Spatial and temporal changes of stone pine forests in Turkey: A case study in Ayvalik forest planning unit
2017
Mumcu Kucuker, D | Baskent, E Z
Timber and pine nuts are considered main products from the stone pine (Pinus pinea) forests in Turkey. Stone pine woodlands are approximately 89,000 ha and pine cone and nut production is about 3,500 tons/year and 280 tons/year, respectively. The forests covered by stone pine also present other services and products such as hunting, carbon sequestration, resin, bark and wood. The production and marketing of pine nut in particular has grown dramatically over the last two decades. The great social and economic importance of stone pine in non-wood forest production (NWFP) distinguishes it from other pines, generating employment and supplementary incomes for forest villagers who live in and near the forests. Additionally, villagers prefer incomes from NWFP, because pine nut production is more profitable than timber production. Understanding the landscape dynamics as a historical legacy of disturbances is necessary for sustainable management of NWFP to help to better design the future forest management practices and policies. In this study, spatial and temporal changes in forest cover types in Ayvalık Forest Planning Unit, were analyzed with GIS and Patch Analyst. The analysis was conducted with forest cover type maps from 1989 and 2002. Results indicate that there are marked changes in the temporal and spatial dynamics of land use and forest cover in the study area. Between 1989 and 2002, we observed an increase of 25 pe cent in total forested areas with an increase of 43 per cent in stone pine areas. On the other hand, the analysis of canopy cover changes and development stages over 13 years find out an increase of total forest area and stone pine area with medium canopy cover and with trees in “a-regenerated” stage of development
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