Forest typological and phytosozological assessment of forest vegetation of Slobozhansky National Park

Abstract

Forest typological and phytososological biodiversity of forest vegetation of Slobozhansky National Park is shown. The park covers 5244 hectares and includes the main parts of the run off valleys of the left-bank Merla River tributary, which belongs to the Vorskla River basin in the Kharkiv region. The main forest-forming species of the Slobozhansky National Nature Park are Pinus sylvestris L. (2779.3 hectares, 59.84%), Quercus robur L. (1451.8 hectares, 31.26%). Minor areas are occupied by Betula pendula Roth (138.3 hectares, 2.98%), Alnus glutinosa (L.) P. Gaertn. (122.5 hectares, 2.64%), Populus tremula L. (45.0 hectares, 0.97%) and other species. Areas covered with forest vegetation are represented by 16 edatopes: all trophotope and almost all hygrotopes, except very dry. Among the trophotopes subors (2015.2 hectares, 43.39%), oak wood (1504.4 hectares, 32.39%) and sugruds (1042.2 hectares, 22.44%) predominate, and the part of pine forest is insignificant (82.5 hectares, 1.78%). Among hygrotopes, the majority are with fresh conditions (4060.6 hectares, 87.43%), much smaller areas are dry (268.4 hectares, 5.78%), damp (184.3 hectares, 3.97%), moist (124.4 hectares, 2.68%) and wet (6.6 hectares, 0.14%) conditions. There are 17 types of forests in the Slobozhansky National Park areas covered with forest vegetation. Fresh oak-pine forest (1780.6 hectares, 38.35%), fresh maple-linden forest (1453.6 hectares, 31.30%), fresh linden-oak-pine sugrud (756.8 hectares, 16.30%) are dominated. Pinus sylvestris plantations grow in 10 forest types. The most common types of pine forests are fresh oak-pine and fresh linden-oak-pine sugrud. Quercus robur growth in 7 forest types, the most common of which is fresh maple-linden oak wood. The distribution of forest typological differences on the territory of the park of vascular plants rare species populations, which have different sozological status is analyzed. Annex I to Resolution 6 of the Berne Convention includes the following species: Dracocephalum ruyschiana L., Jurinea cyanoides (L.) Rchb., Iris pineticola Klokov. A number of species have the appropriate conservation status in Ukraine (Diphasiastrum complanatum (L.) Holub, Lycopodium annotinum L., Dracocephalum ruyschiana, Pulsatilla pratensis (L.) Mill. Sl, Allium ursinum L., Iris furcata M. Bieb., Iris pineticola, Fritillaria meleagris L., F. ruthenica Wikstr., Tulipa quercetorum Klokov & Zoz, Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz, Listera ovata (L.) R. Br., Neottia nidus-avis (L.) Rich., Platanthera bifolia (L.) Rich., Stipa borysthenica Klokov ex Prokudin) and 22 species at the regional range.