Trunk Diameter Research Articles

Functional traits are more strongly correlated with biomass than diameter growth

Abstract The functional basis of tree growth is often evaluated based on trunk diameter even though diameter is only one dimension of growth that may not be an integrative measure of resource allocation. We tested the hypothesis that growth—functional trait relationships are stronger when key sources of variation in tree growth are also accounted for, namely tree height and DBH, as well as size‐related variation in wood density and seed production using data from 3881 trees of 24 species in a subtropical forest using ordinary least square regression and standard major axis regression. Wood density varied with tree size for 14 of 24 species, generally increasing with size. For 18 of 24 species, the correlations of leaf mass per area and an index of photosynthetic investment (PI) with biomass growth was stronger than with diameter growth rate. Juveniles did not show stronger relationships than adults but biomass growth adding up with seed production showed stronger relationships with PI than biomass growth alone for three of eight species. Synthesis. Thus, our study helps resolve a paradox of trait‐based ecology, that is, weak growth—trait relationships, as stronger relationships emerged when accounting for more sources of intraspecific, among‐tree variation in resource allocation.

Exploring Novel Management Methods for Beech Leaf Disease, an Emerging Threat to Forests and Landscapes

Exploring Novel Management Methods for Beech Leaf Disease, an Emerging Threat to Forests and Landscapes

Effect of Micro Organic Fertilizer on Growth and Yield of Threatened Melientha suavis Pierre Species in Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam

The experiment was conducted at Thai Nguyen province to evaluate the response of micro-organic fertilizer on growth of vegetative and yield of Melientha suavis Pierre species in the spring and summer season 2023. The experiment included four treatments was designed in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The characteristics include height of plant, diameter of trunk, leaf number, leaf size and yield were measured. The results indicated that applying the T3 treatment greatly in response enhancing height of plant, diameter of trunk, leaf number as well as leaf size compared to untreated control. Furthermore, application of the T3 treatment have the best results in yield of 380.0 kg/ha and 313.3 kg/ha in the spring and summer season, respectively. Therefore, the result could recommend applying micro-organic fertilizer can be practical tool for increasing growth of vegetative as well as yield in Melientha suavis pierre under field conditions.

Covering young avocado ‘Hass’ trees with high-density shading nets during the winter mitigates frost damage and improves tree performance

Key messageCovering young ‘Hass’ trees with Silver 60% shading nets during cold winters mitigates frost damage and improves tree performance, apparently through a mechanism other than increasing nighttime air temperature.Avocado is a commercially important subtropical evergreen fruit tree. Severe frost may damage foliage, floral buds, flowers and fruit, thereby reducing avocado crop yield and restricting its geographical distribution and expansion. Shading nets are frequently used to protect agricultural crops from climate-related damage. To determine their ability to mitigate frost damage, Silver 60% shading nets were deployed over young ‘Hass’ trees during two consecutive winters and uncovered trees served as controls. Freezing and chilling temperatures occurred in the experimental orchard during the winter of each year, from December to March, reaching − 2.49 ℃ in January 2022. In the control, 93% of the examined floral buds were severely damaged compared to 4% in the Silver 60% trees. Damage to young vegetative shoots was assessed at 4.35 out of 5 in the control compared to 0.5 out of 5 in the Silver 60% trees. In both years, minimum air temperatures under the Silver 60% shading nets were similar to those of the control. Leaf-level photosynthetic photon flux density was ~ 60% lower under the shading nets. In most measurements, CO2-assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, ratio of variable to maximum fluorescence (Fv/Fm) and chlorophyll concentration in the leaves of the Silver 60% trees were higher than, or similar to the controls. Trunk diameter and flowering intensity of the Silver 60% trees were higher than for the control. These results indicate that covering young ‘Hass’ trees with Silver 60% shading nets during cold winters can mitigate frost damage and improve tree performance.

Possibilities of magnetic resonance imaging in visualizing the pudendal nerve in normal and pathological conditions

Until recently, imaging of peripheral nerves was limited from a technical point of view, as there was no established “gold standard” study protocol for the purpose of qualitative visualization of nerve trunks in normal and pathological conditions. With technical advances in magnetic resonance imaging and the advent of specialized high-resolution magnetic resonance neurography, it has become possible to visualize peripheral nerves of varying diameters. A literature search in the Pubmed, Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and eLibrary databases demonstrated the presence of several studies examining the capabilities of magnetic resonance imaging in visualizing the pudendal nerve in normal and pathological conditions. It must be emphasized that the results of these studies are consistent and largely complement each other. A generalization of the available data on the capabilities of magnetic resonance neurography of the pudendal nerve was the impetus for writing this literature review. Magnetic resonance neurography is a tissue-specific imaging method optimized for assessing the condition of peripheral nerves, including changes in the morphology of their bundle structure, signal, the diameter and length of nerve trunks, which can be caused by both anatomical features and pathological processes. Three-dimensional (3D) imaging is critical for studying the topography of peripheral nerves, identifying areas of compression or traumatic injury, and for preoperative planning. Magnetic resonance imaging in certain modes and sections allows to clearly visualize the pudendal nerve along almost its entire length, determine the nature of its branching and the features of its topographic and anatomical location. The anatomical characteristics of the pudendal nerve and its pathological changes obtained using magnetic resonance neurography can be used in everyday clinical practice by urologists, obstetricians-gynecologists and neurosurgeons for planning surgical interventions.

The variation of growth in diameter and its relationship with the height of pedunculated oak (Quercus Robur L.) trees in the provenance cultures

In provenance cultures, studies were conducted on diameter growth dynamics in pedunculated oak (Quercus robur L.) trees and the height-diameter relationship was evaluated based on three data approximation models. The studies highlighted a signifi cant variation of the trunk diameter in trees of different origins and a similar growth reaction of oaks from four provenances (Hârjauca, Plaiul Fagului, Zloti, and Baimaclia) in relation to the environmental conditions of the common stand. In all the years of observation, the trees from Edineț had a rapid growth in diameter, thus demonstrating their ability to adapt through phenotypic plasticity. An uneven distribution of tree diameters was observed by provenance, indicating that dominant trees have an advantage in competition for light, slowing the growth of those with smaller diameters and causing a positive skew towards oaks with larger diameters. With the advancing age of the oaks, a tendency to decrease the values of the heritability coefficients for the trunk diameter was observed. At the age of 5 years, studies show a strong genetic control over the growth in diameter, a fact highlighted by the heritability coefficient value of 0,53 for this character. As the trees age, non-genetic factors such as environmental conditions become increasingly important in determining tree diameter growth. The comparative analysis of three statistical fitting models for data on pedunculate oak trees from different provenances, showed that the logarithmic model is the most appropriate to explain the relationship between their height and diameter.

Development and application of an inexpensive open-source dendrometer for detecting xylem water potential and radial stem growth at high spatial and temporal resolution.

There is currently a need for inexpensive, continuous, non-destructive water potential measurements at high temporal resolution (<1min). We describe here the development and testing of an entirely open-source dendrometer that, when combined with periodic Scholander pressure chamber measurements, provides sub-minute resolution estimates of water potential when placed on tissues exhibiting little or no secondary growth (petioles, monocotyledon stems). The dendrometer can also be used to measure radial growth of stems and branches when placed on dicotyledon and gymnosperm species. The dendrometer can be interfaced directly with a computer in real time in the lab or greenhouse, or connected to a datalogger for long periods of use in the field on batteries. We tested this device on a herbaceous dicotyledon (Helianthus annuus) (petioles and stems) and a monocotyledon (Zea mays) species (stems) for 1 week during dehydration and re-watering treatments under laboratory conditions. We also demonstrated the ability of the device to record branch and trunk diameter variation of a woody dicotyledon (Rhus typhina) in the field. Under laboratory conditions, we compared our device (hereafter 'contact' dendrometer) with modified versions of another open-source dendrometer (the 'optical' dendrometer). Overall, contact and optical dendrometers were well aligned with one another, with Pearson correlation coefficients ranging from 0.77 to 0.97. Both dendrometer devices were well aligned with direct measurements of xylem water potential, with calibration curves exhibiting significant non-linearity, especially at water potentials near the point of incipient plasmolysis, with pseudo R2 values (Efron) ranging from 0.89 to 0.99. Overall, both dendrometers were comparable and provided sufficient resolution to detect subtle differences in stem water potential (ca. 50 kPa) resulting from light-induced changes in transpiration, vapour pressure deficit and drying/wetting soils. All hardware designs, alternative configurations, software and build instructions for the contact dendrometers are provided.

Dilated Internal Iliac Artery Confers a Higher Risk of Endoleak in Iliac Branch Devices in a Single Centre Retrospective Experience

Iliac branch devices (IBDs) have shown good results but there is little evidence for the risk of internal iliac artery (IIA) endoleak, so there are no clear recommendations on the maximum diameter it should be. Based on limited evidence, we hypothesised that an IIA of ≥ 11 mm in diameter presents an increased risk of type Ic endoleak. This was a single centre, retrospective case-control study. Patients undergoing an IBD with the main trunk of the IIA as the target vessel between 2015 and 2021 were identified. Two groups were created: a non-dilated IIA group, with a main trunk diameter of < 11 mm; and a dilated IIA group, with a diameter of ≥ 11 mm. Technical success, freedom from type Ic endoleak, and re-intervention rates were compared. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to show a cutoff IIA diameter value for risk of type Ic endoleak. Pearson correlation was performed to assess the risk of type Ic endoleak and the presence of calcification, stenosis, and landing zone length in the IIA. There were 182 IBDs identified. The dilated IIA group (54 IBDs) had significantly lower technical success (91% vs. 98.4%; p = .002), lower freedom from type Ic endoleak (77% vs. 97.1% at 24 months; p = .001), and lower freedom from re-interventions (70% vs. 92.4% at 24 months; p = .002). The ROC curve showed that 10.5 mm was the cutoff diameter for type Ic endoleak. Moderate/severe calcification as well as landing zone length < 5 mm also correlated with the occurrence of type Ic endoleak. IBDs have a statistically significantly higher rate of technical failure, lower freedom from type Ic endoleak, and lower freedom from re-intervention when the IIA is dilated to ≥ 11 mm.

Vegetative and Reproductive Responses Induced by Organo-Mineral Fertilizers on Young Trees of Almond cv. Tuono Grown in a Medium-High Density Plantation

Field experiments were conducted in three successive seasons (2019–2021) to evaluate the effects of four commercial organo-mineral fertilizers with biostimulating action (Hendophyt®, Ergostim®, and Radicon®) on the vegetative and productive performance of young almond trees (Prunus dulcis, cv. Tuono) grown in a semiarid climate in Southern Italy. Foliar treatments were applied three times during each season (at the swollen bud, beginning of flowering, and fruit set-beginning of fruit growth stages). Both 2020 and 2021 were adversely affected by late frosts, resulting in damage to the flowers and small fruits without any positive effect of the biostimulant applications. In contrast, the results obtained during the normal climate year (2019) indicated that the growth of trunk diameter and shoot length of trees tended to increase in biostimulant treatments compared to those of the control. The number of buds and flowers per unit length of the branch revealed no significant differences among years and all compared treatments. However, in 2019, the fruit set percentage, number, and weight of kernels per tree were significantly higher in the biostimulant treatments compared to those of the control. To this regard, the use of biofertilizers is suitable for maintaining soil fertility and improving crop productivity This information holds significance for almond tree growers.

Effect of Plantation Density on Some Physical and Technological Parameters of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)

The issue of optimising the initial stand density (ISD) of tree plantations has high practical importance. The objective of this study was to non-destructively evaluate the influence of the initial stand density of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) plantations located in the European part of the Russian Federation on wood basic density (BD), moisture content (MC), ultrasound velocity (UV), latewood content, and drilling resistance (DR). The trees at the age of 45 years with initial plantation densities of 500, 1000, 3000, 5000, and 10,000 trees/ha were tested by a 5 cm-long core sample for gravimetric MCGM and BD by PULSAR-2.2 for UV along the height (UVH) and through the tree trunk diameter (UVD) by the IML-RESI PD-400 tool for DR, as well as by GANN HT 85T for MC based on the electrical-resistance method (MCERM). A significant influence of ISD was found on DBH, UVD, MCGM, and MCERM. ISD had no significant impact on BD, UVH, and DR. The wood BD ranged from 356 to 578 kg·m−3 with a mean value of 434 ± 3.3 kg·m−3 and was restricted by the soil and environmental factors. DBH and 70% MCERM were good indicators of tree vitality. Linear correlations between DBH and MCERM (R2 = 0.67), DBH and MCGM (R2 = 0.74), DR and BD (R2 = 0.71), and the two-factor model MCGM = f(DBH, BD) with R2 = 0.76 were found.

Predicting the Development of Complications After Mitral Valve Repair Using Mathematical Analysis

AIM. To study the possibilities of using risk factors, data from instrumental research methods identified at the preoperative stage as independent variables for predicting the development of complications after mitral valve surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS. The study included 103 patients, 46 men and 57 women, who underwent surgical correction of mitral valve defect and were treated at the Cardiac Surgery Department of Chelyabinsk Regional Clinical Hospital № 1 in the period from 2014 to 2019. Among those patients, the presence of anemia at the preoperative stage (blood hemoglobin level less than 100 g/l) was detected in 13 (12,6 %) cases; obesity (BMI more than 30 kg/m2) — in 57 (55,3 %) cases; transfusion of blood and its components in anamnesis — in 14 (13,6 %) cases; type 2 diabetes mellitus — in 7 (6,8 %) cases; stroke in anamnesis — in 9 (8,7 %) cases; chronic Hepatitis C — in 6 (5,8 %) cases; HIV infection — in 4 (3,9 %) cases; antibiotic therapy before surgery was indicated in 21 (20,4 %) cases; edema of the lower extremities was detected in 40 (38,8 %) cases; an increase in body temperature before surgery — in 19 (18,4 %) cases; the presence of atrial fibrillation before surgery — in 63 (61,2 %) cases. The systematization of the source information was entered into a Microsoft Office Excel 2016 spreadsheet. Statistical analysis was carried out using the IBM SPSS Statistics v.26 program (developed by IBM Corporation). Binary logistic regression was used as a method of mathematical data analysis. Instrumental research methods: electrocardiography (ECG), echocardiography (ECHO-CG); coronary angiography was performed according to indications. RESULTS. The presence of risk factors such as anemia, obesity, as well as an increase in the size of the right atrium can be used as an independent variable to predict the development of complications. An increase in the diameter of the pulmonary artery trunk, and the presence of edema of the lower extremities reduces the risk of complications. The likelihood of developing complications after mitral valve surgery predicted by the logistic regression method was 53,4 %. The resulting model predicts the absence of complications with the likelihood of 82,5 %. The development of complications was correctly predicted in 93,3 % of cases. CONCLUSION. This model can be used as an additional tool in predicting the development of complications after mitral valve surgery.

Temporal Dynamics of Tree Crown Fractal Dimension in Two Species of Deciduous Oaks

Fractal dimension (D) can be used to characterise temporal changes of crown architecture of individual trees. Our goal in this study was to analyse seasonal changes in tree crown fractal dimension of two species of deciduous oaks (Quercus castanea and Q. obtusata) coexisting in a natural forest in central Mexico using low cost sampling, and relate these changes to morphological attributes and environmental variables.Every two months, from May 2017 to September 2018, for each oak species, we photographed fixed portions of the crowns of individual trees, measured their trunk diameters, and obtained average temperature and accumulated precipitation data recorded for the sampling date. From the obtained images, we calculated D values by the semivariogram method using three different variability estimators (square increment, isotropic, and transect variation).We identified a positive correlation between D and temperature, and a negative correlation between temperature and crown cover.The fractal dimension (D) of crowns of two deciduous oak species changes according to the tree’s phenological stage. D values varied through time in relation to tree crown phenological variation, but not with crown cover dimension. We propose a model of annual D value fluctuation in deciduous trees, characterised by two high complexity peaks and two low complexity valleys, corresponding to the effects on crown cover of annual periods of leaf abscission and development.

Tree barks for retrospective measurement and source appointment of airborne perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances

Tree bark is a useful bioindicator of atmospheric pollution. It is specially suitable for airborne perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) investigation due to persistence of ionic PFASs. The present work firstly systematically studied tree barks as a bioindicator of airborne PFASs. Comparison with the regular active and passive samplers found barks could produce long-term measurement of airborne PFASs, and could record the historical emission of PFASs with retrospective time frame as long as decades. Factors, e.g. tree type, trunk diameter, and sampling depth, can affect PFAS accumulation in barks, and these factors should be kept consistent during sampling. In a study area spatial distribution of airborne PFASs can be obtained by interpolation of bark results, and the concerned region can be located. Properties of the emission sources can be characterized, and the potential sources can be tracked based on the bark results. Their contributions can be further estimated by the source appointment strategies. In the economically and industrially developed study area of the present study, eight cities of southern Jiangsu Province of China, total ionic PFAS concentration of camphor bark samples collected in 34 sites was 0.44–359 ng/g dw (dry weight), dominated by perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs). Two types of possible sources were characterized as with long-chained PFCAs and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) as the main components respectively. The sources were appointed as fluoropolymer manufacturing and textile industries, the important PFAS application fields, and their relative contribution was estimated as 32.5% and 67.5% respectively. The present study can provide useful advice to the method framework of using barks for long-term occurrence investigation, concerned region location, and emission source appointment of airborne PFASs in a study area. Based on the bark results, effective strategies can be further made for PFAS pollution elimination and risk control.

Model Pendugaan Diameter Pohon Eucalyptus Pellita Clone EP0077AA Berbasis Citra Foto (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)

The use of remote sensing to estimate the potential of forest stands continues to develop and one of them is using unmanned aerial vehicle (PUTA) technology. But such an important parameter as the diameter of the trunk at chest level cannot be measured from the orthopoto. This research aims to determine a correlation model of aerial crown diameter with trunk diameter at breast height in PUTA-based trees. This research began in October to November l 2022 in the PT area. Arara Abadi, Minas District, Riau region. Aerial measurements of crown diameter were carried out on orthophotos of 36-month-old eucalyptus (Eucalyptus pellita) forest stands, while stem diameter at breast height was carried out terrestrially. The correlation model equations used are Linear, Power, Exponential, Polynomial, and Logarithmic. The research results show that the best model is a non-linear (polynomial) model with a positive linear correlation between stem diameter and aerial crown diameter with the equation y ꞊ 0.2537x – 0.0058x2 – 0.4812 with a coefficient of determination (R2) 0.9047 and a coefficient of correlation (r) of 0.9511. This explains that the variable diameter at chest height influences the diameter of the aerial canopy by 90.47%

AppleQSM: Geometry-Based 3D Characterization of Apple Tree Architecture in Orchards.

The architecture of apple trees plays a pivotal role in shaping their growth and fruit-bearing potential, forming the foundation for precision apple management. Traditionally, 2D imaging technologies were employed to delineate the architectural traits of apple trees, but their accuracy was hampered by occlusion and perspective ambiguities. This study aimed to surmount these constraints by devising a 3D geometry-based processing pipeline for apple tree structure segmentation and architectural trait characterization, utilizing point clouds collected by a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS). The pipeline consisted of four modules: (a) data preprocessing module, (b) tree instance segmentation module, (c) tree structure segmentation module, and (d) architectural trait extraction module. The developed pipeline was used to analyze 84 trees of two representative apple cultivars, characterizing architectural traits such as tree height, trunk diameter, branch count, branch diameter, and branch angle. Experimental results indicated that the established pipeline attained an R2 of 0.92 and 0.83, and a mean absolute error (MAE) of 6.1cm and 4.71mm for tree height and trunk diameter at the tree level, respectively. Additionally, at the branch level, it achieved an R2 of 0.77 and 0.69, and a MAE of 6.86mm and 7.48° for branch diameter and angle, respectively. The accurate measurement of these architectural traits can enable precision management in high-density apple orchards and bolster phenotyping endeavors in breeding programs. Moreover, bottlenecks of 3D tree characterization in general were comprehensively analyzed to reveal future development.

Studierea creşterii şi productivităţii pomilor de nuc cultivaţi în sistem ecologic

The article presents the results of the researches carried out in 2020–2022 regarding the action of traditional and ecological agrotechnical processes on the growth and productivity of the Chandler variety walnut. Scientific data are presented regarding the trunk diameter, the tree height, the tree crown width, the average and total length of the annual growths, the content of nutrients in the tree leaves, the influence of fertilizers on the leaf surface and the mass of the leaves, the biological efficiency of the measures system for the use of biofungicides and bioinsecticides, as well as the fruit harvest in the 5 th - 7 th years of tree vegetation.

Effect of calcium-enriched microalgae extract on mitigating saline stress in papaya seedlings.

The papaya (Carica papaya L.) is among the mainly fruit species produced in tropical and subtropical climate. The salinity of water in agricultural areas is considered a limiting factor for the expansion of papaya. This study aimed to evaluate calcium-enriched microalgae extract (EMa-Ca) as an attenuator of saline stress in irrigation water on the growth and physiology of Formosa papaya seedlings, hybrid Tainung. The experiment was conducted in a protected environment, with treatments distributed in a 5 × 2 factorial scheme, comprising five electrical conductivities of irrigation water (0.50; 1.10; 2.50; 3.90 and 4.50 dSm-1) with the presence and absence of EMa-Ca in the substrate. Evaluated characteristics were: plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter, leaf area, dry masses weight of roots, aboveground parts and total. Gas exchanges and chlorophyll indices (a, b and total) were also evaluated. The application of EMa-Ca resulted in an increase of 6.05% in height and 6.33% in trunk diameter. The number of leaves decreased with an increase in electrical conductivity, and the leaf area was reduced by 33%. All seedling dry masses showed greater declines in the absence of EM-Ca. The EMa-Ca increased net photosynthesis, CO2 concentration, transpiration and stomatal conductance by 39.13%, 30.43%, 38.88% and 42.85%, respectively. For chlorophyll without the use of EMa-Ca, a decrease rate of 1.21%, 0.41% and 1.62% was observed for Chla, Chlb and Chlt, respectively. Therefore, the EMa-Ca application (1.0 ml/L) significantly enhance the vegetative development, gas exchanges, and chlorophyll indices of papaya seedlings under saline stress conditions.

Creşterea şi productivitatea unor soiuri de cais altoiţi pe corcoduş

The article presents the results of the research carried out in 2021–2022 regarding the influence of agrotechnical processes on the growth and productivity of apricot of the Spring Blush, Pinkcot and Big Red varieties grafted on cherry plum with a plum interlayer of the Stanley variety. Scientific data are presented regarding trunk diameter, tree height, crown width, average and total length of annual growth, fruit set, as well as fruit yield in the first 4-5 years of tree vegetation.

Evaluation of weed control efficacy and crop safety of the PPO-inhibiting herbicide tiafenacil in California orchard cropping systems

Abstract Tiafenacil is registered in the United States for use in annual crops such as corn and soybean, but not on orchard crops. Field studies were conducted to determine orchard crop safety and efficacy of tiafenacil on important California orchard weeds. To evaluate crop safety, tiafenacil was applied at 74, 148, and 222 g ai ha−1 alone and with 38 g ai ha−1 of tolpyralate three times per year at the base of almond, pistachio, prune, and walnut trees. The first treatment was applied 2 mo after the trees had been transplanted. In all four tree crop experiments, treatments were applied once in May 2020, then three times again during the winter of 2021 and 2022 at 21-d treatment intervals. There were no visual foliar injury symptoms or treatment-related effects on tree trunk diameter change even at the highest tested rate of tiafenacil applied seven times over three growing seasons. In a separate study of weed control, in most instances, tiafenacil applied at 12 g ai ha−1 performed similarly to that of tiafenacil plus glufosinate. Control of glyphosate-resistant hairy fleabane with tiafenacil applied alone at 25 g ai ha−1 was 65% by 14 d after treatment. Tiafenacil applied at 50 g ai ha−1 to hairy fleabane performed similarly to glufosinate plus glyphosate. In a greenhouse study, tiafenacil applied at 12 g ha−1 provided 95% to 100% control of barnyardgrass and junglerice, and there was no significant difference between tiafenacil applied alone or with glufosinate. Saflufenacil applied alone or in a mixture with glufosinate was not as effective as the tiafenacil treatments for grass weed control. Based on experiments conducted over three growing seasons in four tree fruit and tree nut crops, tiafenacil crop safety appeared to be acceptable even at up to 2- or 3-fold the expected use rate.

THE SPECIES DIVERSITY AND LIFE CONDITIONS OF DENDROFLORA OF THE CLINICAL HOSPITAL OF UKRZALIZNYTSIA JSC, DNIPRO CITY

The role of the landscaping of hospital areas is considered. The purpose of the study is to identify the species composition and assess the life conditions of green spaces of the Clinical Hospital On Railway Transport of the “Healthcare Centre” Branch of Ukrzaliznytsia JSC inDniproCity. To achieve it, the methods of route and visual surveys, analysis and calculations are applied. The range of tree and shrub vegetation is examined and 44 species belonging to 35 genera and 18 families are found. The heterogeneity of dendroflora in terms of species diversity depending on the place of plant growth on the territory of the hospital is established. The rate of coniferous and broadleaved species in green spaces with the distribution of life forms is illustrated. The range of gymnosperms is assessed as insufficient. The most diverse in terms of taxonomic and the most numerous in terms of quantitative composition of the family are determined – Rosaceae and Cupressaceae, respectively. Trees and shrubs are singled out for their decorative properties. Attention is focused on the problem caused by uncontrolled self-reproduction of some tree species: Robinia pseudoacacia, Acer negundo, Acer ptatanoides, Morus alba, Fraxinus lanceolata, Ulmus pumila, Padus racemosa. It is found that the landscaping of the specified area is formed mainly by introduced species. The representatives of North America are dominant. The most common species are found to be Thuja occidentalis, Robinia pseudoacacia, Acer negundo. An analysis of the compatibility of trees and shrubs in relation to moisture is made: mesophytes are identified as the dominant group (40.5% of the total number of plants), xerophytes, xeromesophytes and mesoxerophytes cover 56.7%. The data of measurements of trunk diameters (in the range of 2 to 106 cm) and plant height with justification of its variation, depending on age, are published. The tallest individuals are found among the Populus nigra and P. Simonii species. The life conditions of green spaces are assessed based on the distribution by appropriate categories. The number of healthy specimens is recorded at the level of 63.7%. The rest (36.3%) are represented by the species of varying degrees of weakening and damage. Among them, the lion’s share of plants (23%) belongs to the first category. Recommendations for the optimization of the range of studied dendroflora are given and the perspective of further scientific research is outlined.