The State of Tree and Shrub Plantings in the Restricted use Zones of the Industrial District of Kryvyi Rih City

Abstract

Increasing the size and improving the quality of green spaces that perform health, environmental and aesthetic functions are vital for solving the problem of environment optimization in the major cities of industrialized regions. Greening of the city means optimization of the species composition of stands adapted to suit their ecological and biological properties of the habitat conditions. Consequently, the purpose of the study is to explore a current state and to assess the level of vitality of urban dendroflora of one of the districts of Kryvyi Rih city to optimize existing and create a stable and decorative crop plant communities. In the course of the research we have studied the tree and shrub plantings of the restricted use zones of the districts. The study has determined that the dendroflora of the district consists of 26 families, 49 genera and 84 taxa containing 77 species and 15 forms. The leading families by taxonomic diversity are as follows: Rosaceae., Salicaceae, Aceraceae, Pinaceae Lindl., Cupresaceae Bartl., Oleaceae Hoffmanns et Link. Among the study of the dendroflora the trees dominating are 5979 samples, which are represented by 55 species and forms 7. Betula pendula Roth., Aesculus hippocastanum L., Tilia cordata Mill. and Robinia pseudoacacia L. are the most common among the trees. Shrubs have the largest representation in the plantings of Spiraea × vanhouttei (Briot) Zabel, Lonicera tatarica L., and Swida alba (L.) Opiz. The conifers dominate by samples of Picea abies (L.) Karst, which is more than twice the number of Pinus pallasiana D. Don and P. pungens f. glauca (Regel) Beissn. Secondly, we have established that the planting of trees ranging in age from 10 to 80 years, but the vast number of plants is at the age of 30-40 years. Trees of this age are mostly represented by the following species: Aesculus hippocastanum, Betula pendula, Acer platanoides, Robinia pseudoacacia, Fraxinus lanceolata, Picea abies and Platycladus orientalis. The results of the analysis have shown that in general plantations are characterized by a good state of vitality, however, the considerable age of some trees, presence of pathogens and other damages require the continuous implementation of sanitary-improving and preventive measures on the studied objects, a scientifically sound selection being the key criteria.