Altay Forests

Southern Siberia's forested uplands include the Kuznetsk Alatau, a chain of ridges between the Kuznetsk and Minusinsk depressions. Its western slopes descend sharply, while the eastern side falls more gently towards the Yenisei basin. Forest covers much of the mountain country below the exposed heights, and valleys provide passages through the ridges.

Communities in the wider region used forests and waterways for hunting, gathering and travel. Seasonal changes shaped access to resources and routes, while river valleys linked the uplands with the lowlands beyond. Knowledge of the forest and its passages remained important as Russian expansion reached southern Siberia in the seventeenth century.