This makes it an important habitat for scientific study, and is the site of the earliest forest management area in Russia.

It is about 70 miles east from the city of Samara, Russia, and 15 km north of the town of Buzuluk, Orenburg Oblast.

The Buzuluk pine stand occupies a large hollow filled with sandy sediments of marine genesis overlain by alluvial sands.

Studies show that surrounding region experiences cooler temperatures, wetter soil, more variety of vegetation, and a greater covering by small groves of trees.

[1] The forest was created by wind and water over the sand dunes of the ancient Caspian Sea, beginning several hundred thousand years ago.

A forestry management center was established in the early 1900s, and extensive experiments have been conducted in forestation of steppe environments since that time.

Development is prohibited - no resource extraction, construction of building, trunk roads, disturbing of the geological or hydrological features.

[3] The animal community of Buzuluksky reflects the combination of forest, steppe, and wetland habitats in close connection.

The variety and quantity of plants support 55 mammal species -from the rodents such as squirrels and hamsters, to the smaller forest-dwelling animals (wolf, fox, badger, sandy, pine marten, ferret steppe, mink, ermine, weasel), up to large ungulates (moose, elk, wild boar, roe deer), and predators (including wolves that migrate through).

[2][8] The park comes under stress from the effects of recurrent drought, which dries the trees and creates favorable conditions for pine infestations.