I am currently involved with forestry research in Western Siberia.  I am working with the West Siberian Branch of the V. N. Sukachev Insitute of Forests in Novosibirsk, Russia.  Current research projects and interests in Siberia include:

1) Study of natural afforestation of technogenically disturbed lands in the coal fields of Kuznetsk and the oil and gas fields around Nizhnevartovsk.

2) Forest restortation technologies for technogenically disturbed lands in Western Siberia.

3) Silvicultural practices involving regeneration and increasing productivity of scots pine, Russian cedar pine, and aspen and birch forests.

4) Development of domestic and international markets for west-Siberian forest products.

Western Siberia is the in the northwest corner of Asia.  East of the Ural Mountains, south of the Kara Sea and, west of the Yenesei River, and north of Kazhakstan and Mongolia.  Western Siberia is dominated by the floodplain of the mighty Ob River, but it also includes a portion of the heavily forested Altai Mountains.

The great State Theatre of Opera and Ballet on Lenin Square in Novosibirsk.  For more pictures of my Siberian friends and the great City of Novosibirsk, go here.

Forest Engineer Nikolai and forestry student Angelika collect data on natural afforestation on the Kedrovskiy Coal Mine in Kuzbass.  For more pictures of Siberian Coal Mines, go here.

Below is a view of an oil pad near Lake Samatlor,  not far from the city of Nizhnevartovsk.  For more pictures of the world's largest oil field and the forest region surrounding Nizhnevartovsk, go here.

I conduct research at the West Siberian Branch (in Novosibirsk) of the V. N. Sukachev Institute of Forests.  Below,  one of the weekly seminars for scientists is led by V. N. Sedykh, Chief Scientist of the Institute.