Technogenic loads on birch stands in Krasnoyarsk forest-steppe

Technogenic loadings on stands and soils were established in birch forests of grassy type, of V–VIII age classes in Krasnoyarsk forest-steppe both in buffer zone of Krasnoyarsk city industrial emissions and in background conditions. The study was carried out on monitoring sample plots by established procedures with using certified methods of fluorine concentration determination in leaves and soils in late vegetation season. Quantitative data of technogenic dust accumulation on the surface of birch Betula pendula Roth leaves as well as total fluorine content in assimilating mass were fixed. Technogenic dust accumulation was found to be reduced in comparison with earlier data and that may be connected with decrease of industrial emissions from urban industrial site adjacent to the birch stands. The study of soils in the grassy-type birch stands was new. The soils were characterized as antropogenic-transformed and technogenic-modified because of long-term impact of dusty and gaseous industrial emissions as well as recreational loading. Concentrations of total fluorine in soil horizons were found to be various and characterized as normal, adopted in literature (Tandelov, 2012). The highest concentrations of fluorine were fixed in upper 0–5 cm and lower mineral 10–20 cm soil layers in birch stand of grass-graminea type northeast of the city.