Morphometric characteristics of woody plants growing in coal dump cut “Kedrovsky”

The paper presents data from a study of morphometric characteristics of woody plants growing in a coal mine dump “Kedrovsky”, located in the central part of the Kemerovo region. The object of the study were the trees of Scots pine and birch 10-15 years of age. We studied these morphometric characteristics - annual growth of side shoots; quantity, weight and leaf area; state of pine needles; living condition. Investigations were carried out according to conventional techniques. Research evidence that in a waste dump section “Kedrovsky” a reduction in morphometric characteristics of pine and birch - length of annual shoots, weight, the number of needles and leaves and squares of birch leaves, but the life condition score changes insignificantly. Reducing the morphometric parameters of pine and birch can be seen as a process of assimilation apparatus xerophytization aimed at saving water and improving the sustainability of trees in a heap. The scientific importance of our study lies in the fact that they are aimed at identifying ecologically important morphometric parameters that reflect the plant response to man-made pollution, which can be used in carrying out environmental monitoring.