Tales from the tiger front: Sergei Ganzei is American Forests' local contact for tree planting in Russia. With help from field rep Zane Smith, here's an update on this ongoing Global ReLeaf project. (Communities).

American Forests: How many tigers remain in the wild? Has that number changed recently? Do you see any trends connected with this?

Dr. Ganzei: The total number of Siberian tigers in 1996 was calculated at between 415 and 476. For the last 100 years the Siberian tiger population in Russia has fluctuated dramatically from a relatively high number at the beginning of the century through a critical low in the late 1930s and early 1940s, when an estimated 20 to 30 animals remained in the Russian Far East.

A population of probably no more than 50 during the early 1940s gradually increased to 300-400 in the early 1990s. The number of tigers has not changed significantly over the last five years. There are about 20 monitoring areas in Primorsky Krai where during the winter season our scientists use tiger tracks to calculate the count.

American Forests: What do the villagers who live near tiger preserves and plantations think about the recovery efforts?

Dr. Ganzei: In general they have a very positive reaction. Schoolchildren often take part in these recovery efforts by helping to plant, then watch for the planted seedlings and protect them. The phrase "No trees-no tigers" came from the local people. The "real-life" translation of this means that without forests life becomes gray; without tigers people lose part of life.

American Forests: Are any similar recovery efforts underway for other species?

Dr. Ganzei: Yes, the Far East leopard (Felis pardus orientalis) is in the same dangerous situation. There are only 30-45 leopards in the southwest of Primorsky Krai; it is the last wild population. The leopard has a similar, but not identical, habitat to the tiger. The reforestation work we are doing with AMERICAN FORESTS in southwest Primorye is aimed at tigers but will also benefit Far East leopards.

American Forests: Why is the Siberian tiger so important to the people of Russia (economically, emotionally, etc.)?

Dr. Ganzei: For all people--not just Russians--tigers are beautiful, powerful animals, the largest of the remaining five subspecies of cats. It is interesting that the city of Vladivostok uses tigers in its coat of arms as a symbol of power, safety, and wisdom.

It seems to me that economic stability and economic growth in Russia will help tigers because there is a connection between them. During times of economic crisis many people go to the forest to find additional food, futher taxing the ungulate population. Ungulate numbers have decreased, causing an imbalance between tigers and prey.

Most importantly, there has been a dramatic increase in poaching since the beginning of the 1990s. Various measures, including legislation, additional antipoaching rangers, and our work with local people, are helping to stem this increase, but I think improving the economic situation in Russia can't help but be beneficial to tiger recovery.

American Forests: Describe the Korean pine used in this project.

Dr. Ganzei: Korean pine is a stately tree reaching 115-130 feet in height and 4 feet in diameter. Pinus koraiensis can live to be 350 to 400 years old Its wood is comparable to common pine: soft, yellow-red or light pink, usually used as building material. The nuts are rich in oil and other mineral components and are a popular food. Russian federal law now forbids cutting Korean pine, as these forests are habitat of numerous animals that tigers hunt. For this project we used 3-year-old Korean pine grown in a special nursery. We also used 8-month-old seedlings prepared with U.S. Forest Service help in a greenhouse nursery in Primorsky Krai.

American Forests: Describe the type of plantings done for this project.

Dr. Ganzei: In 2000 we used standard planting methods with bulldozed strips 33 feet in width, spaced 100 feet apart with 810 seedlings per acre planted in a line down the middle of the strip from 8-12 inches apart. In 2001 we changed the planting method, based on joint research and trials with the U.S. Forest Service, eliminating bulldozed strips and planting 405 seedlings per acre evenly distributed across the area in a checkerboard pattern.

American Forests: How are the trees planted last year in the Global ReLeaf projects doing? What's the usual survival rate for these trees, and how do ours compare?

Dr. Ganzei: We planted seedlings in late April and early May when soil moisture was optimum for seedlings. We lost approximately 15 percent of the planted seedlings in the fall and another 3 to 5 percent during the winter. The first two or three years are the most critical for seedlings. We estimate that 300 to 350 mature Korean pine (and very often less) combined with the mature oaks on site are sufficient to support tigers. Therefore, our plantings are considered a success.

American Forests: How did you and the Institute become involved in this project? What role does the Pacific Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences have in this partnership?

Unfortunately, forest ecosystems in the Primorsky region (where AMERICAN FORESTS is planting its Global ReLeaf Forests) have been significantly altered over the last decade by economic activity such as fuelwood use, agriculture, and timber cutting; poaching; and fires. As a result, we lost many of the wildlife corridors tigers used to travel between reserves.

Dr. Ganzei: The Pacific Institute of Geography is evaluating the capacity of forest ecosystems to support wildlife at the same time that we are developing strategies to protect and conserve rare and endangered predators, ungulates, birds, and reptiles, including the Siberian tiger.

We are pleased to have joined efforts with AMERICAN FORESTS to restore tiger habitat in Primorsky Krai. The Institute provides the scientific expertise to ensure the reforestation work takes into account the tigers' habitat needs. The Forest Department performs the actual reforestation work, and AMERICAN FORESTS provides financial support through its Global ReLeaf program. We started this project in 2000 and plan to continue it during the next five years. The main goal is to plant 1 million Korean pine (Pinus koraensis) seedlings.

American Forests: Tell us your background (education, experiences, etc.).

Dr. Ganzei: I received my undergraduate degree in geography (geomorphology and paleogeography) from the Far East State University in Vladivostok in 1976 and have worked at the Pacific Institute of Geography ever since. I received my Ph.D. in 1984 from Moscow State University. After that I returned to Vladivostok and the Institute as a research associate, scientific secretary, and deputy director.

In 1993 I became the Russian coordinator for the joint American-Chinese-Russian Sustainable Development Ussuri Plan completed in 1996. Modern environmental problems related to the sustainable development of the region is now the focus of my field work.

American Forests: Describe how you envision future plantings (sites, planting size, tree species, etc.).

Dr. Ganzei: We believe the tigers' most critical habitat is in southwest Primorye. This is where Russia, China, and North Korea (DPRK) share common borders and the area is impacted by China's proposed Tumen River Development Project. This tiger habitat area is poorly connected with the primary habitat of the Sikhote-Alin Mountains. We now have the opportunity to construct ecological corridors between these two areas in Primorsky Krai and between Russian, Chinese, and North Korean habitat areas.

We hope to plant Korean pine on about 250370 acres per year in Russia for the next two years after nursery capacity is increased. There are an estimated 24,700 acres that are considered suitable for future habitat restoration if funding is available.

American Forests: Describe how you envision these forests in five years.

Dr. Ganzei: As young children who are anxious to grow but require protection and nurturing to reach maturity.

American Forests: Have you ever seen a tiger in the wild? If so, describe the experience.

Dr. Ganzei: God has protected me from such unwanted meetings, but together with Dr. Pikunov (Russia's foremost authority on the Siberian tiger), I followed a female tiger with cubs for several days one winter. We were observing the behaviors and habits of the tiger. When it seemed that the tigers became tense, we stopped in order to avoid any confrontation.

American Forests: What would you like to tell your grandchildren about this effort and your part in it?

Dr. Ganzei: If I have grandchildren, I'll tell them that due to the help of the American people we may save the biggest cats here in Primorsky Krai, not only for them but for all people. AF

Sergei Ganzei is deputy director of the Pacific Institute of Geography. Zane Smith. retired U.S. Forest Service, is AMERICAN FORESTS' field rep for the Pacific Northwest. Look for them both at AMERICAN FORESTS' 2001 National Urban Forest Conference in Washington, DC, September 5-8.