I will try to add most of the pictures I took to my website tomorrow sometime. They are just numbered so far, but you can just drop the meeting.jpg from this last file and should be able to see a listing of them. Will try to add index later.
Very few new species from here. We got most of ours from them and sent the natives from here over there. English oak is the major oak, norway spruce the major conifer, Betula pendula is the most common mix with spruce in the forest.
Climate around Moscow is very similar to Bismarck as far as hardiness it looks like. Norway maple grows, but does not take over, kind of borderline. We can barely get it to live in Bottineau. Lots of new subdivisions going into the timber and the trees are dying for some reason!!! Very much like stepping out into the area around lake Metigoshe up here.
I have typed up my journal notes and if you like I can add a link to them on my page. It is long and drawn out, kind of like Wulky's posts. This way you can read if you like or print it off.
Perhaps Dima or Grigory will put in their two rubles worth toward this discussion. It was an interesting trip.
Bob