CREATION OF DECORATIVE FORMS OF SCOTS PINE FOR THE GREENING OF URBANIZED ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

The features of creating decorative forms from Scots pine trees are considered. It has been established that, as a result of mechanical damage (death of an apical bud or an apical shoot) and subsequent regeneration processes in pine trunks, two main directions of post-traumatic deformations of young pine trunks stand out - violation of monopodial branching and occurrence of multi-stemming. In the case of the death of an apical bud or apical shoot, in early spring, the growth of shoots from whorl buds is activated and their vertical reorientation occurs. After a short period of relative multi-stemming, one of the shoots from whorl buds takes the place of the central shoot. Formation of multi-stemming occurs in the case of the death of an apical shoot, mainly in late spring-summer period. There is also an increased growth of shoots from whorl buds and their vertical reorientation. All shoots formed from whorl buds retain their vertical orientation in the future with subsequent formation of several separate stems. It is shown that the processes of mechanical damage-regeneration are also reflected in the condition of trunk wood in the places of damage. In trunk areas where mechanical damage and subsequent regeneration took place, a noticeable increase in the basic density of wood is observed - by 15-20 % in case of shoot replacement and by 25-45 % in case of multi-stemming. The content of late wood also increases - by 10-30 % in case of shoot replacement and by 15-35 % in case of multi-stemming. It is recommended, to create decorative forms, to select pine trees no older than 8-10 years old, with an average growth rate in height. Decorative forms of Scots pine require annual adjustments.