The aim is to analyze the resistance of tree and shrub vegetation used to create protective forest belts to air pollution on the basis of experimental studies conducted by other scientists. The research was carried out on the basis of the development of experimental materials on the resistance of tree and shrub vegetation to atmospheric pollution by dust and gases, presented in the works of famous scientists. The obtained results were generalized, the probability of growing gas- and dust-resistant trees in the conditions of climate change in relation to their drought resistance was estimated and the most resistant species of trees and shrubs were recommended. Also identified species of plants that can act as bioindicators of air pollution.
Studied by Prysedsky Yu.G. (2014) plant species in terms of resistance to atmospheric pollutants with sulfur, nitrogen and fluorine compounds were divided into four groups: tolerant (resistant), moderately damaged, unstable and with variable resistance. The group of resistant species includes prickly pear, common oak, Tatar honeysuckle and caragana arborescens. These species can be used to create protective forest belts. At the same time, reliable plant indicators of sulfur, nitrogen and fluoride oxides in the air will be unstable plant species — mountain ash and poplar Bolle.
Classification of trees and shrubs in terms of their resistance to atmospheric smoke divides plants into three groups: stable, relatively stable, unstable, with the allocation of primary and secondary wood species for forest belts, as well as shrubs. The most resistant to atmospheric smoke are white acacia, elm, white willow, forest pear, poplar, hazel, juniper, forest apple. They can be the main components of protective forest belts in the area of atmospheric smoke. Unstable species — red oak, Scots pine, horse chestnut, viburnum — are bioindicators of atmospheric smoke.
There is also a classification of tree species by dust retention M.I. Kalinin (1991). Behind it the most dust of 1 m2 of leaves is retained by white mulberry — 8.1 g, weeping willow — 8.1 g, three-pricked gladiolus — 5.1 g, elm — 4.1 g and field maple — 3.6 g. One tree absorbs the most dust during the growing season in weeping willow — 37.9 kg, Canadian poplar — 34.1 kg, white mulberry — 31.3 kg, ash — 27.1–29.6 kg, maple — 29,2 kg and high island — 24.2 kg. According to Vergeles (2000), poplars have the highest average relative dust resistance — 180 points, common ash — 170, bitter horse chestnut and linden leaf heart — 100 points each.