The article contains brief information from the life and scientific work of the founders of forest breeding, who worked in Voronezh. On the initiative of N.P. Kobranov in 1919, on the basis of Voronezh Agricultural Institute, a forestry department was opened, which was later transformed into the forestry faculty, and since 1930 Voronezh Forestry Institute (now VSUFT) was organized. The main scientific work of N.P. Kobranov is the country's first publication on forest selection - the monograph “Oak selection” (1925), which also outlined possible ways of selection development of forest woody plants in general. Further, his associates and colleagues were engaged in the introduction and selection of forest tree species in the pre-war period: O.G. Kapper ("Study of ecotypes of tree species", 1946; "Conifers", 1954, etc.) and S.A. Samofal (manuscript of his doctoral dissertation "Heredity and variability of forest species and their importance for forest growing", 1938, etc.). Then a huge contribution to the development of forest breeding in the country was made by M.M. Veresin ("Forest seed production", 1963; "Centennial experience of afforestation in the Savalsky forestry", 1963; "Forests of Voronezh", 1971; a new program for forest selection for universities, 1966, etc.). He is the author of grandiose experiments on the geographical planting of Scots pine on an area of about 40 hectares, including more than 350 origins. In addition, he created oak, nut, Karelian birch, seed plantations and collections of hybrids of different tree species. He developed a number of new highly productive poplar hybrids. The director of the Voronezh Forestry Institute V.I. Rubtsov, who himself laid large-scale experimental field facilities for Scots pine forest plantations. Vasily Ivanovich played an important role in the creation of Central Institute of Forest Genetics and Breeding in Voronezh. Among the well-known successors of forest selection work in the country is the director of All-Union Scientific Production Association "Soyuzlesselektsiya" A.I. Iroshnikov. Under him (together with Voronezh Forestry Institute and the Central Research Institute of Forest Genetics and Breeding), a department of forest selection was organized. All these scientists have shown an example of selfless service to the chosen cause
Region effects influence local tree species diversity