Increasing the Reclamation Efficiency of Forest Belts in Dry Conditions

Abstract—The ongoing aridization of the climate in the steppe zone forces the development and implementation of more sustainable forest reclamation plantations. The studied combined design of forest belts differs from the existing ones by differences in the degree of openwork of the vertical profile, alternating from dense, blown, to openwork. Its study was carried out in the steppe conditions of the city of Volgograd and the Kletsky district of the Volgograd region. The indicators of reclamation efficiency were the nature of snow distribution, soil moisture, and freezing depth. The study of the parameters was carried out along profiles perpendicular to the forest belt. It has been established that snow deposition in the agroforest landscape occurred most optimally under its influence. Snow remained in the forest belt without the formation of high snowdrifts in the zone of the lower plume. The low-growing shrubs prevented snow from blowing out of the forest belt, while keeping the snow in the field. The combined design of the forest belt provided additional accumulation of soil moisture in a 0–50 cm layer on average over 5 years during the winter period in the field of 52 mm, and in the forest belt, 90 mm. Under its influence, the depth of soil freezing was reduced. The studies showed the reclamation efficiency of forest belts of a combined design in steppe conditions.