PHYTOREMEDIATION PROPERTIES OF WOODY PLANT SPECIES IN THE FIELD SHELTERBELTS OF CHERNIHIV REGION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/naturaljournal.17.2026.1Keywords:
phytoremediation, woody plants, heavy metals, forest protection strips, Chernihiv and Novhorod-Siversk PolissiaAbstract
Full-scale hostilities in Ukraine have led to the formation of new foci of technogenic pollution and increased the migration of heavy metals in soils. Their highest concentrations are observed along transport corridors and adjacent forest protection strips. Soil restoration in the post-war period within the framework of remediation processes will require, among other things, a scientifically based selection of tree species capable of reducing the bioavailability and mobility of toxic elements, supporting soilforming processes and ensuring the stability of agricultural landscapes adjacent to forest protection strips. The purpose of the work is to summarize the species composition of tree species recorded in the stands of forest protection strips of Chernihiv and Novhorod-Siversk Polissia, to assess the tolerance of species to heavy metals, to reveal the features of their accumulation and the main mechanisms of phytoremediation. The study is of a survey-analytical nature and is based on the results of field research in 2019–2025 within the Chernihiv and Novhorod-Siversk Polissia. The assessment of species capable of phytoremediation was carried out by means of a comparative generalization of scientific publications by foreign and domestic authors. It was established that the tree layer of the shelterbelts of the study region contains: Quercus robur L., Tilia cordata Mill., species of the genus Acer L. and Ulmus L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Robinia pseudoacacia L., Betula pendula Roth, species of the genus Populus L. and Salix L., Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn., Pinus sylvestris L., locally – Carpinus betulus L. and occasionally Picea abies (L.) H.Karst. and representatives of the Rosaceae family. It was found that for most of the species considered, the dominant mechanism is phytostabilization with the localization of heavy metals in the roots and bark, while species of the genus Salix and Populus demonstrate an increased potential for phytoextraction due to the rapid accumulation of biomass and increased ability to translocate pollutants into aboveground biomass. The ability of Alnus glutinosa, Robinia pseudoacacia to phytostimulation due to symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria was established. It was found that the greatest impact on the restoration of soils in Left-Bank Polissia will be mixed stands of forest belts in the region, which combine the mechanisms of phytostabilization, phytoextraction and phytostimulation.
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