Ecological status of soils and tree plantations of residential landscapes in Moscow

Abstract

The status of tree vegetation in urban residential landscapes is worse than in natural forest ecosystems. The properties of the topsoil horizons undergo various transformations and the soil quality drops. The range of changes depends on the period of the settlement and the type of the use of the area. The most favorable conditions for plant development and the best ecological status of soils are seen in the regions with the shortest period of human habitation and low direct anthropogenic impact. Considerable degradation of chemical, biological, and physical soil properties in combination with high anthropogenic impact exerts an unfavorable effect on the status of soils and vegetation.