Age structure of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) forests in the Left- Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Abstract

The age structure of European ash stands in the forest fund of ten forest enterprises from Sumy, Kharkiv and Poltava regions was analyzed considering forest site conditions, stand origin, site index and ash proportion in the forest composition. The average age of ash stands is 68 years for the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe. On average from 46.1 % to 81.6% of European ash stands survive up to the V age class. The average age of ash stands is the highest in the forest-steppe part of Sumy Region in D2 and D3, in Kharkiv Region in D1, and in Poltava Region in C2 and C3. The average age is the highest (75 years) in artificial seed stands in Kharkiv Region, in natural seed (86 years) and vegetative (77 years) origin in Sumy Region. The survival of pure and almost pure ash stands is the highest in Kharkiv Region and the lowest in Poltava Region. In the legislatively adopted maturity age (VIII age class) survival of European ash with its proportion of 80–100 % is 26.5 %, 13.1 % and 3.2 % in Kharkiv, Sumy and Poltava Regions respectively. Correction of the main felling age in forests that are possible for exploitation is suggested considering the possible loss of timber quality as a result of forest damage by different causes.

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“…Thus, at different times, studies of the productivity of pine stands on the left bank of the Forest-Steppe were conducted by O.V. Tovstukha (2012) The purpose of this study was statistical confirmation or refutation of the null hypothesis about the significance of the difference between the average stand parameters in modal pine stands of the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine in terms of groups of stands differing in growth region, origin, and composition, as well as determining the groups according to which further forest inventory standards for modal Scots pine stands should be compiled and their detailed inventory characteristics.…”

The age structure of Ulmus L. stands in the eastern regions of Ukraine

“…The study of the age composition of elms in the region may also be important for the evaluation of the maturity age of this species. Studies of other forest tree species, in particular, Silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) (Meshkova, & Koshelyaeva , 2019) and European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) (Meshkova, & Borysova 2019) showed that the maturity age evaluated by growth dynamics is much higher than the actual age of tree mortality from disease in the face of the threat of epiphytoty, leading to a loss in the timber quality.…”

“…According to this, the proportion of the stand area of each 10-year age class was estimated for each elm species and stand origin. Then the proportion of the stands' area, which survives up to a certain age, was estimated (Meshkova, & Borysova, 2019;Meshkova, & Koshelyaeva, 2019).…”

“…Survival of stands up to perfect age class is an important parameter that can be used for the evaluation of the maturity age of certain tree species. Such an approach has been successfully tested in the analysis of the survival of pine stands in Sumy region (Tovstukha, 2012), English oak (Quercus robur L.) (Meshkova, & Didenko, 2017), European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) (Meshkova, & Borysova, 2019) and silver birch (Meshkova, & Koshelyaeva, 2019) in the Left-bank Forest Steppe of Ukraine. Our research shows that the survival rate of stands depends on elm species, stand origin, and region (see Table 3).…”

Affection of Pine Stands by the Root Rot Fungus in Zhytomyr Polissia

“…та інші ентомошкідники (Krasnov et al, 2011). Наразі науковці приділяють значну увагу проблемам верхівкового всихання P. sylvestris, про що свідчать публікації у фахових виданнях (Vyshnevskyi & Turko, 2018;Meshkova et al, 2020;Ustskyi et al, 2020). Щодо досліджень кореневої губки, то в останні роки вони зменшились, відійшли на другий план, відповідно стало значно менше наукових публікацій за даною проблематикою у контексті формування та вирощування стійких лісових екосистем до збудника кореневої губки сосни звичайної.…”