Ukrainian Journal of Forest and Wood Science

Biodiversity of woody plants in a small town: The example of Kagarlyk (Ukraine)

Olha Zibtseva, Victoriia Minder, Olesia Pikhalo, Oleh Shandrenko
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Abstract

Assessing the biodiversity of woody plants in small Ukrainian towns is essential for informed urban greening strategies, especially in the context of climate resilience and the lack of systematic street tree inventories. The purpose of the work was to determine the species composition and level of biodiversity of woody plantings of the small city and compare the results obtained with previously studied small cities of the region. The research was conducted in 2023-2024 in Kagarlyk town, Kyiv region, Ukraine. A systematic approach, general scientific and special methods, in particular dendrological, were used. An inventory of various types of green spaces in Kagarlyk downtown was conducted, based on the results of which the woody species diversity index (SDI) was determined both for individual studied objects and for the studied town’s territory as a whole. It was established that the studied woody plantings of Kagarlyk, especially street and school areas, are characterised by a low level of biodiversity of woody species. A higher level of biodiversity was characteristic of the park and adjacent to residential buildings areas. The overall biodiversity index of urban woody plantings was low, at 7, which is lower than in previously studied towns. It was found that the level of species diversity of woody plantings in Kagarlyk town is low: the SDI index is 6.9, with 51% of all trees belonging to just two species – Aesculus hippocastanum and Fraxinus excelsior. The highest level of diversity was recorded in the park and near-residential areas, while street and school plantings showed particularly low values, indicating the need for diversification of species composition. The predominance of Aesculus hipocastanum and Fraxinus excelsior does not guarantee the long-term sustainability of the town’s green spaces. The results will allow assessing the relative resilience of the urban area to new natural challenges, in particular to global climate change

Keywords

park-monument of landscape art, school territory, species diversity index, street plantings, woody species

Suggested citation
Zibtseva, O., Minder, V., Pikhalo, O., & Shandrenko, O. (2025). Biodiversity of woody plants in a small town: The example of Kagarlyk (Ukraine). Ukrainian Journal of Forest and Wood Science, 16(3), 8-25. https://doi.org/10.31548/forest/3.2025.08
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