ВПЛИВ РЕКРЕАЦІЙНОГО НАВАНТАЖЕННЯ НА МОРФОЛОГІЧНІ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ЛІСОВОЇ ПІДСТИЛКИ (НПП «СКОЛІВСЬКІ БЕСКИДИ» УКРАЇНСЬКІ КАРПАТИ)

Abstract

The article deals with the analysis of morphological aspects of the forest litter structure on ecological and tourist routes in the mountainous region. The study revealed that the changes in the basic parameters of the forest litter are caused by ground trampling. It was estimated that on trails between 0.5 m and 2 m wide, the stock of forest litter is 1.23-1.5 kg/m², and its capacity is 1.3-1.6 cm. With the supply of fresh foliage on the trails, the L, F and H sub-horizons can be identified there. On trails of 2 to 3 m wide, the stock of forest floor is 0.51-0.91 kg·m², that is almost twice less than on narrower trails. The capacity of the litter on trails more than 2 m wide is 0.3-0.5 cm, of which 0.2-0.4 is the F+H sub-horizon. On slopes with ≥ 15 º, the reserves and capacity of the forest litter in the lower part of the trail are about 10 % greater than in its upper part. Basically, the redistribution of forest litter is observed within a trail and its side. The stock of forest litter on the trail decreases due to the fact that the damaged litter is removed outside the trail. In the spring and summer, the forest litter is washed off by rain and melt water, forming the so-called “rollers” on its road (trail). The capacity and reserves of forest litter on the sidewalks are significantly dependent on the width and direction of the trail. The narrower the trail, the larger are the forest litter reserves and on the contary, the wider the trail, the smaller is the forest litter within the sidewalk. The capacity of the forest litter on the side of the trails of the studied routes ranges from 1.3 to 4.8 cm, and its reserves have increased to 1.44-2.26 kg·m². A composition of tree species, tree layer compactness and terrain play an important role in the formation of forest litter as well. The impact of recreation load on the soil cover was also evaluated. It was established that at the initial stages (of I-II categories) of recreation digression, the forest litter becomes compacted and crushed, forming a powerful F+H sub-horizon and covering the trail surface. As the recreation load increases (III stage/category) the stock of litter in spruce-beech-fir forest in the warm season is less than 1 kg/m².