Forest Sciences Commons^™

Afforestation Of Arid And Semiarid Ecosystems In Turkey, Servet Çalişkan, Meli̇h Boydak

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Sustainable management of arid and semiarid forests requires careful planning and implementation. Afforestation by planting and seeding is a fundamental tool for the establishment of new forests on barren landscapes and restoration of degraded forests in arid and semiarid ecosystems. In afforestation efforts, the consideration of site preparation, selection of species, seed source, and planting methods pose a number of ecological and economic challenges. Possessing one of the world's richest floras, Turkey suffered from heavy degradation during the last millennia. Some studies suggested that forests and steppes once covered 60%-70% and 10%-15% of the Anatolian landscape, respectively. Growing population, overgrazing, …