oa Water-Regulating Functions of Precarpathian Forest-Agrarian Landscapes

The study purpose is to determine the water permeability of forest and field soils of the Precarpathians and Carpathians, to study the water-regulating and soil-protective properties of the forest, their impact on the conservation of agrolandscapes in these natural regions. Research results. The water-regulating role of forest lands on the example of river basins of the Precarpathian region is estimated. A comparative analysis of the development of harmful natural processes that take place on watersheds with a significant contrast of forest cover is carried out. The features of the formation of surface water runoff depending on the ratio of land. The water permeability of forest and field soils was studied. The features of snow accumulation on different categories of land in forest-agrarian landscapes have been clarified. Water permeability of sod-podzolic-gley soils of the Precarpathian region has been estimated, which is 3–6 times less on agricultural land compared to forest soils. This contributes to the formation of harmful surface water runoff, as well as large-scale erosion processes, ravines, beams, landslides and destruction of river banks. The dependence of the moisture capacity of the Precarpathian soils on the age of the forest was established: the indicators of water absorption by the soil in young plantations almost do not differ from the indicators of agro-cultivated lands. An increase in the age of woodstands, for every 40–50 years, causes a 2–3 times increase in the moisture capacity of forest soils. In most forests of the foothills, the indicators of surface water absorption by forest soils exceed the intensity of the main mass of rain, so the formation of surface water runoff on them and the development of erosion phenomena are unlikely. The water permeability of field soils decreases with the transition - from fluffy arable areas to ruffled arable areas.