Effect of Urban Park Reconstruction on Physical Soil Properties

Ecological restoration is an important means of managing urban natural areas with human and ecological values in mind. Urban park restoration involves significant impacts on soil cover. Soil quality is a major concern in urban park management, but little is known about the impact of park reconstruction on soil properties. The effect of urban park reconstruction on physical soil properties was investigated. The study was conducted in the recreational area of the Botanical Garden of the Dnipro National University. Data of remote sensing of the Earth's surface allowed to understand the impact of the park reconstruction on the state of the vegetation cover. The area of territories with high NDVI value, which correspond to dense tree plantations without reconstruction, strongly decreased in the reconstruction zone. The principal component analysis allowed to identify the main trends of the coordinated variability of soil features. The first principal component is obviously a reflection of the transformation of the soil properties, which occurred as a result of the reconstruction of an urban park. In the reconstructed part of the park compared to the area without reconstruction, there is an increase in soil penetration resistance, which occurs from the surface and gradually decays to a depth of 35 cm. The impact on the soil of technological processes that occurred during the reconstruction of the park, caused the compaction of the soil. The decrease in vegetation density occurred after the implementation of the reconstruction project. The consequence was that soil moisture in the reconstructed area was lower than without reconstruction.