Soils and soil cover in the zone of influence of airborne industrial emissions from pulp and paper production

An assessment of the ecological state of soils of terrestrial ecosystems (lichen pine forests, bilberry pine forests, bilberry spruce forests) located in the gradient of aerotechnogenic impact of Mondi Syktyvkar JSC was carried out. The peculiarities of changes in the physical and chemical parameters of soils depending on the soil type and the level of exposure to gas and dust emissions of the enterprise are revealed. It is established that at the present stage, the influence of Mondi Syktyvkar JSC on the soils of terrestrial ecosystems is traced mainly in the impact zone, which is characterized by a complex anthropogenic impact (the presence of settlements, agricultural and industrial enterprises, automobile and railway highways, etc). The transformation of soil properties in the impact zone is manifested in: a) a change in the acid-base state of soils towards alkalinization; b) an increase in the iron and hydrocarbons concentration compared to the soils of background sites; c) exceeding in individual soil samples of MAC and APC criteria for manganese (1.0 ÷ 5.7 MAC(Mn) and arsenic (1.0 ÷ 1.7 APC(As). The revealed increase in the Zn content (1 ÷ 2 APC(Zn) in selected soil samples is most likely due to natural causes - the entry of Zn into the soil during the decomposition of wood residues. Accumulation of water-soluble components of gas and dust emissions of Mondi Syktyvkar JSC in soils has not been revealed. At the bioclimatic conditions of the taiga zone, they are easily washed out of light granulometric soils, occupying automorphic positions of landscapes.