The objective of the research was to study the environmental protection role of green plantations within the city boundaries in the South of Russia by the example of Novocherkassk. The impact of green plantations on the ambient air was directly related to their state, particularly, assimilation apparatus. To clarify the state of green plantations, forest pest survey according to the Forest Management Manual, the Forest Taxation Guide and the Qualifier of Insects and Damage was conducted. The taxation description of all the trees, damage from pests, the average degree of damage and damage distribution pattern were determined. It was revealed that at the research sites within the city European Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) had the maximum average diameter (44.0 cm) and the average height (21.0 m), Black Poplar (Populus nigra) and European Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) had the maximum average diameter 53.5 and 44.3 cm, and the average height 22.0 and 21.3 m, respectively. The average degree of damage was from 10 % to 45 % at all the sites. The most frequent damage was due to the diseases of assimilation apparatus, leaf damage (blackspot, leaf blight), cankerous diseases, necrosis and dieback; and the pests such as Sawflies: Ash Sawfly (Tomostetus nigritus F.), Elm Sawfly (Cladius ulmi L.), Maple Leaf Miner (Pristiphora subbifida Toms.), and Geometrids: Clouded Magpie (Abraxas sylvata Sc.), Maiden's Blush (Cosymbia punctaria L.), Saddle-backed Looper (Boarmia crepuscularia Hb.), Great Winter Moth (Erannis defoliaria Cl.) and Leaf-Cutting Bee (Megachile centuncularis L.). The most sustainable species of the trees are Common Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), Large-Leaved Lime (Tilia platyphyllos), Roman Willow (Siringa vulgaris), and Wig Tree (Cotinus coggigria). It is recommended to strengthen the introduction of these species for urban greening in South Russia.
