The nature of vegetative cover
is determined by many factors, major of which are - climate, soils, relief of terrain, features of moistening. Kurgan region lies in the limits of forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia. The north of Kurgan region gradually turns into a line of forests of a taiga zone. In the south there are plots of northern steppes.

The forests occupy
about 1475 thousand hectares, that makes 21 % of the regional territory. In covered with the forest area dominate birch forests (60 %), more than 30 % are pine forests, about 10 % are aspen forests and poplar groves. Birch forests can be divided into three large groups.

• Birch forests of northern areas belong to pre-taiga forests. Long before the man came here, the north of the region was occupied by taiga. With change of the climate fur-tree forests stepped back, and their place was occupied by birch forests, under which cover a large group of taiga species was kept. These are heritage of the former epoch.
• The second group make typical for forest-steppe birch forests. Their origin is connected with development of a forest in place of swamped lakes. Sometimes such forests in the central part are occupied by a lake or sedge swamp.
• Birch forests of flatnesses and heightened plots of the forest-steppe are united into the third group. Such forests appeared on places, occupied before by steppe vegetation.
  
  
  

To the south of Kurgan latitude the pine forms rather small areas of the forest, which extend to the Kazakhstan border in a broken belt.

Fur-tree forests
are met only in the north of Shatrovo area and occupy small spaces among massifs of pine and birch forests. Forest-free expanses of the Transurals, occupied earlier by steppe and steppe meadows, are nowadays almost completely ploughed up or turned into pastures.

The considerable interest represent plants, directly connected with the man in his daily activity. They include cultivated species known for all: wheat, rye, corn, potatoes, buckwheat, sunflower, millet and other cultures.