The article presents the amount of work on afforestation in the Rivne region over the past 5 years. The forestry and taxation indicators, the composition and condition of forest plantations created on the ancestral lands have been determined. A comparative assessment of the change in the stock of common pine crops depending on the age and types of forest growing conditions in height and the actual and potential stock at a fullness of 1.0 is carried out. According to the research results, the change in the average growth rate of pure Scots pine crops was determined under conditions A2 and B 2. The distribution of plantations in childbirth according to the degree of damage by root sponges and insect pests was carried out, the scale and harmfulness of these lesions were determined. Analysis of information on the stock of wood of pine crops indicates that more intensive growth is observed in 55-year-old plantations with some predominance in fresh subor conditions. The dependence of the phytosanitary state of plantations on the type of forest growing conditions and their composition was revealed. The most resistant are plantations that grow in conditions C 2 and D2. Healthy plantings, without signs of damage by pathogens and insect pests, occupy an area of 51.1 %. In the overwhelming majority, clean pine plantations were affected. The main reason for the decrease in their resistance is the root sponge. The extent of the spread of root rot is explained by the degree of degradation and low fertility of soils, which are transferred for afforestation, which is directly related to the nature of their use. Plantations characterized by a high degree of root sponge infestation account for 1.2 %. It was found that the proportion of healthy plantations increases by 15–18 % with the participation of deciduous species in the composition of the tree stand. The research results can be used to select the optimal options for the initial composition of plantations for various types of forest growing conditions. Key words: afforestation, forest plantations, fallows, self-seeded forests, agricultural lands, Scots pine, reserve lands.

This paper has analyzed protective materials for timber building structures and established the need to devise reliable methods for studying the process of water absorption by the surface of the construction structure necessary for designing new types of fire-retardant materials. Therefore, it becomes necessary to determine the conditions for the formation of a barrier for water absorption and to elucidate a mechanism for inhibiting the transfer of moisture to the material. In this regard, a mathematical model of the intensity of water mass transfer when using a polymer shell made of organic material as a coating has been built, which makes it possible to assess the effectiveness of the polymer shell by the amount of water absorbed. Based on the experimental data and theoretical dependences, the intensity of absorption of water by wood was calculated; and it has been established that the protective coating reduces the amount of water absorbed by more than 20 times. The results of determining the weight gain by a sample during water exposure indicate an ambiguous impact of the nature of protection on water absorption. In particular, this implies the presence of data sufficient for the qualitative process of inhibition of moisture diffusion; and detecting, on its basis, the point in time when the drop in the coating's efficiency begins. Analysis of the results of experiments reveals that the maximum increase in mass in the case of water absorption by a non-treated sample of wood was 40 % while the increase in the mass of wood samples treated with mixtures of oil and paraffin was less than 28 %. At the same time, the best protection is shown by a mixture of oil with paraffin within 90÷95 %. Thus, there are grounds to assert the possibility of directed regulation of wood protection processes through the use of polymer coatings that can form a protective layer on the surface of the material, which inhibits the rate of absorption of water.

The issue of using nitrogen to eliminate fires in granaries is related to ventilating the grain mass with nitrogen while it is necessary to take into consideration the change in gas concentration. Therefore, the object of this research was the value of the minimum concentration of nitrogen to eliminate the combustion of sunflower grain. It has been proven that in the process of thermal destruction of sunflower grain, the composition of gaseous products of thermal destruction of sunflower grain contains more than 70 % of combustible gases. Namely: carbon monoxide, over 51 %; hydrogen, about 5.7 %; and hydrocarbons with a total concentration of 13.72 %, which provide fire hazardous properties of organic material. Therefore, it should be noted that the release of the amount of combustible gases during pyrolysis requires a reduction in the amount of oxygen in the gas-air environment to eliminate fire sites. Obviously, such a mechanism for the decomposition of sunflower grain during pyrolysis is a factor in regulating the extinguishing process, due to which the amount of nitrogen to eliminate combustion increases. Comparison of experimental studies on the composition of gaseous products of thermal destruction of sunflower grain and studies to determine the minimum fire extinguishing concentration of nitrogen, at which combustion was stopped, made it possible to justify the use of nitrogen.  Based on the study's results on the elimination with nitrogen of fire sites of sunflower grain, the values of the minimum fire extinguishing concentration were revealed at extinguishing, about 33.7 % by volume. At the same time, terminating the combustion of sunflower grain occurs with a decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the gas-air environment of about 14 %. The practical significance is the fact that the results obtained for determining the minimum fire extinguishing concentration of nitrogen make it possible to establish operating conditions for granaries when eliminating fire sites

This paper reports the analysis of the biological destruction of timber and the use of protective materials, which established that the scarcity of data to explain and describe the process of bioprotection, neglect of environmentally friendly agents lead to the biodegradation of timber structures under the action of microorganisms. Devising reliable methods for studying the conditions of timber protection leads to designing new types of protective materials and application technologies. Therefore, it becomes necessary to determine the conditions for the formation of a barrier for bacteria permeability and to establish a mechanism for inhibiting material biodegradation. Given this, the dependence has been derived to determine the proportion of destroyed material under the effect of microorganisms when using an antiseptic-hydrophobicizer, which makes it possible to evaluate biopenetration. Based on the experimental data and theoretical dependences, the share of destroyed timber was determined under the effect of microorganisms, which is equal to 1 for natural timber. At the same time, this value for thermally modified timber is 0.033, and, when it is protected with oil ‒ 0.009, respectively, exposed to the action of microorganisms for 60 days. It should be noted that the presence of oil, wax, and azure leads to blocking the timber surface from penetration. Such a mechanism underlying the effect of protective coating is likely the factor in the process adjustment, due to which the integrity of the object is preserved. Thus, a polymer shell was created on the surface of the sample, significantly reducing the penetration of microorganisms inside the timber, while the loss of timber mass during biodestruction did not exceed 2.5 %. Therefore, there are grounds to assert the possibility of targeted control over the processes of timber bio-penetration by using coatings capable of forming a protective film on the surface of the material

An issue related to using wood and timber for building structures is to ensure the stability and durability during operation within wide limits. Therefore, the object of research was the inhibition of the process of water absorption of pine and hornbeam wood during a thermal change in its structure. It is proved that in the process of thermal modification of wood, its structure changes, and, accordingly, water absorption. Namely, the maximum increase in mass under the action of water on an untreated sample of wood was more than 40 %, after thermal modification – less than 35 %. The increase in the mass of wood samples thermally modified and treated with a hydrophobic agent was less than 25 %. On the basis of the obtained results of physicochemical studies, discrepancies were found in the IR spectra of wood, both during thermal modification and with additional treatment with a hydrophobic agent, indicating structural changes in the components. In particular, the decrease or absence of the intensities of the absorption bands of some functional groups and the appearance or intensification of others. On the original hornbeam and pine thermogram, thermally modified, and thermally modified with the addition of a hydrophobic coating, thermogravimetric curves are similar to each other and are characterized by a loss of sample mass. This is possible with increasing temperature due to the processes of dehydration, destruction of hemicellulose, lignin, and cellulose with the formation of a non-combustible residue. During heat treatment of cellulose in the region of temperatures of 150÷450 °C, two processes take place in parallel. This is dehydration, accompanied by the destruction of the pyranose cycle and carbonization to form a carbon residue. Also, the process of destruction of glycosidic bonds while maintaining hydroxyl groups, accompanied by regrouping of pyranose cycles.