Oleshkovsky sands, Ukrainian desert

The Oleshkovskaya Desert - the only one in Europe, and like all deserts in the world has anthropogenic origin, that is, in their occurrence guilty people.

 

Deserts are spreading rather quickly, and if this process started, it is already inevitable. Once upon a time there were forests on the site of the Oleshkovskaya Desert, but they were destroyed, for the firing of stoves in the manufacture of Florentine glass. Soils dried up, humus was burnt out of them, leaving only the sand fraction, on which the erosion processes are very rapidly developing. This sand is very hot, and of course, plants in this area can not grow any more. This way there is a desert.

 

This desert from Oleshkov stretched up to Kakhovka. The threat of its proliferation was very large, it was possible to stop this process during the postwar years by the forging of the territory. Oleshki are on the left bank of the Dnieper, and unlike the right bank of the plain Kherson have hilly relief, so-called kuchuguri. In fact, the huge dunes that are now planted. The history of afforestation is also quite interesting. The pine trees had to be planted several times, because they were dead, until a man named "Zelenlis" appeared. He said that without mushrooms, the pine trees will not grow. The implications of soil mushrooms, which should grow in symbiosis with the root system of these plants. And then they began to bring thousands of tons of forest land, throwing them into the hole to the tree, and only then pine trees began to get used to it.

 

Must also visit Oleshki. Firstly, in itself a small town interesting, with a rich history, there was immediately Oleshkivsky Sich. Secondly - the desert. You can ride on quad bikes. And yet, there are the sweetest water melons. Once upon a time there was even a station of watermills, where they were engaged in the selection of watermelons.

 

Translation by Irina Makukha