Using edaphic parameters to validate forest site conditions on the plots of Ukrainian National Forest Inventory

Autorzy

• Svitlana Raspopina 1 Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Forest Melioration named after G.M. Vysotsky
  Hryhoriia Skovorody 86, Kharkiv, 61024, Ukraine
  e-mail: s_raspopina@ukr.net
  2 State Biotechnological University
  Alchevskyh 44, Kharkiv, 61002, Ukraine
• Tetiana S. Pyvovar Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Forest Melioration named after G.M. Vysotsky, Forest Inventory, Monitoring, Certification and Forest Management Department
  Pushkinska 86, Kharkiv, 61024, Ukraine
• Ihor Buksha Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Forest Melioration named after G.M. Vysotsky
  Hryhoriia Skovorody 86, Kharkiv, 61024, Ukraine
• Volodymyr Pasternak 1 Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Forest Melioration named after G.M. Vysotsky
  Hryhoriia Skovorody 86, Kharkiv, 61024, Ukraine
  2 State Biotechnological University
  Alchevskyh 44, Kharkiv, 61002, Ukraine
• Anastasia Suska State Biotechnological University
  Alchevskyh 44, Kharkiv, 61002, Ukraine

Abstract

National Forest Inventories (NFIs) provide essential information for sustainable forest management and reporting on forest resources and carbon stocks. In Ukraine, the NFI system was launched in 2021 and includes a soil (edaphic) module designed to characterize site conditions. However, data from the first measurement cycle revealed several methodological limitations, including restricted soil pit depth and a predominant reliance on vegetation-based site classification (phytoindication). Integrating measurable soil indicators can improve the reliability of site assessment and strengthen quality assurance within the NFI system.
This study analyzes primary NFI data collected during the 2021–2023 field campaigns from a subset of 878 plots located in the Polissia and Forest-Steppe ecological zones of Ukraine. Soil profiles were described morphologically, including identification of genetic horizons and measurement of their thickness. Soil texture was assessed using the Kachinsky field method. The analysis focused on key edaphic indicators, humus type and soil texture, to support cross-validation of site classification within the NFI framework.
The selected edaphic indicators proved useful for cross-validation of forest site classification. Their inclusion enables the development of a multi-level data quality control system and improves the consistency of site classification in the Ukrainian NFI.
The study proposes a rule-based ecological QA/QC framework that combines edaphic indicators with expert assessment of soil profile photographs to improve the reliability of forest site classification within the Ukrainian NFI.

Keywords

• humus horizon
• soil texture
• forest productivity
• forest soils