The article is focused on microbiological and silvicultural properties of bacterial wetwood of silver birch (Betula pendula), also known as European white birch. During the active phase of the disease, bacterial wetwood (i.e. bacterial dropsy, vascular parenchymatous bacteriosis or flux slime) is characterised by crust and periderm bloating, necrotic wet stains and abundance of exudate. The disease is more likely to occur in older (r = 0.56, p < 0.01) and less-dense (r = −0.29, p < 0.01) stands.The statistical model showed that the chance of bacterial wetwood increases with birch age by 0.36% per year. The stands with birch proportion of over 70% demonstrated 15.3% lower infection rate compared to the stands with lower birch presence. The stands with lower stocking demonstrated a higher proportion of infected tree distribution by 7.5% compared to the stands with higher birch representation. The most vulnerable were larger, older B. pendula trees with longitudinally fissured bark that grow on poorer soils and experience frequent water stress.Birch associations with Pteridium aquilinum and Vaccinium myrtillus were more susceptible to infection (31.6% and 44.3%, respectively), whereas associations with Brachypodium sylvaticum, Sphagnum palustre and Calluna vulgaris were at lower risk. Strong ecological and trophic association of bacterial wetwood was present between silver birch and Tremex spp., particularly Tremex fuscicornis. Mycobiota was represented by Rhizopus microsporus, Mucor mucedo, Penicillium aurantiogriseum, Penicillium purpurogenum and Acremonium strictum.Enterobacter, Xanthomonas, Pantoea and Bacillus spp. associated with bacterial wetwood of silver birch were isolated. Enterobacter nimipressuralis was found to be the primary causative agent through means of artificial infection, while other bacteria were found to be either weak pathogens or concomitant. E. nimipressuralis formed the largest number of colony-forming units (CFU) for bark and cambium (164 and 127 CFU, respectively) and was also found in a small amount as a vital obligate in the automicrobiota in healthy birch trees.

The article presents the symptomatic characteristics of vascular-parenchymal bacteriosis, which is quite common on forest woody plants, caused by the causative agent of bacterial dropsy. It was shown that a characteristic feature of this bacteriosis is the formation of various shapes and sizes of ulcers, in the places of formation of which there is a release of a dark, almost black, exudate. It is emphasized that during the study of the vascular system of common oak trees, its dark coloration is noticeable. Now there is a chronic course of the disease with the presence of dieback of individual branches in the crown. It was established that the causative agent of bacterial dropsy is Lelliottia nimipressuralis; its physiological and biochemical characteristics are given. The aim of the work is the bacteriological study of wood samples with typical signs of bacterial dropsy, study of morphological, cultural and biochemical properties of the causative agent of bacterial dropsy of oak. Methods. Classical microbiological, phytopathological, biochemical, statistical methods were uses in the work. If a bacterial dropsy was suspected, diagnostic methods were combined, with the help of which the etiology of the disease was established: an accurate analysis of symptoms; a thorough microscopic examination of the affected parts of plants; isolation and identification of the pathogen using NEFERMtest24 MikroLaTE, ErbaLachema, API 20E test systems and the like. Results. We have noted the habitual manifestations of the bacterial dropsy of the common oak. From the lesion, where dark brown areas of wood appeared under the bark in the area of the ulcer against the background of healthy light-colored wood, isolated bacterial isolates were identified by morphological and physiological-biochemical properties as Lelliottia nimipressuralis (Brady et al. 2013) – the causative agent of bacterial dropsy of oak (now Enterobacter nimipressuralis). It was found that isolates from common oak, like the collection strain E. nimipressuralis 8791, are gram-negative. It was shown that the studied bacteria are facultative anaerobes and use glucose both under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. They do not form gelatinase and protopectinase. Exhibit a positive Voges-Proskauer reaction. Bacteria use glucose, arabinose, rhamnose, amygdalin, and melibiose as the only source of carbon nourishment. The bacteria do not use inositol and sorbitol. They do not form indole and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), but are capable of reducing nitrates. They contain arginine dehydrolase, ornithine decarboxylase, β-galactosidase, but not lysine decarboxylase, and urease. Conclusions. It has been established that the diseases that we discovered are, by all symptomatic signs, a systemic, vascular-parenchymal bacteriosis, known as bacterial dropsy of oak, which affects all tissues, plant parts and generative organs at all stages of ontogenesis. According to the morphological, physiological and biochemical properties of bacterial dropsy isolated by us during the research, we identified the causative agent of bacterial edema of oak – Lelliottia nimipressuralis (Carter 1945).

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Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is the most spread forest tree species in Polissya and the most damaged by foliage browsing and stem insects. The aim of this study was to reveal the changes in the distribution of different forest site conditions for 2010–2019 in Scots pine forests of the selected forestry enterprises of Polissya and possible consequences for the spread of foliage browsing insects. Database of Production Association ‘Ukrderzhlisproekt’ (by 2010 and 2019) was analysed for five State Forest Enterprises (FE) that are located in the Central (Zhytomyr Region) and Western (Rivne and Volyn Regions) Polissya, where the large scale outbreaks of stem pests were registered last decade.The types of forest site conditions were designated in accordance with the Ukrainian typology. Distribution of the forest area by trophotops and hygrotops was evaluated for the forest-covered area, for Scots pine stands, and for pure Scots pine stands in 2010 and in 2019.For 2010–2019, the area of all Scots pine forests and its proportion in the forest-covered area has significantly decreased in the most of analysed forest enterprises. The change for 2010–2019 in the distribution both by the tropho-tops and by hygrotops of the entire forest-covered area, the area of all Scots pine forests and pure pine forests is not statistically significant. However, in assessment year 2019, the proportion of stands in the moist types of forest site conditions slightly increased. It may be the result of the stands’ mortality in the driest sites after an outbreak of bark beetles. A greater decrease in the proportion of Scots pine forest area in the dry poor, fresh poor, and dry relatively poor forest site conditions was found in the western direction. Therefore, the noted decrease in the foci areas of foliage browsing insects in Polissya in 2010–2012 compared to the 2000–2002 could be associated with a decrease in the most preferred stands, namely the poorest and driest types of forest site conditions.

The aim of the research was to reveal the features of Scots pine stands decline in Zhytomyr (Central) Polissya using the case of Korostyshiv Forest Enterprise. The investigations included statistical and comparative analysis of the database of forest fund of the State Association "Ukrderzhlisproekt", the data of forest pathological survey of pine stands in Korostyshiv Forest Enterprise and reports on sanitary felling in 2014-2017. Bark beetles (72.4-95.8 %), fungal diseases (0.4-9.1 %) and weather conditions (3.5-27.5 %) were the main causes of Scots pine decline. A high proportion of pure Scots pine stands and the stands over 50 years old are the main predisposing factors of forest decline. Abnormal increase in air temperature and a decrease in Selyaninov's Hydro-thermal Coefficient to the level of Steppe zone were inciting factors of forest decline, and bark beetles were a contributing factor to it. K e y w o r d s : Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), forest decline, Selyaninov's Hydro-thermal Coefficient, forest composition, age structure, relative density of stocking. *