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record of the production of these species. The increased demand
for non-wood forest products (NWFPs) as well as the rise in
quality and quantity of raw materials needed means that there
is an urgent need for development and promotion of Turkey’s
forests.
When examined in terms of tree species, 77 per cent of the
production of the GDF comes from coniferous trees, with pinus
species constituting 80 per cent of this. On the other hand, beech
trees are predominant among broadleaf species.
Forest-village relations
There are 7.1 million people who depend fully or in part on forest
resources for their livelihoods, living in 20,974 forest villages in and
around forests. Because they cause pressure on forest resources by
using them in an unsustainable way, these villagers are key actors
in forest-community relations.
In recognition of the significant role of forest villagers, the
General Directorate of Forest-Village Relations (ORKOY) was
established in 1970 with a view to contributing to socio-economic
development, strengthening the relationship between forestry
administration and villagers and increasing the success of techni-
cal implementations in forestry.
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ORKOY prepares development
plans and provides credits to individuals, cooperatives and village
communities.
Afforestation and erosion control
Around 2.2 million ha of the country’s forests is appro-
priate for industrial afforestation. In order to meet the
growing need for seeds to use in afforestation works,
priority is given to the selection of seed stands and the
establishment of seed orchards. Today, the number
of selected seed stands amounts to 338, including 27
species, and the stands cover 45,868 ha. Most of the seeds
of pinus brutia, pinus nigra and pinus sylvestris used in
afforestation are supplied from clonal seed orchards. To
date, 1.91 million ha has been afforested.
When taking into consideration the climate, topog-
raphy, geology, hydrology, vegetation, features of
rangeland and forest lands as well as population in
Turkey, it is likely that the country will be affected by
desertification. As much as 79.43 per cent of the coun-
try’s land area is exposed to moderate, severe and very
severe erosion and approximately 346 million tons of
sediment is carried by streams per year.
Çakıt River Erosion Control Project (started in 1982)
is a comprehensive and successful study involving 39
villages. East Anatolian Watershed Rehabilitation
Project is another important initiative, which was
implemented in 11 different provinces. This project
Turkey has had great success in combating forest fires
Image: Aykut Ince