The thesis is devoted to the study of peculiarities of growth, bioproductivity and carbon-sequestering function of Scots pine stands of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, which will serve as an information toolbox for effective forest management in contaminated areas and for introduction of mechanisms for low-carbon development in forest management aimed at climate change mitigation.
The solution of the mentioned problems is quite relevant for the studied region. As a result of a complex of negative factors caused by global climate change, forest stands in the Exclusion Zone are characterized by significant vulnerability, accompanied by dieback of trees and accumulation of significant amounts of forest biomass, which can pose significant threats in the event of a large-scale forest fire.
The analysis of the characteristics of Scots pine stands of the studied region, based on information from the relational database «Stand-level biometric characteristics of forests», provided for research by IA «Ukrderzhlisproekt», has shown that Scots pine is the dominant forest species by distribution, with a share of 60.2 % or 85.8 thousand hectares. The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is dominated
by artificially planted Scots pine stands, whose share is 51.9 %.
As a result of dissertation research for modal pine stands of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, we propose a system of models of dynamics of the following biometric indices. These mathematical dependences are characterized by high level of approximation of the input data and serve as a basis for the corresponding yield tables on a typological basis.
The thesis also proposes reference and information support for assessing bioproductivity and carbon sequestrative capacity of pine stands. The dynamic tables of bioproductivity on the basis of models of dynamics of biometric indices and the models of conversion ratios of components of live biomass (trunk over bark, crown branches, foliage and roots) have been developed.
In the thesis, in addition to the previously mentioned normative tools, a general assessment of bioproductivity of forests of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone has been carried out. The total live biomass of pine stands in the region is estimated at 15 million tons of dry organic matter, or an average of about 18 kg‧(m2)-1.
Іt has been found that the difference between the specific value of net primary production by site index classes 360 %, from 611 g C∙(m2)-1 in stands of Ib site index class to 133 g C∙(m2)-1 in stands of Va site index class.
In general, the highest absolute carbon-sequestering capacity is typical for mid-aged pine stands of I site index class, which are quite common in fresh fairly infertile oak-pine sites.
The presented results of evaluation of net primary production and carbonsequestering function of pine stands of the studied region determine their biospheric potential and serve as a scientific basis for forest management in radiationcontaminated forests of the Exclusion Zone.
The assessment of the total amount of energy accumulated in the above-ground live biomass of pine stands in the Exclusion Zone carried out in the thesis showed that its total content in the components of the above-ground live biomass is about 14 PJ. A special condition for ensuring the use of the energy potential of the forests of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone on the basis of sustainable development is the absence of exceeding the radionuclide contamination norms. At the same time, only a half of this potential corresponds to the hygienic standard of (137) Cs content. Thus, taking into account the quantitative restrictive criteria of environmentally safe
energy potential of wood biomass in the forests of the region, such as the content of (137) Cs at 600 Bq∙kg-1 and (90) Sr – 60 Bq∙kg-1, its use can be carried out only in specially equipped boiler houses, which significantly limits the possibility of using about 30 thousand m3 of wood biomass of pine forests in the region.
