AI Summary & Key Takeaways
AI InsightThis article presents an assessment of afforestation activities in the semiaridand arid regions of Turkey and is a review of the efforts exerted during the period 1945 to 2014.
📌 3 Key Takeaways
Abstract
Sustainable management of arid and semiarid forests requires careful planning and implementation. Afforestation by plantingand seeding is a fundamental tool for the establishment of new forests on barren landscapes and restoration of degraded forests in aridand semiarid ecosystems. In afforestation efforts, the consideration of site preparation, selection of species, seed source, and plantingmethods pose a number of ecological and economic challenges. Possessing one of the world’s richest floras, Turkey suffered from heavydegradation during the last millennia. Some studies suggested that forests and steppes once covered 60%–70% and 10%–15% of theAnatolian landscape, respectively. Growing population, overgrazing, clearance for agriculture, fires, excessive timber harvesting, andmisuse of lands led to a 26% reduction in the forest area. The Turkish Forest Service completed 2.3 million ha of afforestation and 1.2ha of erosion control works, mostly in semiarid landscapes. This article presents an assessment of afforestation activities in the semiaridand arid regions of Turkey and is a review of the efforts exerted during the period 1945 to 2014.