

To honor the day, employees of the Forest Research Institute KarRC RAS will give several lectures about Karelian forest. The first one has already taken place at Lisyi Ogni Modern Art Museum in Petrozavodsk. This lecture by Doctor of Biological Sciences Alexander Kryshen was titled “Forest and Climate”.

Two more lectures will also take place at Lisyi Ogni museum on 23 and 24 September. "Can curly birch fit into a palm?" is the title of the lecture given on Sept. 23. Doctor of Biological Sciences Lydia Vetchinnikova will talk about curly (aka Karelian) birch: where it occurs, what generates its figured grain, why its artificial propagation is done with clones rather than seeds, how curly birch is related to the Little Ice Age.

Finally, on Sept. 24, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences Boris Raevsky will lecture on “Physiographical characteristics of the landscape cover of the Republic of Karelia”, where he will talk about the region’s landscape diversity with examples from Karelia’s major protected areas.