Biotic productivity of forests of the National Natural Park «Holosiivskyi

According to the research results, the structure and total volumes of phytomass and sequestered carbon of the National natural park «Holosiivskyi» forest stands are presented. The calculation of the biotic productivity of park forest stands was conducted separately for every 1866 stands using the data of forest inventory as of 2010. For calculating the volumes of phytomass of NPP «Holosiivskyi» forest stands, previously developed regression equations of biomass expansion factors were used. These equations were developed created for park’s main tree species: pine, oak, hornbeam, and alder. Using conversion factors (0.5 for wood and bark and 0.45 for leaves and understory vegetation) which were applied to live biomass stock in a bone-dry state, the total stock of sequestered carbon was calculated. The results of calculations of the average density of phytomass and carbon calculations in the NPP «Holosiivskyi» tree stands were grouped by compartments. The total area covered with forest vegetation of the National natural park «Holosiivskyi» in 2010 was 4036.01 ha with a total volume of growing stock 979.76 thousand m3. The Park’s tree stands has accumulated 505.17 thousand tons of live biomass, in which 250.72 thousand tons of carbon are sequestered. The largest amount of live biomass is accumulated by coniferous tree stands (68.6 %), much less by hardwood and softwood (22.5% and 8.9%, respectively). In the total structure of the components of live biomass, the share portion of trunk with bark is 66.0 %, live biomass of crowns - 8.0 %, of which 5.2 % are wood and bark of branches and 2.8% are leaves and needles. The structure of the phytomass components for individual groups of forest-forming species and tree species is different. The share portion of branches is the highest in hardwood, and the lowest - in softwood, which is 6.0% and 2.8%, respectively. The average density of live biomass of the tree stands in the Park is 12.5 kg ∙ (m2)-1, while a high value is typical for coniferous forest stands (13.5 kg ∙ (m2)-1). The average carbon density of the National natural park “Holosiivskyi” tree stands is 6.2 kg ∙ (m2)-1, which is significantly lower than the similar indicators for the Kyiv region (8.2 kg ∙ (m2)-1) and for Ukraine as a whole (8.3 kg ∙ (m2)-1). The forests of the Park play an important role in stabilizing the environment in Kyiv and its surroundings. Comprehensive assessment of the biological productivity of the National natural park «Holosiivskyi