Grove, clearing, clearing, edge - all these concepts are inextricably linked with the same object, with the forest! And in our article we will talk about one of them. Forest edge - what is it? And what does this word mean?
The edge of the forest is ...
The word itself came from the Russian verb “to lower”. Since ancient times in Russia the so-called fur lining of outer clothing. Later this word began to be used in the meaning that will be discussed in our article. In simple words, the edge of the forest is its edge, the end. Looking into the dictionary of V.I. Dahl, you can find many synonyms for this word: a small street, a burst, an afforestation and others. The edge of a pine forest is also often called rebellion.
Descriptions and references to the forest edge are quite often found in poems, short stories, songs and proverbs. Further we will consider some examples.
“You won’t recognize the edge of the forest!”
“Do not look for a hare in the forest - sitting at the edge”
This picturesque part of the forest was very loved and loved by artists. In particular, the great Russian landscape painter Ivan Shishkin captured a lot of forest edges on his canvases.
Edge as the boundary of ecosystems
From a scientific point of view, the edge of the forest is a narrow transitional strip passing between two geobotanical communities. The width of this strip, as a rule, does not exceed 100 meters. Here, the thickness of the lower tiers of the forest (the so-called undergrowth and forest stand), lianas and shrubs significantly increases.
In wildlife, there are no clear boundaries between two neighboring ecosystems. Between them there are some transitional zones called ecotones. One of the clearest examples of ecotone is precisely the edge of the forest. Does this mean that the edge does not belong to any of the geobotanical communities? Yes, in fact, the way it is.
At the edge of the forest, not only vegetation, but also the fauna, as well as the soil cover, are significantly changing (in comparison with the forest). Many birds prefer to live here, and not inside the forest. Typical representatives of the edge of the forest are rowan, hawthorn, raspberry, elderberry, wild rose and other shrubs. By the way, the more developed the edge, the more useful it is for the forest. After all, it reliably protects the forest from harsh and gusty winds. To this end, the edges are very often created artificially.