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Forest resources and activities in Turkey
Dr Mahir Küçük, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs, Turkey
T
he vital role that forests play in the protection of biolog-
ical diversity is incontrovertible, in addition to the
fundamental function forests have in regulating water
supplies, which is of great importance to communities and
the environment, protecting soil and preventing environmental
pollution.
1
Turkey has a significant potential resource in terms
of biodiversity and protected areas (PAs), which have increas-
ingly gained importance at national and global level and are
among the priority goals of the Turkish forestry sector.
Relations with the European Union
As part of Turkey’s pre-accession strategy to prepare for EU member-
ship, there are moves to bring the Turkish forestry sector in line with
European standards. One of the main differences between forestry
in the European Union and in Turkey is that 65 per cent of forest
land in Europe is private while 99.9 per cent in Turkey is owned
by State, the majority of it managed by the General
Directorate of Forestry (GDF).
2
Articles 169 and 170
of the Constitution of Republic of Turkey determine
that the State shall enact the necessary legislation and
take precautions for the protection of forests and their
extension as well as the protection and development of
the forest inhabitants.
Turkey’s forest area covers about 21.4 million hectares
(ha), which constitutes 27.4 per cent of the overall land
area of the country. Almost half of its forests are conifer-
ous and the other half are dominated by broadleaf trees,
which are very rich in biodiversity. The total growing
stock of trees amounts to 1.3 billion m³.
3
Protection of forests
Throughout history, forests in Turkey have been
exposed to various negative impacts. However, nowa-
days there is a decrease in the illegal interventions that
forests have traditionally been subject to. This tendency
may be due to the decline in rural population, growing
public environmental awareness, the rising cost of agri-
cultural inputs and the substitution of other items for
forest products.
Turkey’s forests located in the Mediterranean climatic
zone are seriously threated by forest fires, especially in
the scorching summer. Approximately 12 million ha of
forest area in the country are located in regions vulner-
able to fires.
The most common cause of forest fires in Turkey
is human-induced activities. Within the last decade,
7 per cent of forest fires have been started by light-
ning, 5 per cent by accidents, 13 per cent by deliberate
actions, 25 per cent through unknown causes and 50
per cent by negligence. Renovating communication
systems, increasing the number of fire towers and
purchasing aerial vehicles and new equipment are some
of the measures taken to prevent fires and Turkey has a
good record of success in this.
Forest management services
Forest Management Plans have been prepared for 10-20
year periods and implemented at forest sub-district
level (the smallest administrative unit) since 1963.
Management plans for up to 2 million ha of forest
area are renewed annually. A functional approach to
management plans has been adopted since the last
quarter of the 20th century, taking into account the
environmental and socio-economic functions of forests.
Forest are protected, developed and managed by the State in Turkey
Image: Aykut Ince