Erosion control properties of self-seeded forests that appeared in forestless areas of ravine-gully systems

Abstract During land unsoldering in Ukraine, so-called “self-seeded forests” appeared on lands that had not been used for agriculture for a long time. The purpose of the research is to find out the erosion control properties of self-seeded forests. Twelve locations of natural regeneration of various types of woody plants on the ravine-gully system of Cherkasy region were chosen as research sites. Self-seeded woods have a structure of different ages from 8 to 25 years. Most of them are represented by mixed stands, which increase their biological stability. They are better adapted to the current climate change. The formation of uneven-aged stands of natural regeneration with high resistance and erosion control properties was noted. According to the qualitative indicator of productivity, the natural regeneration turned out to be different, which was primarily caused by forest sites conditions, in particular, the steepness, the position on the slope, and the thickness of the humus horizon of the soil. The hardness of the soil was determined in the range from 17.1 to 19.0 kg/cm2, which corresponds to an average loose state. The hardness of the soil in the control was 23.9 kg/cm2, which corresponds to its compacted state. The water permeability of the soil under the studied stands was 11.1–27.3 (control – 8.9) mm/min, which characterizes it from the best to chasm. The obtained soil water permeability data confirm the rapid transfer of surface runoff to subsoil, which prevents the development of erosion processes. Natural regeneration on the slopes of the ravine-gully system is determined to be successful, although it requires considerable time for the formation of full-fledged plantations.