Abstract
Based on the forest inventory materials, silvicultural and inventory indices of beech stands on the plains of Ukraine as of 01.01.2015 and main functions that are performed by these stands were analyzed. Forest area with beech participation in composition is equal 216113,4 hectares (total number of plots – 47231 pieces), and forests with beech prevailing in composition equals 118902,9 hectares (as of 01.01.1996 – 104,8 thousand hectares). It was found that natural seed forest stands prevail in lowland conditions. Forest stands with the participation of beech are formed mainly in fresh (more than 44%) and moist (39.4%) soil types. Pure beech forest stands grow on 8.6% of the area. Considering covered area middle-aged (occupying 36.9%) and mature forest stands (occupying 27.1%) are dominating.Seed beech forest stands of both natural and planted origin are characterized by the same middle site class – Ia,5 and more than 36% of beech forest stands, regardless of origin, are characterized by a relative completeness of 0.7. More than 51% of the areas of plain beech stands belong to protective, recreational and health improving forests and forests of nature conservation, scientific, forests of historical and cultural purposes. Among the recreational and health improving forests, the largest share of the area belongs to the management area of the green zones of settlements – 20.7 thousand hectares, of which almost 14.6% are represented by natural seed forests. More than 3 thousand hectares (2.8%) of beech forests are attributed to the woodland part of the forests of green zones.It is pointed out that intensive forestry activities in middle-aged and mature forest stands significantly reduce their relative density and growing stock. Sixteen categories of protectiveness were singled out taking into consideration functions that are predominantly performed by a stand. Transition to a selection system of forest management is proposed in order to ensure formation of highly productive beech forest stands and efficient use of forest resources.
Highlights
Forests of Ukraine are formed by more than 30 woody species with predominance of common pine (Pinus silvestris L.), European oak (Quercus robur L.), European beech (Fagus silvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea Abies (L.) karst.)
European beech stands occupy 7 % of the area covered with forest vegetation (State, 2015)
The object of studies are stands with participation of European beech as well as beech forests on the plains of Ukraine that grow in Vinnytsia, Volyn, Zhytomyr, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Lviv, Rivne, Sumy, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Khmelnytsky, Cherkasy- and Cher
Summary
Forests of Ukraine are formed by more than 30 woody species with predominance of common pine (Pinus silvestris L.), European oak (Quercus robur L.), European beech (Fagus silvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea Abies (L.) karst.). European beech stands occupy 7 % of the area covered with forest vegetation (State, 2015). The current distribution of forests in Ukraine, in particular beech forests, is certainly a result of the influence of climatic, geological and soil factors, but primarily anthropogenic ones. Forests are one of the important factors of ecosystem stabilization, creation of a favorable natural environment (climate change mitigation, production of oxygen, absorption of greenhouse gases, etc.) for people to live, providing conditions for human vital activity, recreation, restoring physical strength and psychoemotional state. Of great importance is the forest as a protective, conservational, and resource factor
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