Raspopina S. The scientific basis of estimating the potential of soils for forest growth and the suitability of soils for growing forest plantations in plain parts of Ukraine.

Object of research - soils in plain parts of Ukraine. Objective of research - development of scientific and theoretical principles of estimating the potential of soils for forest growth and the suitability of soils for growing forest plantations of Ukraine (Polissya, Forest-steppe, Steppe) on the basis of soil markers. Research methods - general scientific, forest science, forest taxation, comparative ecology, soil science, analytical, mathematical and statistical. Scientific originality - determined systems of markers for assessment of soil potential for forest growth and determination soils suitability for afforestation (of sod-podzolic soils on fluvioglacial sands, soddys podzolized soils on ancient alluvium sandy, gray forest soils on loess, southern calcareous chernozems, lands under recultivation after limestone mining); Alexeev-Pogrebnyak's edaphic net of bir, subir, sugrud trophotops are сharacterized on the author's systems of soil markers (content of physical clay, depth of humic horizon and content of total potassium). Practical importance. Determined systems of markers are the methodological basis for estimating the potential of different kind of soils including of unproductive lands and determining the level of suitability of unproductive lands taken for afforestation in dry conditions, as well as deciding on the effectiveness and appropriateness of afforestation of some types of steppe soils. Area of use: forestry.