Spatial distribution patterns of the depth of soil organogenic and humus horizons in forested landscapes of the dry-steppe zon

The paper considers the features of the spatial distribution of litter layers and humus horizons of soils in a forested area. The object of the study was the forest-cultural landscapes on low-productive sandy lands created in the early twentieth century to protect against deflation. The territory is located in the Kamyshin district of the Volgograd region (cadastral quarter No 34:36:000014). The purpose of the research was to determine the distribution of the depth of organogenic layers and humus horizons in relation to the species composition of plantations (coniferous or deciduous species), the total projective cover of the herbage and its dominant associations. The research is topical and aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of forest reclamation measures on sandy lands in the dry-steppe zone. Both terrestrial (soil and geobotanical) and remote (agroforestry much of the territory. The sands were stabilized due to creation of massive plantings and the grass cover formation. The relationship between the composition of a stand, the total projective cover, the dominant herbaceous association and the depth of humus and litter horizons in coniferous plantations has been found. The depth of studied layers increases if hardwoods are admixed which produce leaf litter. The spatial heterogeneity of the indicators for all the studied sites is primarily influenced by the low rate of litter decomposition, as well as the internal re-deposition of organogenic and humus matter by the wind.

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