Structural soil as one of the pro ecological solutions for cities

Residents of even small cities are struggling with air pollution. Municipalities and cities undertake various activities and allocate significant resources to counteract the problem related to air and soil pollution, which is growing continuously. The specialists in the field of ecology have stated that an ideal solution would be to increase the amount of plants in the neighbourhood of residents. Such actions have been undertaken for many years, but clear positive effects have not been observed yet. In these urban areas, the declining conditions of mature plants can be observed, and the longevity of newly planted trees is becoming shorter due to the poor growth conditions. In order to improve the current situation, it has become necessary to develop package/s of solutions allowing for new plantings in cities and rural areas, as well as supporting plants which already exist. The latest scientific trends have showed that one of the most important and promising elements of these solutions could be the use of a structural substrates (a rock and soil mixture prepared according to a special recipe) that can be used as an alternative growth medium for trees instead of the standard up-to-date used soils. In our research, the experimental plot was designed using this type of substrate. The carried out capacity tests showed that the structural substrate has a definite advantage over the substrates presently used in urban areas. The use of structural substrates also enhanced the physiological conditions of the tested trees. Our results allowed us to confirm that structural substrates can be successfully used in the urban and rural areas, which would significantly improve the environmental conditions