Tree vegetation viability of the Murmansk urban ecosystem

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the woody vegetation viability of northern territories. The research objectives were as follows: (1) to study the predominant species of woody vegetation in public gardens and alleys in Murmansk; (2) to identify groups and categories of trees quality conditions; and (3) to calculate the average coefficient of trees condition for the city. To conduct the research, we used the method guidelines for the stand viability assessment in July 2020, and we studied a total of seven sites (1,252 specimens of trees). According to the methodology, we identified three groups of trees conditions. We noted that the public green spaces in Murmansk are within the minimum norm for the cities in the tundra zone, with landscaped objects slightly below the normative values. The predominant trees in the studied public gardens and alleys are Sorbus species. The research showed that most trees are of satisfactory quality and belong to the “weakened category.” We recorded the following types of damage: frost cracks, bare trunk, insufficient leafage, small leaf plates, trunks' bending and tilting. The main factors affecting the condition of woody vegetation in Murmansk are abiotic factors (wind, frost, heavy rain, hail, sharp temperature fluctuations). Biotic factors and human activity have a lesser impact. The city annually carries out sanitary work to cut down dead branches and give the landscaping objects aesthetic value. The novelty of the research is in the fact that the assessment of the trees in Murmansk in 2020 was carried out for the first time; the previous works are dated 2013-2017.