The use of secondary forest resources
Every year on the lands of forest fund of Belarus grows up to 50 thousand tonnes of fruits and berries, about 60 thousand tons of edible mushrooms and about 90 thousand tons of medicinal raw materials; biological resources of birch sap is 480 thousand tons.
More than 360 species of plants of marshes and forests are widely used in scientific and folk medicine, and currently about 30% of medicines are produced from plant material.
Many forest products, especially berry plants of the Cranberry family (cranberries, blueberries, cranberries, blueberries) and mushrooms are rich in biologically active substances with capillary-roborant, tonic, anti-inflammatory, bacteriocidal, hematopoietic, anti-tumor and antiradiation action.
Fruits of a cranberry, bilberry, blueberry, cranberry and many species of edible forest mushrooms in sufficient quantity contain critical components of the antioxidant system (amino acids and minerals) that promotes the removal of radionuclides from the body and allows to some extent to have a positive impact on the strengthening of the human immune system.
The most economically important are the berry plants: blueberry, cranberry, blueberries and cranberries, and fruit of the mountain ash. For its own needs, the population is also stocking strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, kostyaniki and some other species.
The maximum resources of fruit and berry plants are located in the territory of Minsk (28%) and Gomel (26%) areas. The greatest stocks in general on the republic note bilberry – 33 thousand tons (66%) and a cranberry – 11,2 thousand tons (22,5%), the smallest – a mountain ash ordinary (1,1 thousand tons, or 2,2%) and blueberry (1,3 thousand tons, or 2,6% of a biological stock of all main types).
On volumes of preparations bilberry (up to 5 thousand tons annually) and a cranberry (about 1 thousand tons) are in the first place. Cowberry is prepared by the population generally for own needs in recent years; preparations of blueberry are very insignificant.
Of the more than 200 species of edible mushrooms growing in Belarusian forests only little more than 20 species are harvested : cepe, chanterelle real, orange-cap boletus, rough boletus, suillus, bovinus mushroom, a morel conic, a morel сap, lorchel, a saffron milk cap, a yellow pepper mushroom, a black pepper mushroom, sharp agaric, laserwort, а gorkusha (Agaricus amarus), a valuy (Agaricus emeticus), russulas, a skrypytsia ( Lactarius vellereu), a serushka (Lactarius flexuosus), krasnushka (Lactarius subdulcis), honey fungus, blewits, greenfinch.
Along with carrying out forestry and logging operations for the rational and effective use of forest resources, the organizations of the Ministry of Forestry carry out harvesting of secondary forest resources and gum.