Title: Assessing spatio-temporal dynamics of growing stock and increment: a case study in Andrn and Trabzon forest district enterprises

Authors: Fatih Sivrikaya; Veysel Yıldırımer

Addresses: Faculty of Forestry, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, 46100 Kahramanmaraş, Turkey ' Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, 46100 Kahramanmaraş, Turkey

Abstract: Monitoring and assessing spatio-temporal changes in forest ecosystem are quite important for sustainable management of natural resources. To assess these changes, total growing stock and annual increment of a forest must be known. For this purpose, we identified the spatio-temporal changes in the growing stock and increment, and explained the factors driving these changes using geographical information system (GIS) within forest management plans of Andrn and Trabzon forest district enterprise (FDE) in Turkey. To determine the spatio-temporal variability of growing stock and increment, the stand type maps related to case study areas were digitised and analysed in GIS. The results indicated that growing stock increased by 39.0% and 39.2% in Andrn and Trabzon FDE, respectively. The main factors affecting growing stock changes were growing stock differences in same stand types in different periods, increase in productive forest area, increase in forest area and conversion of coppice forests to high forests.

Keywords: coppice forests; driving factors; forest management plan; geographical information system; GIS; growing stock; increment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2017.083678

International Journal of Global Warming, 2017 Vol.11 No.4, pp.464 - 478

Received: 24 Mar 2015
Accepted: 07 Jul 2015
Published online: 19 Apr 2017 *

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