Monitoring of invasive woody plant species in urban ecosystems of Kyiv

The article presents the results of monitoring invasive woody plant species in Kyiv. According to the research conducted using the GBIF service, 12 invasive woody species were identified: Ailanthus tree Ailanthus altissima (Mill.), Siberian elm Ulmus pumila L., honey locust Gleditsia triacanthos L., eastern American black walnut Juglans nigra L., red oak Quercus rubra L., hackberry Celtis occidentalis, Amur cork tree Phellodendron amurénse, ash-leaved maple Acer negundo L., oleaster Elaeágnus angustifólia L., Paulownia Paulownia tomentosa, black locust Robinia pseudoacacia L., and black cherry Prunus serótina (Ehrh.) Ag. The most common invasive tree species in Kyiv as of May 21, 2024, were ash-leaved maple Acer negundo L. – 1,203 findings, black locust Robinia pseudoacacia L. – 433 findings, and red oak Quercus rubra L. – 303 findings. All of these species are native to North America. The species with the lowest numbers of findings were: North American black walnut Juglans nigra L. – 4, and two Far Eastern species: Amur cork tree Phellodendron amurense – 11, and Paulownia Paulownia tomentosa – 15 findings. An analysis of the dynamics of invasive woody plant spread in Kyiv showed that ash-leaved maple Acer negundo L. is the most actively spreading species. Over the five-year period from 2019, the number of its findings increased from 83 to 1,197. Year-by-year analysis showed the highest number of findings for Robinia pseudoacacia L. in 2021 – 129, for Acer negundo L. also in 2021 – 463, and for Quercus rubra L. in 2023 – 79. The study showed that urbanized areas, particularly cities, are hotspots for the rapid spread of invasive flora due to intensive anthropogenic impact, habitat disturbance, and insufficient control measures. Proposals for effective management of invasive plant species in urbanized areas of Ukraine should include systematic monitoring, biological and mechanical control methods, limited chemical control, the development of strategies for managing adventitious species at both national and local levels, and support for scientific research in this field.