Human impact on natural ecosystems has significantly increased in recent decades. As a result, the structure and functioning of ecosystems are seriously altered. This in turn affects regional weather and climate conditions through changes in the radiation, water, and carbon balance of ecosystems. Investigating the process of natural ecosystem restoration after disturbances is an important issue in the context of climate change. During monitoring observations of greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in a reforestation area in the Chechen Republic, new experimental data on their seasonal variability were obtained, and their sensitivity to changes in environmental conditions was assessed. Forest restoration and land reclamation are essential components of the low-carbon development and decarbonization strategy of the world economy. Observations of GHG fluxes were conducted in the reclaimed area, which was planted with tree seedlings. One year of eddy covariance flux measurements (May 2022–June 2023) demonstrated that CO₂ uptake by the reforestation area in a humid continental climate with hot summers and cold winters is determined by the moisture conditions of the growing season. The cumulative net ecosystem exchange (NEE) for the entire measurement period at the carbon farm was 613.7 gC·m⁻². The uptake of CO₂ by the reforestation area was observed only due to active seedling growth during periods of sufficient soil moisture (May 2023). During this time, total NEE uptake was 48.7 gC·m⁻². Sensible and latent heat fluxes were also dependent on weather conditions, primarily on incoming solar radiation and moisture conditions. For the successful implementation of climate projects aimed at the creation of artificial forest ecosystems with high CO₂ uptake capacity, it is essential to develop appropriate hydro-meliorative measures that ensure a sufficient amount of available soil moisture.

The mountain forests of the Eastern Caucasus bear the mark of long-term interaction between nature and humans. As shown by the results of forest mapping and forest use surveys, forest cover is fragmented, and forest resource use is regulated by a combination of formal and informal rules. Over a long period of history, a close relationship has developed between the diversity of mountain forest ecosystems and the institutions that regulate the use of forest resources. The established links between the population and the forest, institutions and ecosystems are reflected in the spatial pattern of different forest types, which are subject to dynamics influenced by natural factors (mainly climatic) and changing socio-political conditions. The article presents the results of mapping and analysing changes in forest cover and its use in the Chechen Re-public from a historical perspective and, in more detail, over the last few decades. For-est regeneration dynamics are observed at the upper forest line due to reduced grazing pressure and global warming. Forest densification is also observed across the entire range of altitudinal zones. Managing mountain forests in conditions of great natural and institutional diversity requires a shift in thinking from a narrow sectoral under-standing of forest biocenoses to viewing them as mountain socio-ecological systems. Assessing the sustainability of mountain forestscapes should take into account not only ecological parameters (such as biomass quantity) but also socio-ecological relation-ships expressed in the spatial mosaic of mountain forest ecosystems embedded in the local institutional system. The authors recommend raising awareness and involving the local population in the management of forest ecosystems.