Radial growth of woody species in the conditions of high anthropogenic load in the city of Krasnoyarsk

• Main Authors: Yu. V. Klad’ko, V. E. benkova
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch Publishing House 2018-08-01
• Series: Сибирский лесной журнал
• Subjects: dendroecology; anthropogenic pollution; annual rings; phytoindication
• Online Access: http://xn--80abmehbaibgnewcmzjeef0c.xn--p1ai/upload/iblock/b3e/b3e8231f29aff8ecf232c4d236414061.pdf

The dynamics of radial growth of tree stem developing in changing conditions of the city of Krasnoyarsk was studied. For Krasnoyarsk, The problem of creating an environment favorable for people living in Krasnoyarsk is an urgent issue and its integral part is deveping green areas to protect the environment Eight tree species were used to improve the landscape of the city of Krasnoyarsk: Scotch pine Pinus sylvestris L., Colorado spruce Picea pungens Engelm., drooping birch Betula pendula Roth., Siberian elm Ulmus pumila L., balsam poplar Populus balsamifera L., mountain ash Sorbus aucuparia L., Maak bird cherry tree Padus maackii Rupr., and dwarf apple tree Malus baccata (L.) Borkh. The width of the radial growth of the stems was measured during the lifetime of the model trees and the averaged growth paths were obtained for the five sample plots, showing different levels of contamination. On heavily contaminated sample plots, the Siberian elm, balsam poplar, Maak bird cherry tree and dwarf apple tree throughout their life form relatively narrow annual rings (up to 3 mm). It is concluded that these tree species can be used as indicators of anthropogenic pollution of the sit. Drooping birch, Siberian elm, Maak bird cherry tree, and dwarf apple tree on sites with a high level of contamination are characterized by high rate of decrease in the width of annual rings with aging, which shortens the effective life of these plants. Based on the results obtained, preliminary recommendations on the use of the tree species in the urban environment were formulated, taking into account the characteristics of their growth.