Ecological-floristic analysis of the impact of field fortification constructions on forest phytosystems

Forest ecosystems in Ukraine experience severe degradation due to military operations during the ruscist invasion, particularly as a result of the construction of military fortifications. This study provides an analysis of the floristic composition, patterns of vegetation change, and correlation between the ecological factor indicators for plant communities in 20 dead-end trenches for armored military vehicles (ten in pine forests and ten in oak forests). In terms of floristic composition, the trench pit communities in pine forests demonstrated the highest similarity to control forest plots, whereas in oak forests the trench berm communities most closely resembled the control plots. Overall, the communities formed in disturbed forest areas (pits and typically banked earth on the lips of the trenches between each other in both forests) were also relatively similar to one another. In the third year after disturbance, apophytization was found to prevail over adventization, indicating a positive trend in vegetation recovery. A synphytoindication analysis revealed that the communities developing on trench mounds in both forest types were more similar to each other in most ecological parameters than to those of their respective undisturbed forest plots, confirming the large-scale transformation of natural ecosystems. The damaged forest ecosystems will require extended periods of recovery to return to their original state.