THE TURKESTAN REGION 141 



ammodendron) forms the chief tree species. This 

 species grows freely over the wide tract from the 

 Caspian Sea to Lake Balcash, in spite of the bad 

 treatment it receives from man and the constant 

 damage done to it by cattle. There are consider- 

 able forests on the Turkestan plateau, though here 

 again grazing cattle do a great deal of damage, 

 as also do fires. Many tree species are present in 

 these forests in the Fergen, Samarkand, Sirdarya, and 

 Semirechensk districts, the chief being the spruce 

 (Picea schrenkiana), which forms the principal species 

 in the Semirechensk district ; the archa (a species of 

 juniper) ; the walnut, maple, poplar, birch, and ash. 

 In addition in the hill forests of Turkestan, the wild 

 apple, almond, plum (uruk), apricot (caragach), etc., 

 are commonly found. 



The Transcaspian Forests. — Finally a few words 

 may be added on the species found in the fairly 

 extensive but as yet scarcely explored Transcaspian 

 forests. These forests play an important part in the 

 Transcaspian district, as they keep the sands from 

 shifting — that ever-present danger in a desert region — 

 and help to form fertile oases. They also render possi- 

 ble cattle-breeding. A considerable proportion of the 

 species growing in the forests are of the desert type, and 

 similar to those occupying the Turkestan deserts, e.g. 

 the saksaul, etc. In addition, the acacia occurs, here 

 called suzem, and reaches a height of 21 feet with a dia- 

 meter of 7 inches at the surface of the ground. About 

 1,350,000 acres of the Transcaspian forests are situated 

 in the hills, including those in the valleys of Murgab, 

 Fedzhena, and along the smaller rivers in the rural 



