Georgy Fedorovich Morozov (; 7 January 1867 – 9 May 1920) was a Russian forester and biologist who introduced the first ecological ideas to classify forest types. He introduced ideas of "the forest as a plant society", which he developed into the definition of the forest as a complex biogeocenotic, geographic and historical phenomenon that was made up of non-living and living components.
Life
Morozov was born in
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
,
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, where his father worked in a linen drapery. He went to the military academy at
Pavlovsk and graduated in 1886 as a
second lieutenant. When posted in
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
, he met several students including the exiled revolutionary Olga Zandrok. After her period of exile had ended, he left the army, moved back to St. Petersburg with Olga and began to study the agricultural sciences at the Institute of Forestry. Morozov's father disowned him, and he was left to earn his own living by teaching while he studied.
He studied botany under
I.P. Borodin and was influenced by the soil scientist
P.A. Kostichev, the zoologist N.A. Kholodkovsky and at the Zandrok household by the anatomist and family friend
Peter Lesgaft
Peter Franzevich Lesgaft (; 21 September 1837 – 1909) was a Russian teacher, anatomist, physician and social reformer. He was the founder of the modern system of physical education and medical-pedagogical control in physical training, one of foun ...
. Lesgaft had been dismissed from
St. Petersburg University
Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...
for his political views but gave private lessons in anatomy, and Morozov attended them. That gave him a firm founding in evolution and comparative anatomy. Morozov graduated in 1893 and was grief-stricken when Olga Zandrok died from
diphtheria
Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...
. He later married Olga's sister Lidia Nikolaevna.
Morozov worked as a forester in the Khrenovk forest preserve in
Voronezh
Voronezh ( ; , ) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...
gubernia
A governorate (, , ) was a major and principal administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire. After the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, governorates remained as subdivisions in the Byelorussian, Russian and Ukrainian Soviet republics, and i ...
. In 1896, he was sent to study forest management in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
and spent time at the
Eberswalde Academy with Professor
Adam Friedrich Schwappach. On his return, he was posted to the Voronezh province to examine afforestation measures. The forest had been planned by the soil scientist
Vasily Dokuchaev
Vasily Vasilyevich Dokuchaev (; 1 March 1846 – 8 November 1903) was a Russian geologist and geographer who is credited with laying the foundations of soil science. The Ukrainian city of Dokuchaievsk is named after him.
Overview
V ...
to manage droughts. There, Morozovexamined the growth of pine and wrote his first work. In 1899, he wrote a work on forests and soils after he had examined Dokuchaev's works. Morozov worked with Dokuchaev and
G. I. Tanfilyev.
In 1901, Morozov was posted as professor of forestry in St. Petersburg. Morozov introduced the term "silvics" and considered the forest to be a connected and complex system, rather than a mere collection of trees. He examined the development of forests, plant succession and harvesting practices. He was also involved in higher education. In 1917, he suffered poor health and moved to
Yalta
Yalta (: ) is a resort town, resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crime ...
. In 1918, he took up a position at the new university in
Simferopol
Simferopol ( ), also known as Aqmescit, is the second-largest city on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, but controlled by Russia. It is considered the cap ...
, where he died about two years later.
References
External links
Почвоведение и лесоводство oil and Forestry(1899)
Содержание и задачи общего лесоводства he objectives of general forestry(1904)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morozov, Georgy Fedorovich
1867 births
1920 deaths
Foresters from the Russian Empire
Ecologists from the Russian Empire
People from Saint Petersburg