The multifunctional role of protective forest strips around and inside agricultural fields

Abstract

The experience of international research demonstrates the high efficiency of protective forest strips around arable land (Current et al., 1995; Hillbrand et al., 2017). However, in our country, the problem of the economic substantiation of the effectiveness of these measures prevents their development and the reason is the low attractiveness for the owners of the agricultural lands that are prone to the erosion process, despite their major importance. To save such an agroecosystem, provision should be made for the establishment of protective forest strips on arable land. The purpose of the study is to analyze the effectiveness of protective forest strips in the rehabilitation of arable land, as an effective stimulus in sustainable development, environmental security in the agricultural sector and the reduction of agricultural land degradation. For sloping arable land, the study shows that the parameters of the properties of the agroecosystems protected by the forest strips, regulate the dynamic values of soil water reserves and maintain its quality. The action of main indicators of the effectiveness of anti-erosion measures depend on the area, the slope of the arable land, the danger of erosion, and the characteristics of the investigated soil.