ASSESSMENT OF THE GRASSY COVER OF THE EASTERN GULLY IN THE DENDROPARK "OLEXANDRIA" OF THE NAS OF UKRAINE IN ORDER TO OPTIMIZE IT

Abstract

The preservation of the unique culturecenoses of one of the oldest botanical institutions in Ukraine of the dendrological park "Olexandria" of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine is an important scientific and practical issue. Over the past two centuries since the foundation of the park, there have been changes in the structure of tree plantations and the destruction of a significant part of decorative park compositions. To a large extent, this also applies to the area under study located on the irregularities of the mesorelief of the arboretum. A compulsory component of park compositions is a grassy cover. The paper presents the results of a study of the current state of the grassy cover of the historical landscape site "Eastern Gully" in the Olexandria arboretum for further work on its optimization. In the Eastern gully, the grassy cover is represented by 86 species from 43 families: 40 species growing on the slopes and 46 species – along the banks of reservoirs and overmoistened areas of the bottom of the gully. A significant percentage of this amount is perennial plants – 77% and 88%, respectively. Adventive species make up 17%. Conducting recreational activities regarding valuable plantations and agroforestry measures will allow restoring here highly decorative landscapes and including this territory in the general recreation zone (excursion route, territory for educational activities).