CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FOREST FUND OF THE STATE ENTERPRISE " BEREZHANY FORESTRY AND HUNTING ENTERPRISE"
Authors: Novytska Svitlana , Yankovska Lubov 
Published: August 2023

The article deals with the peculiarities of forest management at the State Enterprise "Berezhany Forestry and Hunting Enterprise". The history of creation, administrative and organizational structure of the “Berezhany Forestry and Hunting Enterprise” is analyzed. The enterprise is located on the lands of the following 10 territorial communities: Narayiv, Berezhany, Pidhaitsi, Kozliv, Kozivka, Saranchukiv, Monastyrysk, Kupchynets, Pidhorodiansk and Zboriv. It was found that in the Berezhany State Forestry, the largest area is occupied by forests of the I and Ia class of the bonitet (39% and 26.6%, respectively). The smallest area is occupied by forests of the IV class of bonitet - 1.2%, which is 106 hectares. The species composition of the forests of the Berezhany State Forestry is diverse, but the basis of most plantations is hardwoods (about 88% of the area), conifers (about 8%) and the least of softwoods (4%). Beech, oak, and hornbeam are the predominant hardwood species. Conifers such as scots pine, larch, and spruce are also common here. Among the softwoods, birch, aspen, and alder occupy the largest area. The undergrowth is dense and consists of Tatar honeysuckle, hazel, and warty birch. The grass cover is dominated by European bindweed, common hop, fragrant ash and forest geranium. As a result of this combination of different tree species, the forest performs the following functions: landscape-forming (combination of conifers (pine, spruce) with hardwoods (oak, maple); aesthetic function is mainly performed by introductions - larch, black walnut, red oak, Weymouth pine, etc.; recreational - in combination of deciduous and coniferous species. The average age of forest plantations is 61 years, coniferous - 52 years, hardwood - 63 years, softwood - 55 years. The largest area of the forestry is occupied by medieval plantations - 36.6%, and the smallest by mature and overgrown forests (about 20.7%). According to observations, medieval stands perform their ecological functions best and have the highest bioproductivity. It has been determined that by category, about 80% of the area is occupied by exploitation forests, namely 29554 hectares. A small area is occupied by protective and recreational forests - 4.5% and 6.6%, respectively.

Forests play a significant role in stabilizing natural processes, and are also a key factor in preserving biodiversity and comfortable conditions for human life. The western part of the Ternopil district is characterized by a high rate of forested territory. The forests of this territory are owned by two state enterprises: "Berezhany Rayagrolis" and "Berezhany LMG". The Berezhan forestry consists of eight forestry farms, which are more or less evenly distributed over the territory of the district. There are also protected objects on the territory of the State Forestry. In the researched forest farm, their area is 2761.46 hectares. The territory of the State Forestry is divided into economic parts, farms and economic sections, which consist of trees of uniform productivity and composition. About 80% of the forests of the State Forestry are occupied by exploitation forests, namely 29,554 hectares. A small area is occupied by protective and recreational forests - 4.5% and 6.6%, respectively.

As for the quality of the forest in the Berezhan Forest Farm, the largest area is occupied by forests of the I and Ia quality classes (39% and 26.6%, respectively). The species composition of the forests of the Berezhan State Forest Farm is diverse, but the basis of most plantations are hardwoods: beech, oak, and hornbeam (about 88% of the area), followed by coniferous trees: Scots pine, larch, spruce (about 8%), and the smallest is m deciduous trees: birch, aspen and alder (4%). In addition to the tree species familiar to our territory, there are also promising introduced coniferous plants. These are European larch, Menzies pseudotsuga and European spruce.

The forest plantations of the Berezhany State Forestry were characterized by their completeness. It has been found that forests with a fullness of 0.7-0.8 prevail here.  The smallest proportion of forests with a completeness of 0.3-0.4.

Keywords: forest, forest management, forestry and hunting enterprise