Assessment of protective forest plantations on gray forest and sod-podzolic soils of the Predkamye region of the Republic of Tatarstan

Abstract

Protective forest plantations increase soil fertility and fulfil an important role of soil protection from erosion. Much attention is paid to protective afforestation in the Republic of Tatarstan. In the region, in 2022, protective forest plantations were established on the area of 1801 hectares, of which ravine-beam forests make up 1763 hectares, including 645 hectares with terracing and 38 hectares of field protection strips. Protective forest plantations were created in Aznakaevsky municipal district on the area of 600 ha and in settlements of 114 ha of “compensatory” reforestation and afforestation. The article presents the results of the survey of existing protective forest plantations in the Predkamya zone of the Republic of Tatarstan on sod-podzolic and grey forest soils. The area is characterised by strong washing away, erosion and gully formation, where the area of washed away soils is 66%, erosion-hazardous lands amount to 15.5%. A sanitary condition of plantations, productivity and carbon deposition were assessed. According to silvicultural and taxation indicators, the average age of the surveyed stands is 48 years; the completeness ranges from 0.5 to 0.9, bonitet ranges from I to II. In terms of the sanitary condition, trees of the 1st and 2nd categories predominate; in some areas forest management measures are required. Under the canopy of the plantations, there is a natural regeneration of petiole oak, which is an indigenous species of the Pre-Kama region of the Republic of Tatarstan. On all surveyed sample areas, the largest amount of carbon stock is concentrated on PP7, PP8 and PP19: 786.96, 833.7 and 828.09 tonnes, respectively. These are mixed stands of pine and birch.