The article presents the results of the research of recreational and health stands in Kremenets district of Ternopil region. The total area of these forests is 5868.2 hectares. Studies of the typological structure of the forests were carried out according to the methods of AlekseevPohrebniak Forest Typology of Forestry Ecological School. MapInfo Professional 12.0 and a vector map of Ukraine were used to construct a map-scheme of the research region. The typological variety of recreational and health-improving stands is represented from subors (В) to dubravas (D). Thus, dubravas are the largest share among them (72.9% of the total area covered with forest vegetation). The share of the area of sudubravas is 17.7% of the total area covered with forest vegetation; the rest is subors (9.4%). Forest managers have identified 14 types of forests on the territory of the research facility. Thus, there are only 2 types of forest in the subors, 8 types of forest in the sudubravas and 4 types of forests in the dubravas. The most common type of forest in Kremenets district is fresh hornbeam forest represented 71.6% of the total area covered with forest vegetation. The share of fresh hornbeam-oak-pine forest reaches 17.1%; a slightly smaller share is represented by fresh oak-pine subors — 9.4%. The forest species diversity is represented by 22 species of trees. Thus, among these tree species, the largest area is occupied by Common Oak (Quercus robur L.) — 40.6% of the total area covered with forest vegetation, and 29.1% — by Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). Stands of artificial origin (78.0% of the total area covered with forest vegetation) are dominant; the rest of stands have natural origin (22.0%). The age structure of stands is unbalanced. Middle-aged stands dominate (57.9% of the total area covered with forest vegetation). The share of maturing, young and matured forests ranges from 9.0 to 14.9% of the total forest area. In terms of relative completeness, stands with a density of 0.71–0.8 dominate which is 37.7% of the total area covered with forest vegetation. The share of stands with completeness of 0.61–0.7 (29.9%) and 0.81–0.9 (14.5%) is slightly smaller. The bonitete classes are dominated by stands of the I bonitete class — 51.3% of the total area covered with forest vegetation. Thus, the share of II, Ia and III bonitete classes varies from 7.1 to 23.3% of the total forest area

The results of investigations of actual and water protection forests coverage on the river catchments within the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe zone in Ukraine are presented. In the catchment areas of the Sula, Psel, Vorskla, Siversky Donets river, tree stands were distributed by the age groups, relative density, site classes, forest categories based on the data from the electronic database of “Ukrderzhlisproekt” Production Association. The percentages of natural and planted pine stands were determined in the fresh oak-pine fairly infertile site type and of oak stands, in fresh maple-lime fertile oak forest type. The productivity for natural and planted oak stands were analyzed in fresh maple-lime fertile oak forest type as well as for planted pine stands in fresh fairly infertile oak-pine site type.

The aim of the study was to analyze the origin of oak stands within the catchments of the Vorskla’s tributaries and to describe their state. Covering 60,900 ha, pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) stands prevail and cover 51.1% of the total forest area of 119,200 ha in the catchment areas of the River Vorskla’s tributaries. The way oak stands are distributed in regards to trophotopes points at favourable conditions for their growth, as 81.7% of the area is a fresh fertile oak forest site type. Forest stands aged 41–80 years (39.8 % of the total area) and 81–120 years (50.4%) are prevailing. Natural oak stands cover almost 66.5% and planted ones grow at 33.5%. Distribution of oak stands in regards to the functional categories of forests shows a significant predominance of the protective forests. They cover 46.6% of the total area. The commercial forests cover 23.0%, the recreational ones make 18.8% and the forests with conservational, academic, historical and cultural purpose cover 11.6 %. Distribution patterns of oak forests in the catchments of the River Vorskla’s tributaries should be considered in the forest management in order to conserve their biodiversity and enhancing the performance of important environmental, protective, recreational and other functions. The article contains results of the study on the natural regeneration of Quercus robur and other wood species under the canopy of oak stands and on felling sites. The further research perspectives are a thorough study of the stand characteristics and the typological structure of forests in terms of certain wood species in the catchments of rivers all over Ukraine. It will help developing principles for the catchment and landscape zonation.

Для вікового ряду природних дубових насаджень насіннєвого походження, що ростуть у свіжій та вологій ясенево-липовій діброві в межах південно-східного Лісостепу України (ДП «Скрипаївське НДЛГ»), визначено видовий склад, біомасу, вологість основних видів живого надґрунтового покриву та рівномірність його розповсюдження по площі. Виявлено, що найбільш розвиненим був живий надґрунтовий покрив під наметом низькоповнотного (0,65) 157-річного дубового насадження, а найменш розвиненим – під наметом високоповнотного (0,90) середньовікового насадження. У дубових насадженнях різного віку свіжої ясенево-липової діброви в складі живого надґрунтового покриву переважає осока волосиста (Carex pilosa Scop.). До числа характерних видів також належать зірочник ланцетолистий (Stellaria holostea L.), куцоніжка лісова (Brachypodium sylvatica (Huds) Beauv.), чина весняна (Lathyrus vernus L.) та будра плющевидна (Glechoma hederacea L.). У дубових насадженнях вологої ясенево-липової діброви біомаса осоки волосистої в 194-річному насадженні є в 1,3 разу вищою, ніж у 79-річному насадженні. Під наметом дубових насаджень вологої ясенево-липової діброви загальне проективне покриття трав’яним ярусом становить 30–40 % з переважанням у складі осоки волосистої, яглиці звичайної (Aegopodium podagraria L.), копитняка європейського (Asarum europaeum L.) та купини духмяної (Polygonatum odoratum L.).

Typological analysis of watershed forests of the Seversky Donets River was carried out on the basis of forest management data with electronic databases of "Ukrderzhlisproekt" Production Association. More than 27 types of forest were analyzed with total size of 228.2 thousand hectares. The classification of forest growth conditions, forest types and tree species on the left and right banks of the Seversky Donets River was done for the Luhansk region. We determined that the forest fund of the Luhansk region consists from the oak forests -46.4 %, sudubrava -21.1 %, conifer forest -17.5 %. The proportion of coniferous forests makes up to 15.0 % of total forest area. We calculated that the area of common oak and common pine is 86.9 and 70.9·10 3 ha respectively. The following types of forests are prevailing: dry birchbark-marple sudubrava (30.8 %), fresh oak-pine sudubrava (13.1%), dry Tatarian maple sudubrava (12.9%), and fresh pine forest (10.6%). In the forest area of the Luhansk region we registered 70 tree species, of which 19 species -in oak-pine forest; 37 -in conifer forest; 55 -in sudubrava; 59 -in oak forest. By categories of protection the recreation forests (51.7 %) and protective forests (42.0 %) are the dominant. The forests of nature protection, forests of scientific, historical and cultural significance have only 6.4 % from the total forest area. The structure of forests by age groups was: middle-aged forests -41.3 %, young growths -17.8 %, ripening forests -15.5 %, mature forests -16.7 %, and old growth forests -13.3 % from total forest area of Luhansk region.