Abstract
Changes related to urban infrastructure directly affect the ecological environment, including soil properties. The purpose of this study is to investigate the anti-erosion and flow-regulating effect of park stands in complex terrain conditions of Kyiv. Forestry and tax indicators of plantings are established according to recognized tax methods. The upper layers of the soil were studied by determining the hardness, water permeability, density, and humidity on paths and in stands. Soil hardness in plantations increases from 9.1 ± 0.76-10.8 ± 1.01 kg/cm2 to 15.4 ± 0.25-30.8 ± 0.15 kg/cm2 , which is associated with the intensity of trampling them. Therewith, the soil changes from loose to medium loose and even dense. Determination of water permeability also showed a significant discrepancy, from 18.6 ± 0.76-20.6 ± 0.66 mm/min to 1.9 ± 0.10-5.7 ± 0.33 mm/min, respectively. Research has confirmed the inverse correlation between soil hardness and water permeability. The obtained indicators of soil density in the stands (1.12-1.20 g/cm3) and on the paths (1.34-1.66 g/cm3), albeit without sharp differences, in both cases indicate their criticality for further normal development of stands. Changes in soil moisture data in stands (16.9-20.6%) are decreasing in comparison with paths (11.2-12.6%), which also indicates the deterioration of growing conditions. The presence of active roots in the upper thickness of the soil on the control was 5.8-9.8 g, and on the paths, depending on the intensity of trampling, from 0.0 to 2.2 g. The territories under study were surveyed to identify characteristic erosion processes. It was established that the park spaces are in a satisfactory condition and fully perform an anti-erosion effect. The threat of erosion processes occurs on paths of intense load. The results obtained can be used for monitoring and regulating anthropogenic load