Analysis of the typological structure of forests in western Ukraine

The aim of the study was to conduct an ecological and typological assessment of forest site conditions across eight administrative oblasts of western Ukraine and to identify regional differences in the proportions of trophotopes and stand types. The classification of forest types was carried out using the silvicultural-ecological scale of forest typology based on state forest inventory materials. Comparative analysis, typological grouping and statistical data processing were applied to determine the areas, proportions and structural features of forest types. The distribution of the area of land covered with forest vegetation across four soil fertility groups was analysed, which made it possible to identify the dominance of sugrud and grud site conditions in the mountainous parts of the region. It was established that the largest areas of sugruds were concentrated in Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattia oblasts, whereas bor and subor complexes remained substantial in Volyn and Rivne oblasts. The number of delineated forest types ranged from 29 in Ternopil Oblast to 89 in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, reflecting the contrast of the region’s natural conditions. The typological structure of individual oblasts was detailed and the diversity of the Carpathian sector was demonstrated, where various variants of beech forests, sub-beech forests and suyalychnyk forest types predominated, indicating the combined effects of altitudinal zonation and moisture gradients. It was found that the Polissia sector was characterised by a concentration of areas in oak-pine subors and black alder sugruds, which formed a core of hydrological and biotic stability. It was generalised that the Podillia oblasts were typified by a simpler typological spectrum with the dominance of hornbeam and oak oakwoods, correlating with more homogeneous soil and climatic conditions. The practical value of the results was associated with their potential use by forestry enterprises and nature conservation institutions to substantiate measures for sustainable forest management, stand restoration and the zoning of recreational pressure