Red Forest

{{main|Effects of the Chernobyl disaster}}

The Red Forest is located in the zone of alienation; this area received the highest doses of radiation from the Chernobyl disaster and the resulting clouds of smoke and dust, heavily polluted with radioactive contamination. The trees died from this radiation. The explosion and fire at the Chernobyl No. 4 reactor contaminated the soil, water and atmosphere with radioactive material equivalent to that of 20 times the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.{{cite web|url=http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Magazines/Bulletin/Bull472/pdfs/backtowild.pdf|title=Back to wild PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070415120352/http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Magazines/Bulletin/Bull472/pdfs/backtowild.pdf|archive-date=2007-04-15}}

In the post-disaster cleanup operations, a majority of the pine trees were bulldozed and buried in trenches by the "liquidators". The trenches were then covered with a thick carpet of sand and planted with pine saplings.Mary Mycio, Wormwood Forest: A Natural History of Chernobyl, {{ISBN|0-309-09430-5}} Many fear that as the trees decay, radioactive contaminants will leach into the ground water. People have evacuated the contaminated zone around the Red Forest.

Image:Chernobyl radiation map 1996.svg contamination in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine as of 1996]]

As humans were evacuated from the area in 1986, animals moved in despite the radiation. The flora and fauna of the Red Forest have been dramatically affected by the accident. It seems that the biodiversity of the Red Forest has increased in the years following the disaster.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/chornobyl/wildlifepreserve.htm|title=The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster and Subsequent Creation of the Wildlife Preserve|website=www.nsrl.ttu.edu|access-date=2018-12-20|archive-date=2006-04-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060428091553/http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/chornobyl/wildlifepreserve.htm|url-status=live}} There are reports of stunted plants in the area. Wild boar multiplied eightfold between 1986 and 1988.

The site of the Red Forest remains one of the most contaminated areas in the world. However, it has proved to be an astonishingly fertile habitat for many endangered species. The evacuation of the area surrounding the nuclear reactor has created a lush and unique wildlife refuge. In the 1996 BBC Horizon documentary "Inside Chernobyl's Sarcophagus", birds are seen flying in and out of large holes in the structure of the former nuclear reactor. The long-term impact of the fallout on the flora and fauna of the region is not fully known, as plants and animals have significantly different and varying radiologic tolerance. Some birds are reported with stunted tail feathers (which interferes with breeding). Storks, wolves, beavers, deer, and eagles have been reported in the area.{{cite web

|title=IAEA Report

|work=In Focus: Chernobyl

|access-date=20 March 2006

|url=http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/Chernobyl/index.shtml

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060327223301/http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/Chernobyl/index.shtml

|archive-date=27 March 2006

}}

[http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/Chernobyl/pdfs/pr.pdf Chernobyl: The True Scale of the Accident] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910104209/http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/Chernobyl/pdfs/pr.pdf |date=2008-09-10 }}, by International Atomic Energy Agency/World Health Organization/United Nations Development Programme, 5 September 2005.

In 2005, radiation levels in the Red Forest were in some places as high as 10 mSv/h. More than 90% of the radioactivity of the Red Forest was concentrated in the soil.

The nature of the area seems to have not only survived, but flourished due to significant reduction of human impact. The zone has become a "Radiological Reserve", a classic example of an involuntary park. Currently, there is concern about contamination of the soil with strontium-90 and caesium-137, which have half-lives of about 30 years. The highest levels of caesium-137 are found in the surface layers of the soil where they are absorbed by plants and insects living there today. Some scientists fear that radioactivity will affect the land for the next several generations.{{cite web |url=http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp157-c2.pdf |title=Background and Environmental Exposures to Cesium in the United States |access-date=2007-03-29 |archive-date=2004-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041108052032/http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp157-c2.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |url= http://ag.arizona.edu/swes/chorover_lab/pdf_papers/Bostick%20et%20al.,%202002.pdf |title= Cesium adsorption on clay minerals: An EXAFS spectroscopic investigation |journal= Environmental Science & Technology |year= 2002 |volume= 36 |issue= 12 |pages= 2670–2676 |doi= 10.1021/es0156892 |pmid= 12099463 |last1= Bostick |first1= B. C. |last2= Vairavamurthy |first2= M. A. |last3= Karthikeyan |first3= K. G. |last4= Chorover |first4= J. |bibcode= 2002EnST...36.2670B |access-date= 2007-03-29 |archive-date= 2012-07-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120716194240/http://ag.arizona.edu/swes/chorover_lab/pdf_papers/Bostick%20et%20al.,%202002.pdf |url-status= live }}

In April 2015, a large forest fire burning nearly {{cvt|400|ha}} came within {{cvt|20|km}} of the abandoned nuclear power plant, raising fears the flames would burn shrub and woodland surrounding the disaster zone, which could have released radioactive material into the atmosphere.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/weather/features/32519113 |title=Chernobyl forest fire contained |work=Helen Willetts reports for Global on BBC World News |year=2015 |access-date=2015-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502001501/http://www.bbc.com/weather/features/32519113 |archive-date=2015-05-02 }} The forest was ravaged again by another wildfire in April 2020 that caused an unknown amount of damage.{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/ukraine-wildfires-close-chernobyl-extinguished-rain-falls/story?id=70138987|title=Ukraine says wildfires close to Chernobyl are extinguished after rain falls|author=Patrick Reevell|work=ABC News|access-date=April 15, 2020|archive-date=April 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414235417/https://abcnews.go.com/International/ukraine-wildfires-close-chernobyl-extinguished-rain-falls/story?id=70138987|url-status=live}}

A study published in 2014 found that plant matter – leaf litter and trunks of dead trees – in the Red Forest area decays at a far slower rate than is typical for forest detritus. The researchers found that microorganisms responsible for decomposing forest litter do not act on such matter within the contaminated zone at nearly the rate seen in forests outside the zone. As a result, the amount of detritus – the major fuel of wildfires – is significantly larger than in other forests. Fire risks are therefore elevated compared with those in other forests with similar climatic conditions.{{cite journal | last = Mousseau | first = Timothy | title = Highly reduced mass loss rates and increased litter layer in radioactively contaminated areas | journal = Oecologia | volume = 175 | issue = 1 | pages = 429–37 | date = 3 March 2014 | doi = 10.1007/s00442-014-2908-8 | pmid = 24590204 | bibcode = 2014Oecol.175..429M | s2cid = 13940143}}{{Citation | last = Nuwer | first = Rachel | author-link = Rachel Nuwer | title = Forests Around Chernobyl Aren't Decaying Properly | journal = Smithsonian Magazine | date = 14 March 2014 | url = https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/forests-around-chernobyl-arent-decaying-properly-180950075/ | access-date = 27 April 2022 | archive-date = 26 April 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220426092229/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/forests-around-chernobyl-arent-decaying-properly-180950075/ }}

In February 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces reportedly moved vehicles through the Red Forest, using it as a route for their convoys, which kicked up clouds of radioactive dust from the forest. Local workers reported the Russian troops moving through the Red Forest were not using protective suits and could have potentially endangered themselves.{{Cite news |date=2022-03-29 |title=Unprotected Russian soldiers disturbed radioactive dust in Chernobyl's 'Red Forest', workers say |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/unprotected-russian-soldiers-disturbed-radioactive-dust-chernobyls-red-forest-2022-03-28/ |access-date=2022-03-29 |archive-date=2022-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329223027/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/unprotected-russian-soldiers-disturbed-radioactive-dust-chernobyls-red-forest-2022-03-28/ |url-status=live }} During their occupation of the forest, troops also reportedly shot and consumed wild animals living in the area and fished for Wels catfish living in abandoned cooling ponds for the power plant, likely ingesting radioactive materials in the process.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-03 |title=Russian Soldiers Camped in Chernobyl's Radioactive Forest. Guess What Happened Next. |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a43756202/russian-soldiers-sick-after-camping-in-chernobyl-radioactive-forest/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=Popular Mechanics |language=en-US}} {{Dubious|reason=The source is sensationalist and includes unrelated claims|date=August 2024}}

On 31 March 2022, it was reported that most of the Russian troops occupying Chernobyl were forced to pull back after suffering from radiation sickness caused by digging trenches in the heavily contaminated Red Forest.{{Cite web |url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/03/31/chernobyl-withdrawn-russian-troops-suffering-radiation-poisoning-16377485/ |title=Dozens of Russian troops 'fall ill with radiation poisoning' at Chernobyl |date=31 March 2022 |access-date=2022-03-31 |archive-date=2022-03-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331192237/https://metro.co.uk/2022/03/31/chernobyl-withdrawn-russian-troops-suffering-radiation-poisoning-16377485/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-troops-suffer-acute-radiation-sickness-after-digging-chernobyl-trenches |title=Russian Troops Suffer 'Acute Radiation Sickness' After Digging Chernobyl Trenches |newspaper=The Daily Beast |date=31 March 2022 |access-date=2022-03-31 |archive-date=2022-03-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331154048/https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-troops-suffer-acute-radiation-sickness-after-digging-chernobyl-trenches |url-status=live |last1=Nadeau |first1=Barbie Latza }} There has not been independent confirmation that the pull-back was caused by radiation sickness,{{Cite web |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/world/russians-leave-chornobyl-as-fighting-rages-elsewhere-1.5842259 |title="Russians leave Chornobyl as fighting rages elsewhere", CTV News, March 31, 2022. |date=31 March 2022 |access-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401054430/https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/world/russians-leave-chornobyl-as-fighting-rages-elsewhere-1.5842259 |url-status=live }} but Ukrainian officials have provided access to the site which shows considerable trenches and digging in the Red Forest.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/08/europe/chernobyl-russian-withdrawal-intl-cmd/index.html |title="Ukrainians shocked by 'crazy' scene at Chernobyl after Russian pullout reveals radioactive contamination" by Vasco Cotovio, Frederik Pleitgen, Byron Blunt and Daria Markina, CNN, April 8, 2022. |website=CNN |access-date=April 9, 2022 |archive-date=April 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412175007/https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/08/europe/chernobyl-russian-withdrawal-intl-cmd/index.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/08/world/europe/ukraine-chernobyl.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuomT1JKd6J17Vw1cRCfTTMQmqxCdw_PIxftm3iWka3DJDm4SiPsSGYyMvErQf617apwu3C6SRdlMdbQvSeZ0yeVOOwptVwys6NOiqagyHh8U-8i1T39kmNXER6w5-jvnKTXpcr51zuC1-hvbaGf1XKTU0Wkqcwo1vcFhIV2gi3YDk6-VFvVnmYUrhYdXDZ5xQzsEYymPrqOoX004YIPaG0mavgomWOhZWiXRmMqe498DdwZUCFHHTRBv8Dp2qYMcaJ5MYvGJf1N3c9H-gL4RFmVvMI6iYpU1TIXWnL9o2qXf2AD7YbTlChgdcDEFVvX0HQ&smid=url-share |title=Andrew E. Kramer, "Russian Blunders in Chernobyl: 'They Came and Did Whatever They Wanted' ", New York Times, April 8, 2022. |work=The New York Times |date=8 April 2022 |access-date=April 10, 2022 |archive-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619155827/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/08/world/europe/ukraine-chernobyl.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuomT1JKd6J17Vw1cRCfTTMQmqxCdw_PIxftm3iWka3DJDm4SiPsSGYyMvErQf617apwu3C6SRdlMdbQvSeZ0yeVOOwptVwys6NOiqagyHh8U-8i1T39kmNXER6w5-jvnKTXpcr51zuC1-hvbaGf1XKTU0Wkqcwo1vcFhIV2gi3YDk6-VFvVnmYUrhYdXDZ5xQzsEYymPrqOoX004YIPaG0mavgomWOhZWiXRmMqe498DdwZUCFHHTRBv8Dp2qYMcaJ5MYvGJf1N3c9H-gL4RFmVvMI6iYpU1TIXWnL9o2qXf2AD7YbTlChgdcDEFVvX0HQ&smid=url-share |url-status=live |last1=Kramer |first1=Andrew E. |last2=Prickett |first2=Ivor }}

On 1 April 2022, The Daily Telegraph reported that one Russian soldier died from acute radiation sickness after being camped in the Red Forest for a prolonged time.{{Cite news |last=Kilner |first=James |date=2022-04-01 |title=Russian soldier dies from radiation poisoning in Chernobyl |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/04/01/russian-soldier-dies-radiation-poisoning-chernobyl/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |issn=0307-1235 |archive-date=2022-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401232743/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/04/01/russian-soldier-dies-radiation-poisoning-chernobyl/ |url-status=live }} In October, CNN cited a social media post claiming that injured Russian soldiers who operated in Chernobyl had been treated at the Republican Research Center for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology in Belarus, including some who showed signs of radiation poisoning.{{cite news |last1=Mankarious |first1=Sarah-Grace |last2=Shukla |first2=Sebastian |last3=Mackintosh |first3=Eliza |title=CNN Special Report: Inside the hospitals that concealed Russian casualties |url=https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2022/10/europe/belarus-hospitals-russian-soldiers-ukraine/index.html |access-date=28 October 2022 |work=CNN |date=25 October 2022}}

The IAEA's Second Summary Report, published in September 2022, clarified that only modest radiation doses (0.6 mSv) could have resulted from such activities.{{cite web |title=2nd Summary Report by the Director General |url=https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/documents/ukraine-2ndsummaryreport_sept2022.pdf |website=IAEA.org}} Later, the Washington Post quoted a tour guide in the Zone who acknowledged that he had started the radiation sickness rumors as a "huge exaggeration" meant to terrify the Russians.{{cite news |last1=Berger |first1=Miriam |title=A Chernobyl tour group secretly helped track Russia’s invasion |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/08/21/ukraine-spy-tour-group-russians/ |access-date=23 March 2025 |agency=The Washington Post}}

The 2004 novel Wolves Eat Dogs by Martin Cruz Smith, in the series featuring the Russian police inspector Arkady Renko, is partly set in the Red Forest near Chernobyl.

The first-person shooter and survival horror videogames S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (2007), S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky (2008) and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (2024), developed by the Ukrainian video game studio GSC Game World, are set in a semi-post-apocalyptic and sci-fi version of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. All three games feature the Red Forest as part of their game world.

In 2023, the 20th season of table top role play series Dimension 20, titled Burrow's End, was centred around a family of stoats surviving in a forest inspired by the Red Forest.{{cite web |title=Adventuring Party - Burrow's End |url=https://www.dropout.tv/dimension-20-s-adventuring-party/season:15/videos/welcome-to-the-honk-honk-club |website=Dropout.tv |access-date=9 January 2024 |ref=Adventuring Party - Welcome to the Honk Honk Club}}

Chernobylite features parts of the Red Forest.

Viewers can see the creation of the Red Forest in first episode of the Chernobyl (miniseries).

{{Portal|Trees}}

• Bellesrad
• Chernobyl liquidators
• Comparison of Chernobyl and other radioactivity releases
• Effects of the Chernobyl disaster
• List of civilian nuclear accidents
• List of individual trees
• List of Chernobyl-related articles
• Nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents
• Zone of alienation
• Zone Rouge

{{reflist|35em}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://www.chornobyl.in.ua/en/red_forest.htm Description of Red Forest - unique ecosystem of Chernobyl zone of alienation. (radiation dead forest ecosystem)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519030913/http://www.chornobyl.in.ua/en/red_forest.htm |date=2009-05-19 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070203081123/http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/nukes/chernob/joaccoun.html Greenpeace ten-year retrospective]
• [http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/chornobyl/wildlifepreserve.htm The Zone as a wildlife reserve]
• [http://www.gerdludwig.com/html/chernobyl_zone.htm More images from inside the Zone]
• [http://www.slideshare.net/SpotImage/nuclear-25-years-of-satellite-imagery-over-chernobyl 25 years of satellite imagery over Chernobyl]

{{Chernobyl disaster}}

Category:Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Category:Forests of Ukraine

Category:Pripyat

Category:Geography of Kyiv Oblast

Category:Radiation effects