The Basitchay State Nature Reservation has been created in Zangilan district according to decision of Azerbaijan government dated on July 4, 1974. The preserve is located in the south-west of Azerbaijan, on the territory of Zangilan district, in the Basit River valley. The reservation has been organized with the purpose of guarding the land shaft complex and especially the forest of rare natural plane tree. The name of the reservation was taken from the name of the river in the valley of which the reservation is located. The Basitchay is the smallest one of the republic preserves. Its area is 107 hectares. The area is covered with forest; basic tree here is the eastern kind of plane tree. Only one of the forest types – different grassy plane tree forest had formed here mostly. The territory where the reservation has been settled is upland mostly; the height is up to 600-800 ms from the sea level. The right shore consist of upright slope mountains, the left shore consists of hills. The sediments of the Third Period have been spread mostly. Narrow alluvial plain lies along the river valley. These mountains have considerably become broken to pieces with the branches of Basit River. Winter in the preserve territory is dry; the climate type is soft-warm. Summer here is typically hot. The average annual temperature of the air is 130. The amount of the annual rainfall is 600 mms. The climate condition of the territory is very suitable for the natural restoration and development of the plane tree forest land. The territory of the Basitchay State Nature Reservation is mostly covered with alluvial-forest land. Brown mountain-forest soil was developed in the surrounding areas of the reservation, in the river valley slopes. Alluvial soil developed in little terraces and in the river bed is mostly covered by plane tree forests. There are much stone-gravel (high skeleton) territories in this land here. Plane tree grows and develops in all these areas. Because plane tree has no much demands from the land. But plane tree forests have a high productivity in rich and quality soils which contains clay and have good water-physical characteristics. There are 7 kinds of the plane tree in the world. Taking into account much importance of the eastern plane tree, its little spreading in the world, being a rare plant and considerably decrease in the last centuries, its name has been written in the Read Book of Azerbaijan. The total area of plane tree forests in
Basitchay State Nature Reservation is 100 hectares. They are located in river valleys of Basitchay River and its branch Shikhauzchay River. Pure and mixed plane tree forests have been spread here. Walnut, celtis glabrata, mulberry tree, willow, poplar etc. trees and hawthorn, dog-rose, cornus sanguiena, Paliurus spina Christi etc, bushes grow in the mixed forest. Average age of plane tree trees in the preserve is 165 years; average height is 35 meters; diameter is 1 meter. In the surrounding areas of the reservation and in the reservation itself there are wolfs, wild boars, badger, roe, rabbits, different rodents etc, mammals and partridge, pigeon etc. birds. At the moment the Reservation is under Armenian aggressor’s occupation.
http://www.elibrary.az/docs/azereco/az/eco_m1_4_2.pdf