Ecological and typological features of forest vegetation of the object of the Emerald network «Dergachivskyi forest» of the north-eastern Forest Steppe

Abstract

Forest typological and ecological properties are presented and the representation of natural complexes of the object of the Emerald Network of Ukraine «Dergachivskyi forest» (UA0000283 Dergachivskyi forest) in the territory of the Kharkiv region is covered, it has a total area of 8860.32 hectares. This object is located in the Dergachiv forestry of the State Enterprise «Kharkiv Forest Research Station» in the north-western part of the Kharkiv region. The studied area is a wavy plain with a well-defined valley-beam relief and a developed ravine-beam network. Forest areas covered with forest vegetation are represented by plantations of 24 tree species. The main forestforming tree species Quercus robur (8965.9 hectares, 87.94%); Pinus sylvestris occupies a much smaller area (671.1 hectares, 6.59%). Other tree species occupy minor areas: Betula pendula (128.8 hectares, 1.26%), Tiliacordata (98.8 hectares, 0.97%), Fraxinus excelsior (98.8 hectares, 0.97%), Robinia pseudoacacia (56.1 hectares, 0.55%), Acer platanoides (51.3 hectares, 0.50%) and others. Forest areas covered with forest vegetation are represented by 12 edatopes, covering all trophic groups and moisture levels from dry to moist. The most common types of forest vegetation conditions are fresh (7485.7 hectares, 73.43%) and dry (1922.3 hectares, 18.86%) oak woods. There are 18 forest types in the forest areas covered by forest vegetation, the most common of which are fresh maple-linden oak woods (7485.7 hectares, 73.42%), a slightly smaller area is occupied by dry maple-linden oak woods (1922.3 hectares, 18.86%); much smaller area is occupied by fresh oak-pine forest (496.6 hectares, 4.87%). Quercus robur grows in 6 forest types, the most common of which are fresh (7069.0 hectares, 78.84%) and dry (1882.7 hectares, 21.00%) maplelinden oak woods. Within this area, a number of Emerald forest habitats which are listed in Resolution 4 of the Berne Convention have been identified. So on the bases of the carried-out researches the following settlements of the Emerald network are revealed: E1.71, G1.11, G1.41, G1.A1, G3.4232.