Protective forest plantations in potential conflict zones of transport and ecological networks

Abstract

According to the ideology of restoring the integrity plant cover areas, all transportation routes, other engineering structures and landscapes altered by man should be seen as barriers to the migration of wild animals and living matter in general. In sparsely wooded and agricultural areas such as south of Kiev region, almost only corridors for connection fragments of natural ecosystems, separated biotopes, remnants of natural areas frame are complexes of protective fo rest stands. We consider the degree of violation of the state, structure and development of protective forest stands of different functional purpose as part of the eco-network around the city of Bila Tserkva and arboretum «Oleksandria». The features of their anthropogenic damage, depending on the forest type, their position in the landscape concerning the different systems of transport communications and settlements have been determined. A considerable part of the tract «Tovsta» disappeared in the ХІХ–ХХ centuries as a result of development the city of Bila Tserkva, other settlements and the expansion of agricultural land. Nowadays tracts «Tovsta» and «Tomylivska cottage» stands close to settlements and transport routes that are attractive and accessible to people suffer the most. They dissected by railway connecting the city Kyiv with southern regions, Kyiv-Odessa highway and several other roads which are sources of negative impact on forest ecosystems. It was revealed in stands: unauthorized construction; extensive network of roads and trails; violation, trampling and sometimes destruction of the living over-soil cover, weeding it; contamination of territory with domestic and construction waste; mechanical damage, weakening trees and drying; major and accompanying species displaces alien Acer negundo L. Weakened stands — 29% (mostly oak), greatly weakened (pine, silver maple, elm, alder, oak, etc.) — 53, such that dry up (birch, elm) — 18%.