Ecological and aesthetic significance of an autotrophic component of artificial ecosystems in ensuring of the environmental comfort and the public health protection

Aim: to assess the aesthetic appeal of tree and shrub plantations of urban ecosystems (for example, the settlements of Central Russia). The research is implemented on the example of common, special and limited use plantations. Environmental diagnostics aesthetic qualities of the plantings carried out on the basic biological and ecological signs. The paper considers one of the key indicators of the environmental comfort, taking into account anthropogenic impacts. It is the decorative effect of tree and shrub plantations. These plants make the basis of an autotrophic component of the urban systems of Central Russia and form the functional core of their ecological frameworks. A high level of decorative plantings of woody plants and shrubs in the research areas was established. The highest points of decorative plantings were found in the town of Novokhopersk and in the urban village of Gribanovsky. In the region under consideration reliable differences in esthetic qualities of tree and shrub plantations are revealed. Planting of trees and shrubs have a high aesthetic appeal. It characterizes the degree of culture of urban landscapes and technogenic pressure upon them. The results obtained can be used in the system of environmental monitoring of the urban environment in Central Russia.