Assessment of the Condition of Pine Plantations in the Area of Influence of Municipal Waste Landfills on the Example of the Zhytomyr Landfill, Ukraine

The paper presents the results of research to assess the degree of transformation of forest ecosystems in the area of influence of the Zhytomyr landfill (Ukraine) - one of the typical Ukrainian landfills, which is operated with minimal implementation of environmental protection measures. The study was conducted to identify the relationship between the condition of plantations and the functioning of municipal solid waste landfills. In the study of the estimation of the transformation degree of forest ecosystems in the area of influence of the municipal solid waste landfill in Zhytomyr, it was established that in the studied areas there was a decrease in bonitet by I-II classes, completeness by 0.1-0.2 units, growth by 13-35% in comparison with background values. On the basis of the research of the condition of pine plantations by categories of vital activity of trees the integral indicator was calculated – the index of the condition of forest stands, which characterizes the degree of their damage in the event of aerial pollution of soil and groundwater. It was determined that the maximum values of the index of forest stands condition were observed in the area closest to the landfill (2.88 units), ie, these are severely weakened stands, the minimum in the control (1.28). Based on the results of the studies, it was established that Scots pine is a convenient and acceptable bioindicator for assessing the state of the environment in the area of influence of municipal landfills provided that its distribution is uniform on the territory and it is available for research. The sanitary condition of pine plantations deteriorates with the approach to the source of pollution. According to the established indices of the condition of pine plantations, a regression analysis was performed and a mathematical dependence was determined, which most accurately describes the change of these indicators with the distance from the landfill boundary. The approach used for bioindication studies of conifers can be recommended for implementation in practice as a method for assessing the transformation of the environment in the area of influence of municipal solid waste landfills