The water of the Pravaya Khodutka River is heated by many thermal springs surrounding the Khodutka Volcano. The river steams in the cool air and its flow could be recognized from far even in the forested area. Because of its warm water Pravaya Khodutka is not a spawning river for the salmon too.
The harmony of salmon spawning river is easy to destroy. The spawning-ground die where the wood is cut down, marshes are irrigated, the cattle is pastured and land is ploughed up.
The picture shows the characteristic zones of vegetation in the mountainous South Kamchatka. In the low parts stretch forests dominated by stone birch trees, growing to huge size over hundreds of years. At the elevation of 500 and 600 m the forests disappear and mountain tundra begins. The cones of volcanos and the higher areas over 1000 m don't have any vegetation at all.
In the West Kamchatka, lying in the rain shadow of the mountains, and in the North of the peninsula extends boggy tundra, intersected by countless rivers.
