Abstract
Mountain and foothill forests provide many essential ecosystem services, but land use changes such as deforestation or, conversely, afforestation and reforestation can significantly impact their potential. Artificial forest stands can perform similar functions, but their effectiveness depends on species composition, age and management methods. Reforestation in these areas is critical to mitigating and adapting to climate change, increasing biodiversity and conserving water resources. Artificial forest stands in the North Caucasus were created with the aim of increasing the productivity of oak forests, and thanks to these measures, forest cover in the Republic of Adygea turned out to be significantly higher than in neighbouring regions. The purpose of the study was to assess the carbon-depositing and oxygen-producing role of artificial forest stands with oak in the foothills of the North Caucasus within the Republic of Adygea. It was found that in pure 70-year-old oak plantations the maximum increase in timber volume was 5.81 m3/ha per year, and the mixed 58-year-old oak stands were characterised by the minimum increase value, 1.04 m3/ha per year. The intensity of carbon accumulation and oxygen production was calculated through the increase in phytomass. The results showed that as the share of oak in the forest stand increased, production indicators and sequestration potential increased significantly. Artificial plantings of the Maikop forestry have accumulated in their above-ground and underground phytomass from 31 to 328 t C/ha. The annual accumulation of CO2 by forests varied from 1.98 to 17.17 t/ha per year, and the annual production of O2 was 1.71—12.79 t/ha per year. It has been proven that in order to increase the sequestration potential in the North Caucasus foothills, one of the most effective approaches may be targeted cultivation of pure and mixed forests with a predominance of seed oak, rather than the creation of a variety of multi-species plantations, including hornbeam and beech.