Analysis of the anti-deflation efficiency of field-protective forest plants in the dry zone of the Stavropol Krai

Abstract

The problem of soil degradation is widespread in many agricultural regions of our country. The Stavropol Territory, as one of the leading agricultural regions, is no exception. It is characterized by the presence of a number of factors influencing the destructive processes in the soil, the main of which are the increase in the anthropogenic load on the soil and the regional features of climate change. In this regard, the relevance of issues related to the development of comprehensive measures to combat degradation processes is increasing every year. A key element of these activities in the Stavropol Territory is the formation of a framework of protective forest plantations, which requires regular monitoring of both their safety and effectiveness. The study was conducted on the territory of the arid zone of the Stavropol Territory. In this zone, the observed regional climatic changes can cause significant damage to the soil cover and significantly reduce the efficiency of agricultural production. Here, the increase in climate extremeness is most acute—an increase in the likelihood of droughts and heavy rainfall. Due to the fact that protective forest plantations are located on vast areas, it is most rational to use modern data processing and visualization systems for their monitoring—geographic information systems and Earth remote sensing data. The author’s technique was considered in the work, which allows analyzing various characteristics for assessing the anti-deflation efficiency of field-protective forest plantations, such as the protective forest cover of the territory and interstrip distances. As part of the study, a technological mapping scheme was proposed based on the formation of a continuous hexagonal surface with data. The presented methodology and technological scheme can be adapted for any agricultural region, taking into account their characteristics.