Mitrofan Kuzmich Turskii

Turskii, Mitrofan Kuz’mich 

Born Mar. 21 (Apr. 2), 1840, in the city of Narva; died Sept. 16 (28), 1899, in Moscow. Russian silviculturist.

Turskii graduated from the University of St. Petersburg in 1862. In 1876 he became a professor, holding the chair of forestry at the Petrovskoe Farming and Forestry Academy (now the K. A. Timiriazev Moscow Agricultural Academy). His principal works dealt with forest management inventory and forestry. Turskii compiled tables for forest management inventory. He also worked out a method for determining the photophily of tree species and a scale showing their light requirements.

From 1877 to 1880, Turskii directed experimental plantings on the grounds of the Petrovskoe Farming and Forestry Academy. The plantings exist to this day and are of great significance. Turskii tried out various schemes for mixing plantings of tree species and studied the influence of density on the growth and quality of the plantings. He also conducted experiments involving the cultivation of trees and shrubs from seeds of various geographic origin. Turskii’s expedition of 1893–99 laid the basis for the study of the forests of the Volga and Dnieper basins.

WORKS

Tablitsy dlia taksatsii lesa, 7th ed. Moscow, 1910.
Razvedenie lesnykh derev’ev, 9th ed. Moscow, 1912.
Lesovodstvo, 6th ed. Moscow, 1954.

REFERENCE

Eitingen, G. F. “Mitrofan Kuz’mich Turskii.” In Vydaiushchiesia deiateli otechestvennogo lesovodstva, issue 2. Moscow-Leningrad, 1950.