Introduction 
 Nowadays, an important forest genetic resources (FGR) conservation activity is the systematization of information on gene pool conservation units in electronic databases. It should be noted, however, that the existing international databases mainly relate only to units represented by populations (stands), which are visualized as polygons on the map. As the scientists from the Department of New Information Technologies in URIFFM have implemented the website “Geoportal: Forests of Ukraine”, it became technically possible to add information on plus trees to its functionality and combine data on tree locations and their characteristics in a united electronic database.
 The study aimed to improve the organization of information on plus trees, their accounting, survey, and use as improvement units by applying free software (Python, JavaScript) and the PostgreSQL relational database with the PostGIS module.
 Materials and Methods
 In 2021, one of the work stages was to develop software and methodology for forming the Plus Trees database and to provide a user manual. In particular, a data schema was created to store both attribute and geographical information on tree improvement units in Ukraine. In addition, attribute and geographical information of forest inventory are used. The database of plus trees contains basic information from plus tree Passports or selection/inventory data from the reports.
 Results 
 The proposed database consists of several panels. The first panel contains elements for setting coordinates and entering plus tree numbers. The second panel is intended for selecting a species name of trees. The third panel of the data entry form contains mandatory attributes (total height of a plus tree and its diameter at a height of 1.3 m). The fourth panel contains other tree characteristics.
 During the testing of the developed database structure and the working out of the instruction, the information on plus trees in seven regions of Ukraine (Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Donetsk) was entered, which is about 25% of the country’s plus tree pool. In addition, the design of the web pages was finalized in parallel with the data entry.
 The developed software can be useful to both scientists and forest managers. Its use will simplify the search for plus trees in forest stands for their inventory, and survey, as well as in cases where it is necessary to collect seeds or cuttings for the seed orchards or progeny tests creation in forest enterprises or at forest seed centers. For scientists, it will provide an opportunity to systematize, analyze, and generalize information, in particular, to improve methodical approaches to the selection of the plus trees.
 Conclusions 
 A data schema was created to store both attribute and geographic information on forest tree species tree improvement units in Ukraine. The schema considers the complex structure of coordinated units and includes the developed algorithms for data verification which will allow the effective use of the proposed database for the plus tree accounting.
 8 Figs., 1 Table, 20 Refs.

Introduction
 Pine stands of many regions have been affected by outbreaks of bark beetles with the dominance of Ips acuminatus (Gyllenhal, 1827) and Ips sexdentatus (B?rner, 1776). In many countries, pheromone traps are produced and used to monitor and suppress native and alien bark beetles. In Ukraine, pheromone traps for catching bark beetles are not produced. The effectiveness of various trap designs and the number of lures for pine bark beetles have not been previously studied in Ukraine. In 2023, within the framework of the FAO project TCP/RER/3801, State Specialized Forest Protection Enterprise ‘Kharkivlisozahyst’ received three types of pheromone traps produced by the Spanish company Sanidad agricola econex s.l. and pheromones intended for the capture of I. acuminatus and I. sexdentatus.
 The study aimed to compare the species composition and abundance of bark beetles and their predators by captures in the different pheromone trap-lure combinations.
 Materials and Methods
 The research was carried out in June – August 2023 in pure mature pine stands in the Vasishcheve subunit (State Specialized Forest Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine”, Branch “Zhovtneve Forestry”). Three types of pheromone traps were placed randomly in six locations of a homogeneous stand, the distance between which was about 50 meters. Type A traps (Funnel) contain 8 funnels, Type B traps are Theyson, and Type C traps are Crosstrap® mini. Depending on the experimental design, the traps contained blades with pheromones of Ips acuminatus or Ips sexdentatus. Blades for I. acuminatus contained 2 and 3 dispensers (commercial names 4C and 5C, respectively), and blades for I. sexdentatus contained 3 and 4 dispensers (commercial names 4C and 5C, respectively). In control treatments, respective traps (A, B, and C) were left empty (without blades). Trapping experiments were carried out from 20 June through 8 August 2023. Trapped insects were collected every 7 days, dried, and sorted. Bark beetles, longhorn beetles, and predators were identified at the species level, and some other insect groups at the family level at least.
 Results and Conclusions
 Five bark beetle species (Curculionidae: Scolytinae), five longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), five predator species from Histeridae, Cleridae, Nitidulidae, Monotomidae, and Tenebrionidae, as well as several species of Staphylinidae, Carabidae, and Elateridae were captured in traps of three types (A – Funnel; B – Theyson; C – Crosstrap® mini) with pheromones of Ips acuminatus and I. sexdentatus. Target species – Ips acuminatus and I. sexdentatus – accounted for 51% and 31% of all captured beetles, respectively. Their numbers, seasonal dynamics, and proportions depended on the trap type, pheromone, and blade. The highest number of I. acuminatus beetles was captured in Crosstrap® mini traps (C type), and that of I. sexdentatus was found in Theyson traps (type B). An increase in dispenser number provides more captures of I. acuminatus and has no significant influence on captures of I. sexdentatus. The number of Th. formicarius was the lowest in trap B (Theyson) and the highest in trap С (Crosstrap® mini). The number of Th. formicarius captured in traps A and C with the pheromone of I. acuminatus was higher than in the traps with the pheromone of I. sexdentatus. Differences in the captured Th. formicarius beetles in the traps with more dispensers with the pheromone of I. acuminatus are significant, whereas in the traps with the pheromone of I. sexdentatus they are nonsignificant.
 12 Figs., 14 Refs.

Introduction
 Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) covers large areas in European regions with significant economic importance to Ukrainian forest industry. Root rot caused by the wood-decay fungus Heterobasidion annosum damages both below- and above-ground parts of Scots pines. The disease progress is likely to be affected by reshaping in the forest such as soil properties, vegetation composition, and tree age. These changes are apparently followed up by paralleled shifts in fungal community composition on forest soil with potential feedback on ecosystem functioning.
 The objective of the study was to screen fungal groups associated with the root system of P. sylvestris in stands affected by H.annosum s.s. to better understand the pathogenesis and development of root rot infection, as well as to recognize whether root size and disease severity affect diversity of fungi of the root system in the forest-steppe conditions of Ukraine. The additional object was to study other resident microflora of P. sylvestris root infested by H.annosum s.s. to find out whether the H. annosum s.s. impacts the overall diversity of other fungi.
 Materials and Methods
 The field study was carried out in 2018–2020. Field study sites were pure pine forest stands located in Kharkiv region (compartment 126, subcompartment 7, tract Bugri, Kharkiv Forest Research Station). Wood core and root samples from P. sylvestris were collected from the five infected (50–100 m apart from each other) and five non-infected trees (up to 500 m apart from the infested area and 50–100 m apart from each other). Wood and root samples were used for fungal culturing and direct sequencing using ITS1F and ITS4 primers.
 Results
 In the present study, we tried to evaluate fungal communities across diseased Pinus sylvestris stands and investigated correlations between taxonomic composition and forest health. Not surprisingly, root rot infestation had a significant effect on root-associated fungal abundance and diversity. During disease development, the root-associated fungal community shifted in composition from dominance by saprotrophic fungi to ectomycorrhizal and pathogenic fungal species. Our results suggested that maintenance of functional diversity in the root-associated fungal community may sustain long-term forest health or even root rot resistance to some extent by retaining a capacity for symbiosis-driven recycling of organic nutrients; however, this hypothesis is necessary to carefully examine and prove further.
 Conclusions
 Fungal culturing from 10 surface-sterilized wood cores resulted in 21 fungal cultures, 2.1 per wood segment. Direct sequencing from 40 surface-sterilized segments of lateral roots resulted in 247 fungal sequences or 6.2 per root segment on average. The most dominant fungi from the infested trees of Pinus sylvestris were Dactylonectria macrodidyma (4.98%), Acremonium sp (4.52%), Cladosporium cladosporioides (4.07%) from Ascomycota and Heterobasidion annosum s.s. (4.07%) from Basidiomycota, while for non-infested group Unidentified Ascomycota175244 (13.19%), Penicillium spinulosum (9.89%), Acremonium sp. (8.79%), Bionectriaceae sp. (8.79%) were the most common.
 2 Figs., 2 Tables, 32 Refs.

Introduction
 Poplars and aspens (Populus sp.) are common in forest stands, shelterbelts, rural landscaping, and in special plantations as short-rotation woody crops; they are promising tree species for biofuel and bioenergy production. Wood-boring insects browse galleries in a stem or branches that interrupt sap circulation and promote infestation by plant pathogens. Some of these insects can additionally weaken trees using foliage, bark, or phloem for maturation feeding. All these effects comprise the physiological harmfulness of wood-boring insects, whereas their technical harmfulness depends on the size and depth of the galleries, their location at the stem, and the timber value of a given tree species.
 The approach of wood-boring insect harmfulness assessment was suggested by E. Mozolevskaya and it is implemented for oak, pine, spruce, birch, and elm. It was shown that the harmfulness of the same insect species varies significantly depending on environmental conditions and population density.
 The aim of the research was to evaluate the physiological harmfulness of xylophagous insects for Populus sp. in the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe considering the ability of these insects to colonize and damage trees under certain health, transmit the pathogens, as well as host range and occurrence.
 Materials and Methods
 The research was carried out in 2019–2022 in Poltava, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions at the archive plantation of poplar clones, forest stands, and forest shelterbelts. The collections and research of Yu. Skrylnik since 2006 in the specified territories were also included in the analysis. In the analysis, only those insect species were used, for which the development in the stems and branches of Populus sp. was proved by our research and/or supported by publications. The range of host plants and the occurrence of insects were estimated. Their physiological harmfulness was calculated as the sum of scores for their physiological activity (ability to colonize trees under certain health condition), ability to damage the trees during maturation feeding, and ability to vector the pathogens.
 Results and Conclusions
 In the study, 72 insect species were analyzed, particularly 40 Cerambycidae, 19 Buprestidae, 7 Curculionidae, 2 Sesiidae, and 3 Cossidae. The proportion of abundant species was the highest among Scolytinae: Xyleborini. Species with a high physiological activity predominate among monophagous insects, particularly, Agrilus suvorovi, Cryptorhynchus lapathi, Xyleborus cryptographus, Paranthrene tabaniformis, Acossus terebra. Only five species (S. populnea, S. octopunctata, S. perforata, S. scalaris, S. carcharias) can cause significant damage to trees during maturation feeding by foliage or bark of branches. The average score of physiological harmfulness is the highest among abundant xylophagous species, it is almost twice as low in common species, and almost two times less in rare and single species. High physiological harmfulness (10 and more) for poplars and aspens is estimated for nineteen xylophagous species, particularly, 13 for S. populnea and S. carcharias, and 12 for Cryptorhynchus lapathi, Trypodendron signatum, Tremex fuscicornis, and Xyleborini species.
 3 Tab., 4 Fig., 35 Ref.

The “Ukrderzhlisproekt” Ukrainian State Forest Management Planning Association Database by 2017 was analysed for Donetsk, Kharkiv and Sumy Regional Forest and Hunting Management Administrations (RFHMA) to recognize the distribution of forest-covered area, area with Ulmus sp. as a main forest-forming species, and area of subcompartments with Ulmus sp. in the stand composition by forest site condition (FSC) types. Forests of Donetsk, Kharkiv and Sumy RFHMA are located in 16, 17 and 16 FSC types, with Ulmus sp. in 14, 13 and 11 FSC types, and with Ulmus sp. as the main forest-forming species in 11, 9 and 8 FSC types, respectively. U. minor is the most common; U. glabra is the least common. U. pumila dominates in Donetsk RFHMA and is absent in Sumy RFHMA. U. laevis is most common in Kharkiv RFHMA. U. minor prefers fresh and dry fertile FSC. U. laevis in Donetsk RFHMA prefers dry and fresh fertile FSC types, in Kharkiv RFHMA fresh fertile FSC types, in Sumy RFHMA fresh relatively poor, relatively fertile and fertile FSC types. U. pumila In Donetsk RFHMA prefers dry relatively fertile FSC, in Kharkiv RFHMA fresh fertile FSC, in Sumy RFHMA fresh relatively poor FSC, fresh relatively fertile FSC and moist fresh relatively fertile FSC. U. glabra prevails in moist relatively fertile FSC types, and in Kharkiv RFHMA also widely spread in fresh fertile FSC types.

Introduction
 The outbreaks of the bark beetles Ips acuminatus (Gyllenhal, 1827) and Ips sexdentatus (Boerner, 1767) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) have begun to collapse, while the prevalence of Tomicus piniperda (Linnaeus, 1758) and Tomicus minor (Hartig, 1834) is beginning to increase. Given that most predatory beetles attack different species of bark beetles, it is still important to study the occurrence of such predators in forest stands and to rear these entomophages for forest protection. Since predators consume bark beetles at different stages during rearing, it is also advisable to recognize the features of bark beetles spread in collapsing foci to determine the optimal places and time for their collection.
 The aim of the research was to evaluate the occurrence of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) and their predators in collapsing foci depending on certain stand characteristics.
 Materials and Methods
 The study was carried out in collapsing foci of bark beetles in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands in Sumy region. Sample trees of the 5th and 6th categories of health condition were analysed at 30 sample plots in three state forest enterprises of Polissya part of Sumy region and in seven state forest enterprises of the Forest-Steppe part of Sumy region (9 and 21 forestries respectively). Insects were counted on 25 ? 25 cm pallets from mid-May to mid-August 2021. Predatory insects were collected from each pallet to individual Eppendorf tubes, labeled, and later identified in the laboratory.
 Results and Conclusions
 The six predator Coleoptera species were found in the declining stage of outbreak cycle of bark beetles Ips acuminatus (Gyllenhal, 1827) and Ips sexdentatus (Boerner, 1767), namely Aulonium ruficorne (Olivier, 1790) (Colydiidae), Platysoma elongatum (Leach, 1817) (Histeridae), Rhizophagus depressus (Fabricius, 1792) (Monotomidae), Corticeus pini (Panzer, 1799) (Tenebrionidae), Thanasimus formicarius (Linnaeus 1758), and Thanasimus femoralis (Zetterstedt, 1828) (Cleridae). Platysoma elongatum and Aulonium ruficorne had the highest frequency of occurrence in the second decade of May, Thanasimus formicarius in the 3rd decade of May, Corticeus pini in the 1st decade of June, Rhizophagus depressus, Platysoma elongatum, and Aulonium ruficorne in the 3rd decade of June. The fragments of the stem with bark beetles for predators’ rearing have to be collected from the trees of the 5th category of health condition. It is necessary to collect Thanasimus formicarius for rearing in the 3rd decade of May and in the 1st decade of August, and Rhizophagus depressus, Platysoma elongatum, and Aulonium ruficorne – in the 3rd decade of June.

Introduction
 Recently, in pine forests of many regions, the outbreak of bark beetles, particularly Ips sexdentatus (B?rner, 1776) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) have been registered. Prevention of outbreaks and decrease of the negative consequences for forest can be achieved by the use of fertilizers, insecticides, and entomophages. Thanasimus formicarius (Linnaeus 1758) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) is a predator of many coleopterous species.
 The aim of the research was to evaluate the first results of the release of Th. formicarius into the foci of bark beetles.
 Materials and Methods
 The study was carried out in the foci of bark beetles in Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernigiv regions. The larvae of Th. formicarius were reared in the State Specialized Forest Protection Enterprise ‘Kharkivlisozahyst’. After that, they were moved to the forest and released. The experiment was carried out with five variants of application the fertilizer and predator, one variant of predator release without fertilizer, one variant of the fertilizer ‘Iaros’ treatment without predator release, and one variant without any treatment. The control plots were of three types: K-1 – release of predator larvae without applying a fertilizer; K-2 – treatment with fertilizer without the release of predator; K-3 – without treatment with fertilizer and without the release of predator. The change in the health condition of trees and bark beetles’ survival were the criteria for evaluating the treatment effectiveness.
 Results and Conclusions
 The efficiency of different combinations of treatment with fertilizer and the release of the predator, evaluated by the change of the health condition of viable trees, was from 14.7 to 28.3%. According to the 2020 assessment, the density of larval galleries of the bark beetle decreased in all plots compared to 2018. The more rapid collapse of bark beetle outbreak as compared to the control was registered for the plots with predator release. The release of the predator along with the use of mineral fertilizer by spraying the crowns provided a more significant improvement in the stand health condition and a decrease in the viability of the bark beetle populations than the only predator release.

Forest fires constitute widespread and potentially destructive disturbances in forest ecosystems, particularly negative impact on soil mycorrhizal fungi which are major players of the belowground plant. This study investigated the short-term effects of wildfire on fungal communities in Left-Bank Ukraine with special emphasis on mycorrhizal fungi. During the fourteen months after autumn wildfire, fruiting bodies found in the plots were identified, and their mycological richness, diversity and production in both burned and unburnt areas were measured. Total fungal diversity decreased in burned plots, where fungal richness and diversity of mycorrhizal species were significantly lower. Our results also confirmed the data on a rather destructive influence of post-fire forest management on fungal diversity. Only three mycorrhizal fungi associated with Pinus sylvestris L. were common to both sites while pyrophilic species were in close association with burned sites.
 3 Figs., 1 Table, 31 Refs.
 Key words: mycorrhiza, pine plantation, post-fire erosion, wildfire.

The incidence of ash dieback in the forest-steppe part of Sumy and Kharkiv Regions was analysed taking into account the type of forest site conditions, the stand age, relative stocking density, site index class and the proportion of European ash in the stand composition. Ash dieback is quite widespread in inspected stands of the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of Sumy and Kharkiv Regions. The disease spreads similarly in natural and artificial stands. It was more often revealed in the fresh fertile forest site conditions, however, such forest site conditions are the most spread and the most favourable for European ash. It was found that ash dieback incidence tends to grow with a stand aging and lasts up to the stand’s age of 80. It can be explained by the development of stem and collar rots which occur later. Ash dieback incidence is the highest in the stands with 40–70 % of ash in their composition, at a relative density of stocking over 0.5 in the stands of different site index classes.

Наведено методику економічного оцінювання деревостанів за чинними та проєктними віками стиглості з урахуванням актуального поділу лісів за категоріями, класами бонітету та походженням. Визначено показники загальних запасів деревостанів та їхнього розподілу за розмірно-якісними категоріями деревини в певному віці проведення рубок головного користування за чинними та проєктними віками стиглості. Розраховано площі та проведено грошове оцінювання запасів деревини стиглих деревостанів сосни звичайної та дуба звичайного за віками стиглості (2010–2040 рр.) на прикладі державних лісогосподарських підприємств Харківської та Чернігівської областей. Порівняно вартісні показники запасів деревостанів сосни й дуба у віці стиглості на перспективу до 2040 р. Обґрунтовано економічну доцільність застосування вартісних показників для визначення віків стиглості деревостанів.