Species composition and vital condition of tree plantings along the street Sovetskaya in the historical part of Yoshkar-Ola

Trees are an integral part of public urban spaces. Woody plants in urban areas perform ecosystem, sanitary, aesthetic, and socio-economic functions, so maintaining their high viability is highly significant. Another important characteristic of green spaces is their floral composition in terms of diversity, structure and functionality. The Yoshkar-Ola city, the capital of the Mari El Republic, has been growing rapidly in recent decades, peripheral areas of the city are being built up, industry is developing, new infrastructure facilities are appearing, and the appearance of the city is changing. The expansion of development and accelerated aging of tree stands in the urban environment leads to the need for the development of green infrastructure. There is a steady decrease in the area of urban green areas and an increase in the degree of isolation of individual vegetation areas, which increases the risk of their violations under conditions of constantly increasing anthropogenic load. The purpose of the study is to analyze the systematic composition and vital condition of woody plants in Sovetskaya Street in the historical area of Yoshkar-Ola. The study was conducted in May 2025 by taking a complete inventory of the available woody plants. The sanitary condition was assessed according to a 5-point scale given in the Rules of Sanitary Safety in Forests (2020). A section of the street between Vashskaya and Krasnoarmeyskaya streets with a length of 1.4 km has been surveyed. It was found that 276 plants grow on the surveyed territory, of which 83% are deciduous trees, 9% are deciduous shrubs, and 8% are coniferous plants. There are 22 species from 12 families. Tilia cordata prevails in the number of specimens. Most of the plants are classified as weakened. Many trees on this street grow in small trunk holes among the asphalt pavement, which negatively affects their viability. Pruning also has an impact on the vital condition. It is proposed to supplement the existing plantings with beautifully flowering and decorative deciduous species.

green spaces, trees, city streets, woody plants, sanitary condition, categories of condition, diseases and pests, plant damage, plant design, tree pruning