In this study, we aimed at investigating of the effect of thinning at different levels on stand growth in P. brutia plantation areas. Study was carried out in two experimental sites, Antalya-Kas-Tekircik and Isparta-Egirdir-Asagi Narli P. brutia plantation areas between the years 1985 - 2016. Randomized block experimental design was applied in two sites, totally in five blocks and 35 parcels. Thinning was implemented in three dosage as; 1) control, 2) moderate thinning and 3) heavy thinning. Additionally in 1990 and 2004, another two thinnings were implemented in stand considering the silvicultural requirement of the stands. Results showed that mean diameter at breast height (dbh) was increased in the thinned parcels compared to control parcels. Similarly ANOVA results showed that thinnings were effective on remaining basal areas and stand volume in both sites. But at the age of 44 (in 2016), although remaining volume was differentiated depending on thinning, total stand volume was not statistically significant (p<0,05) in terms of thinning dosages. It was concluded that considering the operational purposes and providing less thinning costs with longer intervention period, thinning operations should be done by taking out the 35-40 % of the basal area in the fast growing period to gather the wood production on the trees reserved for final crop in P. brutia stands.

Reforestation, afforestation and industrial plantation investments are long term and costly investments. After suitability of ecological conditions, the success of these investments largely depends on the quality of seedlings planted. Planting seedlings that are not in accordance with quality standards causes planting losses, thus the completion costs increase. The most important factors affecting quality seedling production in nurseries are nutrient, water and light relationships. Insufficient or overfed seedlings decline planting success. For this reason, the seedlings to be used for forestation works in especially arid and semi-arid areas are required to be stem / root balanced, and well developed root structures. In order to increase the quality of the seedlings soil analysis is carried out in forest nurseries, chemical and organic fertilizer support are made according to the nutrient deficiency. The function of soil microorganisms is great in converting fertilizers into useful form and easy to take. In recent years, biological fertilizers (bio-fertilizer, bio-inoculant) have started to be used instead of mineral fertilizers to increase soil microorganisms and nutrient available. In particular, successful results have been obtained on the issues such as increased yields, resistance to diseases and better utilization of nutrients in agricultural products. The use of bio-fertilizers in forest nurseries is a new practice and no study has been done on the effects on seedling characteristics in Turkey. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of bio-fertilizers on the morphological characters of some seedlings by applying bio-fertilizer on Crimean pine seedlings which is one of the most used species in the afforestation or reforestation areas in Turkey. At the end of the study conducted in Eskisehir Forest Nursery, it was revealed that the bio-fertilizer applied to 2 + 0 Crimean pine seedlings did not make a meaningful difference (P>0.05).

This research was carried out to determine the carbon stocks of Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) plantation areas. 40 sample plots were chosen from areas differing in terms of yield classes, growth stages and canopy closure, in Eskisehir and Afyonkarahisar cities. In each sample plot tree height and diameter at breast height (DBH) of all trees were measured and a sample tree was cut and roots were excavated. Fresh weight of the tree compartments including needle, dead and live branches, bole and root was determined after cutting. Shrub, herbaceous cover and forest floor samplings were made and subsamples were collected from each sample plot. A soil pit was dug and soil core samples were taken from the identified horizons for every sample plots. Some physical and chemical properties of soil and plant specimen were analyzed in the laboratory. Stem volume and biomass equations were developed by regression analysis. Carbon stocks of tree biomass components, shrub and herbaceous cover, forest floor and soil were estimated from the data obtained from the measurements. Changes in biomass, carbon factors, and carbon stocks of biomass, forest floor and soil according to stand types were evaluated by Anova. As a result, basic wood density was calculated as 0.467 t/m3 while BEFABOVEGROUND as 1.635, BCEFABOVEGROUND as 0.762 t/m3, root to shoot ratio as 0.207 and carbon factor as 51.27 percent. Mean carbon stock of tree biomass was found as 61.084 t/ha while 1.060 t/ha, 0.625 t/ha, 6.55 t/ha, and 60.875 t/ha for shrub, herbaceous cover, forest floor and soil, respectively. Tree biomass, soil carbon stocks of stand types and total carbon stocks were found different between the stand types. But the differences were not significant in shrub, herbaceous cover and forest floor.

Objective of this study was to determine suitable vertical interval (H) for the bench terraces for soil conservation purposes in Elazig. The study was carried out between 2010-2016 under semiarid and subhumid conditions separately. Experiment was 2-way factorial, completely randomized block design with three replications. Factors were slope distance (3 different distances) and vertical interval (3 intervals). Thus, a total of 81 plots were used for each climate type in the study. Iron rods were nailed into the soil at the lower end of each plot and level of soil surface was marked on the rods. Soil loss was determined as the distance between first year marked point and the level of soil surface on the rods at the measurement time. Data were analyzed by using 2-way factorial ANOVA and means were separated by using Duncan multiple range test (P<0,05). Results showed that vertical interval and slope distance values used in this study can be used in Elazig and other regions with similar climatic conditions. Additionally, results revealed that soil loss increased as slope distance and vertical interval increased but it decreased in the follwing years.

For examining wood anatomical structure, the chisel is used to take wood samples from living trees. This practice takes a lot of time, requires mechanical power and destroys trees much more. With this proposed mechanized technic, wood samples can be taken in 1-2 minutes by using a professional, high speed and cordless drill that cylindrical punches can be plugged into. Thanks to this technic, energy loss reduces, the damage done to trees decreases and taking transverse, radial and tangential sections from wood samples by microtome is possible.

The aim of the study was to obtain maximum quantity of standard seedling (SS) per unit area in Izmit Forest Nursery to use in the bottomland ash (Fraxinus angustifolia) plantations. In this context, SS was described as 1+0 age of bare-root ash seedlings with root collar diameter greater than 0.8 cm and seedlings’ height over 70 cm. Organic matter (OM) was applied as main treatment with the rates of 0 m3 (no organic matter addition), 1 m3 and 2 m3 per 150 m2. Slow-release fertiliser (SRF) was used and organic matter (OM) was applied as fertilised (F) and non-fertilised (NF) by dividing the plots. Seedling density (SD) was planned and applied at 4 levels as 25, 50, 75 and 100 seedlings per square meter. According to analysis of variance, SD and OM application rates were significant while application of SRF was non-significant. Duncan Multiple Comparison Test was used to compare the mean values of SS. The maximum SS production was obtained from 2 m3 OM. The numbers of SS obtained from the densities of 100, 75, 50 and 25 were 40a, 43a, 35a and 17b respectively. The numbers of SS obtained from the first three densities were not statistically different. However, since it’s considered that the least density would be more economic, 50 seedlings per square meter could be suggested for 2 m3. Accordingly as the numbers of SS obtained from non-fertilised plots OM-1 and OM-0 were not statistically different 25 seedlings per square meter is suggested for these plots.

Forest fires are observed in larger scales and more frequently in some years in Turkey and across the world, while some years number of fires and affected areas decreased significantly. When the forest fire statistics are visualized by plotting the number of fires or the total burned area by years, a periodic fluctuation in the form of sinusoidal curves, with different minimum and maximum points are observed. This indicates that the forest fires increase or decrease in number due to an external factor that shows periodic behavior. In this study; it has been revealed that there is a strong relationship between forest fires and the Sunspot Cycle (Solar Radiation Cycle). Findings obtained as a result of this study, can be used to predict the high risk years forest fires. It is thought that it is very important to consider these determinations when medium and long-term programs are conducted for forest fire fighting. It will be appropriate to take these precautions into consideration especially in terms of budget planning and precautionary measures to be taken.