Artificial Forest Plantations Research Articles

Functionality of Zonal Agroforestry Systems on Agricultural Land of Dry Territories

In this study, agroforestry systems (AFSs) are represented by zonal type using the example of agricultural lands of the administrative districts of the Volgograd region for the first time. The average percentage of forest cover in the territories for these categories of land was 0.9%, with the following distribution by zone: real steppe—1.3%; dry steppe—0.97%; and semidesert—0.6%. Cartographic analysis of the spatial distribution of areas of artificial forest plantations, presented in the form of background cartograms, showed the greatest spatial asymmetry and variability in the forest cover index in the semidesert zone (As = 1.68; Ex = −4.08). This is due to the large variation in indicators by occupied space, namely AFS, agricultural land, and arable land. The calculated area of arable land under AFS protection averaged 35% for the region, with the following distribution by zone: real steppe—47% of the area of the zone; dry steppe—22%; and semidesert—82%. The author’s methodological approach presents the exposed AFS area of arable land as open and closed territories. The open territory of the spring period (March) is land at risk of deflation since it is completely free of plants (black fallows, areas covered by spring crops, and tilled crops). It makes up 67% of the exposed area of AFSs. The annual removal of soil from this area of the region was calculated via mathematical analysis. It amounted to 3.08 × 107 tons. Analysis of the AFS species composition showed the following distribution of species: deciduous species—86%; mixed species—8%; and coniferous—6%. This model can be applied to many arid areas to calculate deflationary losses and the amount of additional AFSs needed.

Studies on Manna ash (Fraxinus ornus L.) In Bulgaria

The purpose of this publication is to review and analyze the main studies of Manna ash in Bulgaria in or-der to present summarized information and acquire an objective view of the possibilities for proper per-ception of the importance of this local tree species and its use in various aspects of science and practice in our country. The study covers the period from the second half of the 1940s, when the first specialized journals in the field of forest science were published, until 2022. The focus of the study is on publications related directly or indirectly to various aspects of research on manna ash.  The tracking of the chronology of forestry studies in Bulgaria shows trends towards a change in the perception of Manna ash as an inferior species and the search for its benefits for forestry practice, including rethinking its role from one of a weed species into an adjustable competitor, stimulating the regeneration of oaks and others indigenous species in plantations. The role of phytocoenological studies, which in relation to the Manna ash communities, both in nat-ural and artificial forest plantations, with its participation have increased in recent years. With their help, it is possible to trace the stages of successions and fluctuations and behavior of Manna ash in xerothermic oak forests and austian pine crops – its ecological-coenotic strategy towards the main tree species. The studies of Manna ash in Bulgaria in the field of special uses are close to their European ana-logues and in a number of cases overtake them with new data and discoveries, mostly in terms of bio-logically active products and antiallergic agents obtained from this plant species, among which we have world patents. 

Орёл-могильник на юго-востоке Казахстана в 2022–2023 годах: распространение, численность, угрозы

Орёл-могильник на юго-востоке Казахстана в 2022–2023 годах: распространение, численность, угрозы

Степной орёл в Алтае-Саянском регионе – результаты исследований 2019–2023 годов

Степной орёл в Алтае-Саянском регионе – результаты исследований 2019–2023 годов

МОДЕЛЬНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ ПРОДУКТИВНОСТИ ЕЛОВЫХ НАСАЖДЕНИЙ В ЗАВИСИМОСТИ ОТ СХЕМЫ ПОСАДКИ И ИНТЕНСИВНОСТИ ВОЗДЕЙСТВИЯ СЛУЧАЙНЫХ ВНЕШНИХ ФАКТОРОВ

With rational forestry management, it is created special artificial forest plantations of high productivity for technically valuable species allowing the largest supply of grown wood. One of the ways to increase the supply of wood per unit of forest area is to regulate the initial density and planting pattern of trees. Using simulation methods, it is shown that in the absence of external influences, a checkerboard planting pattern is an optimal one providing a larger supply of wood as compared to a rectangular pattern. In real conditions, there are risks of dying off for individual trees due to random external factors like gusts of wind and phytophages. Therefore, in real life the supply of wood grown under such optimal planting schemes would be significantly lower as compared to the calculated values obtained. In this regard, there arise problems aimed at studying the plantings productivity dependent on the planting pattern and the intensity of tree death during the forest stand growth as a result of the random external factors influence. To solve these problems, we used a simulation model of tree communities dynamics, which takes into account the spatial location of each tree, in this way making it easy to simulate various forest planting schemes and remove some trees at any step of modeling. As a result of the computational experiments, the optimal values of spruce plantations initial density have been defined for different planting schemes, dependent on the intensity of the external factors influence. It is shown that at a certain intensity of the external factors impact, the maximum timber stock does not depend on the planting scheme, but is determined by the initial density of the forest stand.When the impact intensity increases,, the planting density also needs to be increased, in order to obtain the maximum reserve.

Artificial Forest Stands’ Impact on Soils’ Biological Activity in Khakassian Steppes

Artificial afforestation is especially important for dry steppe regions, where forests perform complex soil-protective, climate-forming, health-improving and aesthetic functions. Therefore, in 1975–1978 in the Shirinskaya dry steppe of the Republic of Khakassia on the premises of the Sukachev’s Institute of Forestry, several experimental artificial multispecific plantations of tree and shrub species were created. The studies were carried out in ten biodendrogroups (BDG) of the Shirinskaya steppe. For comparison, a site of a virgin natural steppe phytocenosis, located in close proximity, was taken. The purpose of these studies was to study the influence of tree and shrub vegetation on the edaphic conditions change, the ground cover succession, and the change in the soil functioning regime. The maximum positive effect on the biogenic indicators functional activity is exerted by BDG with edificatory coniferous species, under the crowns of which subordinate shrubs with a sufficient amount of leaves develop. Artificial forest plantations contribute to the formation of litter and an increase in the micromycetes’ proportion. A correlation was established between abiotic factors, especially illumination, and the growth of terrestrial herbaceous phytomass. Changes in ecological and phytocenotic factors contribute to an increase in biological diversity by optimizing the phytomass reserves and structure, and the emergence of new herbaceous vegetation types. Thus, ecologically stable artificial forest biocenoses can form under the dry steppe conditions.

ИЗУЧЕНИЕ БИОРАЗНООБРАЗИЯ НЕКОТОРЫХ ЛЕСОПАРКОВЫХ ФИТОЦЕНОЗОВ РОСТОВСКОЙ АГЛОМЕРАЦИИ

The article provides a detailed analysis of the composition and condition of the vegetation cover of individual old-growth artificial forest plantations of the Rostov agglomeration. Field studies of urban vegetation were carried out within the territories of the city of Rostov-on-Don: The Shchepkinsky Forest plantation, the Temernitskaya Grove city grove, the nursery of the Botanical Garden of the Southern Federal University, the park named after. N. Ostrovsky, park them. K. Chukovsky, Ordzhonikidze Park and forest plantation in Aksai. As part of the monitoring, geobotanical descriptions were carried out to assess the species diversity of tree species and subsoil herbaceous vegetation. It has been established that the largest contribution to the composition of the forest park zones of the cities of the South. Rostov-on-Don are introduced by adventive, synanthropic, cultigenic and weed vascular plants. The flora of the agglomeration today remains quite peculiar. Of the seven studied park and recreational zones, the largest floristic composition was noted for «Shchepkinsky Forest» and «Temernitskaya Grove» territories. Even though the Temernitskaya Grove is under anthropogenic pressure, its herbaceous cover is more diverse than in the Shchepkinsky forest. Healthy, weakened and strongly weakened state of the forest stand is noted in all plots. The most identical in systematic composition are very remote groups of park and recreational zones.

Influence of Robinia pseudoacacia L. and Quercus robur L. artificial forest plantations on the particle-size distribution of calcic chernozem

The particle-size distribution is one of the most important characteristics of soils, which determines most of their properties and features of the main regimes. Artificial forest plantations in the steppe act as a powerful environment-transforming factor, which over time is capable of changing even quite conservative properties of soils, including their particle-size distribution. The study of the influence of forest plantations on the particle-size distribution was carried out using soil samples taken from calcic chernozem, chernozem under the plantation of R. pseudoacacia L. and under the plantation of Q. robur L. The determination of the particle-size distribution was carried out by the pipette method, with the preparation of the sample by trituration with a solution of sodium pyrophosphate. The classification of granulometric fractions is given according to N. A. Kaczynskii. The analysis of the characteristics of the ratio of particle-size distribution of the studied chernozems revealed that the zonal chernozem is characterized by an increased content of the sand fraction and a reduced content of the silt fraction in the H1 and H2 horizons compared to the lower horizons. The calcic chernozem under the plantation of R. pseudoacacia L. is characterized by a relatively uniform distribution of the content of sand, dust and silt fractions along the soil profile. In calcic chernozem under the plantation of Q. robur L., the maximum content of the sand fraction was found in the surface horizon, with a gradual decrease in the content of this fraction with depth, while the content of dust and silt fractions increased with depth. The growth of R. pseudoacacia L. and Q. robur L. plantations on calcic chernozems leads to an increase in the content of sand fractions and a decrease in dust and physical clay fractions. There is also a certain change in the profile distribution of fractions, especially sand, under the influence of the growth of forest plantations. Each of the investigated calcic chernozems is characterized by a specific ratio of «sand : dust : silt» fractions, which indicates a different genesis of granulometric fractions.

Assessment of the allelopathic potential of some naturalized tree and shrubby introducents under conditions of the northern steppe Dnieper region

Nowadays, introduced alien tree and shrubby species have become integral components of the green infrastructure in cities and suburban artificial forest plantations around the world, and their participation in regional dendroflora is steadily increasing. Along with autochthonous species, tree and shrubby introducents perform a wide range of ecological functions and ecosystem services, but, with successful naturalization and increased invasive activity, they can cause negative biological, environmental, social, and economic consequences. The potential for the evolution of adventive species in secondary habitats in the direction of increasing allelopathic activity and competitiveness compared with native species determines the need for assessment of allelopathic potential as a possible predictor of their successful invasive activity. The allelopathic activity of the species was determined by the bioassay method based on the effect of water extracts of different concentrations obtained from dry biomass of leaves on the germination of testing culture seeds of Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus (L.) Domin and biometric indicators of seedlings of Lepidium sativum L. It was determined that in the conditions of the northern steppe Dnieper region, naturalized tree and shrubby introducents Celtis occidentalis L., Morus alba L., Lonicera tatarica L., Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh) Nutt., Prunus virginiana L., Prunus serotina Ehrh., Rhus typhina L. have significant allelopathic potential, which can be a predictor of increasing their competitiveness compared with native species and increasing invasive activity within the region. Water extracts from dry leaves of the studied tree and shrubby species had an inhibitory effect on seed germination and biometric indicators of testing cultures seedlings; the intensity of this effect varied depending on the plant species and extract concentration. Assessment of the allelopathic potential of the alien tree and shrubby species used in urban and suburban green planting is a necessary measure for preliminary identification of potentially invasive species, which will contribute to the increase of efficiency of green infrastructure management.

Peculiarities of the Middle Prydniprovia forest plantations use with the participation of Robinia pseudoacacia as raw material land for beekeeping

Preconditions for the creation of artificial forest plantations of Robinia pseudoacacia L. in Kaniv Prydniprovia region, which were planted on ravine-beam systems and Dnipro cliffs during forest reclamation measures fighting against erosion processes, are presented. At the beginning of the 20th century, it began to be widely used in afforestation of areas with heavily washed-out soils, in particular on the steep slopes of ravines, on their bottoms and on the slopes of landslide terraces. Artificially created Robinia pseudoacacia plantations, in addition to their soil protection and water retention role, had a significant list of useful properties: wood source, medicinal plant, raw material base for beekeeping. Ecological and coenotic features of artificially formed plantations and spontaneously formed phytocenoses of Robinia pseudoacacia are reflected. A list of accompanying tree, shrub and herbaceous species of nectar- and pollen-bearing ecosystems of the Kaniv Nature Reserve, which grow in artificial plantations of Robinia pseudoacacia, which may also have some raw material value for beekeeping, has been formed. The data of phenological observations on the beginning of its flowering on the territory of Kaniv Nature Reserve during the last 50 years are given, where, depending on the temperature conditions in diffe rent years, it began to bloom in the time range of 30 days. The dependence of honey productivity of an apiary with a constant number of bee colonies on certain characteristics of weather conditions during the last 10 years is analyzed. The performance of the Robinia pseudoacacia honey harvest is not stable due to differences in weather conditions from year to year. There is a slight direct positive relationship between the amount of honey obtained and the sum of average daily temperatures for the second and third decade of May.

Assessment of the ecological hybrid threat to industrial area in connection with the vital state of artificial woody plantations in Kryvyi Rih District (Ukraine)

Among the concepts of sustainable nature management, forest conservation is considered as an important element. The state of forest ecosystem depends on the development trend of the mining and industrial area and the complex of social, ecological, and economic problems of Kryvyi Rih District. The object of this study was assessing the artificial woody plantations as a promising factor for ecological hybrid threat reduce in industrial areas on the example of the Kryvyi Rih Iron Ore Mining and Metallurgical District on standpoint of an ecosystem approach. During 2015-2020, we studied the natural forest ecosystems and the artificial forest plantations, which were located in contrast environmental conditions. Forests are located very unevenly in the Kryvyi Rih District. They are mainly concentrated in River gullies, woody stands of city parks, woody stands of health protection zones, woody stands of city protection forest and woody stands of river protection forest. The woody plantations located on the territories of Kryvyi Rih District are very different in terms of coverage area and don’t reach the optimal level. This woody plantations level allows effect the climate, soil, and water resources. The woody plantations also mitigate the effects of erosion processes, as well as provide more clean air. The artificial woody plantations are an important element of environmental safety in Kryvyi Rih District. The main function of the artificial woody plantations is to maintain the soil in an optimal form for operation. It is also the protection of ground water and the stability of the meso- and microclimate in the region, moreover preserving the biodiversity of the territory’s ecosystems. The artificial woody plantations perform an anti-stress function for residents. It was established that the quality of reforming the ecological approach to greening the city’s territories, as well as preserving artificial woody plantations, was determined by the choice of such a management model and nature management policy. These models together should ensure the competitive ability and long-term development of the artificial woody plantations in Kryvyi Rih District. The maine industrial areas in the world should develop as an environmentally stable and safety metallurgical region in accordance with the principles of sustainable development in the world.

The shifts in the structure of the prokaryotic community of mountain-grassland soil under the influence of artificial larch plantations.

Creation of artificial forest plantations on a global scale is one of the ways to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on ecosystems, at the same time providing soil protection from erosion, regulation of the hydrological regime and carbon sequestration in soils of different natural and climatic zones. However, the change of the dominant plant community cause significant ecosystem changes, reflecting at the structure and functioning of the soil microbial complex as well. The shifts in prokaryotic community of the meadow soil resulting from the conversion of the native meadow (further grassland) phytocenosis to the artificial forest plantations was investigated with the use of NGS sequencing technology and metabarcoding approach–amplicon sequencing of V4 region of 16 S rRNA (performed on Illumina Miseq platform). The identified shifts in taxonomic structure and diversity may be the result of changes in the physic-chemical conditions of soils and, on the other hand, may serve as indicators of such changes. Cultivation of larch led to an increase in the diversity of the prokaryotic community and its stratification by depth. The acidifying effect of larch manifested itself in an increase in the proportion and diversity of acidobacteria, in the abundance of oligotrophic microorganisms of phyla Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, and a simultaneous comparative decrease in the bacteria of Verrucomicrobia phylum, alphaproteobacteria of or. Rhizobiales and Burkholderiales. The absence of clearly expressed dominants in the prokaryotic community, as well as a significant increase in alpha-diversity indices, compared with the control plot of native mountain-meadow soil under grassland vegetation, suggests a transitional nature of the soil ecosystem of artificial forest plantations.

АНАЛИЗ ЖИЗНЕСПОСОБНОСТИ ДРЕВЕСНЫХ ВИДОВ В ЗАЩИТНЫХ ЛЕСНЫХ ПОЛОСАХ АРИДНОЙ ТЕРРИТОРИИ ВОЛГОГРАДСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ

To solve scientific and practical problems in the field of agroforestry of arid territories, it is particularly relevant to preserve protective forest plantations of artificial origin on agricultural lands, since they have a positive impact on the yield of agricultural crops. Increasing the resistance of tree plantations to unfavorable natural and climatic factors of the arid zone, increasing the period of the reclamation effect on soil fertility, improving the ecological state of agrarian landscapes is a priority task in agroforestry reclamation measures. Created in the middle of the XX century, without deep analysis of soil and geological conditions, without taking into account salt resistance and proper care for a long time, forest strips began to degrade and lost their basic functionality. Intended primarily to mitigate the harsh climate of the Volgograd region, forest strips have also lost their aesthetic appeal. Taking into account the considerable experience of artificial afforestation in the arid zone and in the conditions of the dry steppe, there is still no clear scientific justification for the creation of sustainable protective forest plantations that can provide an appropriate reclamation effect aimed at reducing wind speed, improving the microclimate of fields and stabilizing water and wind erosion. In order for agroforestry in the region to have the calculated effect, an analysis of tree plantations in protective forest strips was carried out, since it is necessary to improve the range of tree and shrub plantations that are used in the creation of artificial forest plantations. The heat resistance and winter hardiness of seeds of the most common tree plantations (such as Quercus robur, Ulmus pumila, гибриды вязов, Ulmus minor, Robinia pseudoacacia, Fraxinus lanceolata, Caragana arborescens, Ribes aureum, Tamarix ramosissima) were studied, their salt resistance and durability of the seed generation were studied. Based on the results obtained it was concluded that the most promising for protective afforestation are such genera as: Ulmus pumila, Ulmus pumila x carpinifolia, Ulmus carpinifolia, Robinia pseudoacacia, Celtis occidentalis и Caragana arborescens, the breeding efficiency of which has been proved by the general condition of many protective forest plantations and their resistance in the arid region.

Prospects and directions of using forest crops phytocenoses to harmonize the natural environment of industrial regions

The main purpose of this work was to consider artificial tree plantations in terms of ecosystem approach, as a significant factor in improving the ecological environment for the introduction of the sustainable development paradigm in the conditions of industrial pollution Kryvyi Rih region. During 2015–2020, natural forest ecosystems and artificial forest plantations were studied by classical methods. These woody plantations are located in contrasting ecological conditions. The relevance of our research is determined by the need to find practical measures aimed at the formation and maintenance of woody plantations to increase resistance to areas under industrial pollution. The solution to this problem was carried out by assessing their living conditions and biometric indicators.

Influence of artificial forest plantations on dielectric constant and electrophysical parameters of southern chernozems

The peculiarities of the influence of Robinia pseudoacacia L. and Quercus robur L. forest plantations on dielectric constant and electrophysical indicators (specific electrical conductivity, mineralization and salinity) of chernozems of the southern steppe zone of Ukraine are considered. Samples for the study were taken near the city of Zelenodolsk (Kryvyi Rih district of Dnipropetrovsk region) on 3 test plots with soil sections. Determination of electrophysical parameters (specific conductivity, mineralization and salinity) was performed using a conductometer-salt meter-thermometer Ezodo-7021, which measured these indicators in the soil extract (in the ratio of 1 part soil to 5 parts distilled water). Determination of the dielectric constant of soils was performed using a digital capacity meter CM-9601A with simultaneous determination of the density of the soil sample. As a result, it was found that among the upper horizons of the studied soils, the highest value of dielectric constant is zonal southern chernozem, and the smallest – southern chernozem under the planting of Q. robur. This may indicate an improvement in the structural and aggregate state of the southern chernozem under the influence of forest plantations. The upper horizons of the zonal southern chernozem and the southern chernozem under the planting of R. pseudoacacia do not differ significantly in terms of electrophysical parameters. The upper horizon of the southern chernozem under Q. robur is characterized by increased values ​​of specific conductivity, mineralization and salinity compared to the upper horizons of other studied soils. This may indicate a certain increase in water-soluble salts in the upper horizon of southern chernozem under Q. robur compared to the upper horizons of zonal southern chernozem and southern chernozem under R. pseudoacacia. The obtained conclusions coincide with the results of the study of the influence of forest plantations on the dielectric constant and electrophysical parameters of ordinary chernozems.

Temporal Information Extraction for Afforestation in the Middle Section of the Yarlung Zangbo River Using Time-Series Landsat Images Based on Google Earth Engine

Afforestation is one of the most efficient ways to control land desertification in the middle section of the Yarlung Zangbo River (YZR) valley. However, the lack of a quantitative way to record the planting time of artificial forest (AF) constrains further management for these forests. The long-term archived Landsat images (including the Thematic Mapper (TM), Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), and Operational Land Imager (OLI)) provide a good opportunity to capture the temporal change information about AF plantations. Under the condition that there would be an abrupt increasing trend in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time-series curve after afforestation, and this characteristic can be thought of as the indicator of the AF planting time. To extract the indicator, an algorithm based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) for detecting this trend change point (TCP) on the maximum NDVI time series within the growing season (May to September) was proposed. In this algorithm, the time-series NDVI was initially smoothed and segmented into two subspaces. Then, a trend change indicator Sdiff was calculated with the difference between the fitting slopes of the subspaces before and after each target point. A self-adaptive method was applied to the NDVI series to find the right year with the maximum TCP, which is recorded as the AF planting time. Based on the proposed method, the AF planting time of the middle section of the YZR valley from 1988 to 2020 was derived. The detected afforestation temporal information was validated by 222 samples collected from the field survey, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.93 and a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 2.95 years. Meanwhile, the area distribution of the AF planted each year has good temporal consistency with the implementation of the eco-reconstruction project. Overall, the study provides a good way to map AF planting times that is not only helpful for sustainable management of AF areas but also provides a basis for further research on the impact of afforestation on desertification control.

Thermal analysis of aboveground biomass of the two species cultivated in artificial forest plantations in marginal lands of Ukraine

ABSTRACT The thermal degradation of the wood and bark of the Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) cultivated as monocultures in marginal lands of Ukraine has been investigated using thermogravimetric methods of differential thermal analysis. The activation energy of the trees’ bark and wood destruction processes were calculated for each temperature range. Comparison of DTA curves showed that the thermal effect of oxidative destruction of the Black locust bark as a whole is greater than that of wood, which correlates with a decrease in the activation energy.

Experience In Creating Artificial Forest Plants In The Territory Of Belgorod Region

The experience of creating artificial forest plantations on the territory of the Belgorod region within the framework of the “Green Capital” project is considered. As part of the project, it was envisaged to create more than 100 thousand hectares of forest plantations on chalk slopes and erosion-hazardous areas of the region for 2010 - 2020, that is, bringing the forest cover of the region to 15% - the optimal value for the region. For the period 2010 - 2020 forest plantations were laid on the territory of more than 87.7 thousand hectares. For afforestation in the region, species are recommended that provide sustainable, durable and ecologically capacious afforestation: as the main species on chernozem soils: Quercus robur L., Q. rubra, Fraxinus excilsior L., Larix sibirica Ledeb .; on sandy soils - Pinus sylvestris L. Reforestation has been carried out since 2010 on the territory of 22 districts of the region. In 2016-2020 more than 6 thousand hectares of oak forests were created. As a result, the species Q. robur occupies an area of 22.2% of the area of artificial plantations; P. silvestris accounts for 13.2% of the area of artificial plantations in the oblast. Next in terms of planting volumes are such crops as A. hippocastanum, R. pseudoacacia and F. excélsior - 12.1%, 24.7% and 14.4%, respectively. The share of fruit crops, as well as B. pendula, A. platanoide, A. campestre, and U. laevis, is 11.7%.

ASSESSMENT OF THE STATE AND RESTORATION OF BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES OF SCOTS PINE (PINUS SILVESTRIS L.) IN THE SOUTH OF THE CENTRAL RUSSIAN UPLAND

The paper deals with an assessment of the current state and prospects for the creation of artificial forest plantations based on Pinus silvestris L. to increase the bio resource potential of the south of the Central Russian Upland. There have been tested and methodically substantiated various methods of creating long-term forest plantations based on Pinus silvestris L. by improving the methods of sowing seeds. Evaluation of the effectiveness of various methods of sowing pine has shown that more guaranteed and uniform seedlings and further development of seedlings provide sowing with cones. Having an equal number of seed holes when sowing with seeds and cones, it can be stated that the number of holes in which seedlings appeared during sowing with cones is 56.8% higher, the survival rate of seedlings is 34.6% higher, the number of seedlings is 25% higher, and the number plants per hole – by 50%. Sowing with cones is economically more profitable-no need to engage in costly threshing of seeds; cones are easier to plant during mass plantings in the process of laying artificial forest plantations; cones have a high hygroscopicity, the seeds are constantly in a moist state and germinate well, regardless of the conditions of soil and air moisture.

Woody artificial plantations as a significant factor of the sustainable development at mining & metallurgical area

The relevance of our research is determined by the need to find practical measures that will be aimed of the sustainable development formation and maintenance at mining and metallurgical areas by used of artificial woody plantation. The main objective of this work was on the standpoint of the ecosystem approach to consider the artificial woody plantations as a significant factor for sustainable development paradigm implementation at Kryvyi Rih mining and metallurgical district (Central Ukraine). During 2015-2020, by classical methods were studied the natural forest ecosystems and the artificial forest plantations, which are located in contrast ecological and environmental conditions. Numerous scientific papers about sustainable development have also served as materials for our work. At Kryvyi Rih mining and metallurgical district the leading characteristics of artificial woody plantations have a clear ecological and environmental conditionality. It is proved that in artificial woody plantations of this district tree species are in a state of stress. Therefore, these species lose stability due to the constant influence of adverse environmental factors of natural and anthropogenic genesis. The authors assume that the biogeochemical parameters of trees fallen can be considered one of the promising markers that determine the vitality / healthy of tree species and forecast the development of artificial woody plantations. It has been suggested that the artificial woody plantations at Kryvyi Rih mining and metallurgical area should acquire the status of one of the key factors that determine the sustainable development of this district and Ukraine as a whole. In practice, to achieve this goal, the following steps must be taken: (i) artificial woody plantation assessment, (ii) ecological and environment conditionality of artificial woody plantation current state ascertainment, (iii) sustainable model of artificial woody plantation development, (iv) sustainable management of artificial woody plantation, (v) sustainable development of artificial woody plantation. In the near future, it is recommended to optimize the Kryvyi Rih forest cover by 8-10%. The first step in streamlining and preliminary assessment of the artificial forest ecosystems sustainability is the use of biogeochemical indicators of the chemical circulation system relationship “Leaf precipitation -soil” as markers and predictors of the artificial forest current state in Kryvyi Rih District.