Ünal Akkemik

TREE RINGS OF CEDRUS LIBANI AT THE NORTHERN BOUNDARY OF ITS NATURAL DISTRIBUTION

The present study was carried out taking a total of 41 increment cores from three sites located in the northern boundary of Cedrus libani and three site chronologies were constructed. Three response functions were computed and a higher correlation with climate was found in the trees on the steep slopes. The low precipitation was an important limiting factor for growth. At the valley bottom site, neither precipitation, except for December, nor temperature, except for February were a limiting factor. The radial diameters of tracheids were measured, and the tracheid numbers representing the last seven years, from 1994 to 2000, were counted. Although the radial diameters were almost similar in all sites, the numbers of tracheids were greatest at the valley bottom site and lowest at the steep slope site.

Sequoioxylon Petrified Woods from the Mid to Late Oligocene of Thrace (Turkey)

Newly collected fossil woods from the mid to late Oligocene of Thrace (the European part of Turkey) were identified as Sequoioxylon Torrey, thereby extending the known range of this conifer genus in space and time.

The archaeology of deforestation in south coastal Turkey

The Rough Cilicia Archaeological Survey Project investigates landscape transformation as a component to its regional survey of ancient Rough Cilicia (south coastal Turkey opposite Cyprus). Rough Cilicia was celebrated during antiquity for pristine cedar forests that stood between 1500 and 1800 m in altitude along the slopes of the Taurus Mountains. Today along the front range of the Taurus Mountains this forest is completely denuded or otherwise replanted with recent growth in the past 80 years. We employ paleoenvironmental analysis of relic cedar forests in the Taurus Mountains to construct a timeline of anthropogenic disturbances associated with population growth over time and thereby assess the sustainability of ancient forestry practices. To obtain these data, the team recovers pollen and carbon samples from geomorphologic trenches excavated in the cedar zone, tree ring data from dendrochronological survey of the existing forest, and archaeological data from remains of ancient highland settlements. Preliminary results indicate that current perspectives about the timing of deforestation in this region are flawed and that the initial deforestation coincided with regional site abandonment and population decline at the end of antiquity.

The first Glyptostroboxylon from the Miocene of Turkey

Silicified wood preserved in the Gudul fossil forest site in the Galatian Volcanic Province (GVP) near Ankara in Central Anatolia is described. The material comprises six petrified wood samples that date from early to middle Miocene. The woods have very low rays (2–5 cells high), bordered tracheidal pitting (9–10 μm), pinoid cross-field pits and very thin, unpitted, smooth walls of axial parenchyma and rays. This combination of characters indicates affinity to the fossil-genus Glyptostroboxylon. The presence of this wood genus suggests that the local environment was either riparian or wetland forest.

First Report of Araucariaceae wood (Agathoxylon sp.) from the Late Cretaceous of Turkey

Oltustone is a semi-precious gemstone found only in the Late Cretaceous (Upper Maastrichtian) Dutlu Formation of Turkey. Microscopic examination of oltustone reveals that it consists of fossilized Agathoxylon wood (Araucariaceae). This represents one of the latest occurrences of the Araucariaceae in southern Eurasia and is also the southernmost recorded for the Laurasian continent.

Assessment and analysis of rockfall-caused tree injuries in a Turkish fir stand: A case study from Kastamonu-Turkey

Rockfalls can cause serious damage to people, property, facilities and transportation corridors. Furthermore, rockfalls are major hazards in mountain areas with negative impacts on individual trees and forested ecosystems. We conducted a study of rockfall events on 117 mapped (91% of total trees in the stand with > 1.3 m in height and > 5 cm diameter at breast height) Turkish fir trees (Abies bornmuelleriana Mattf.) in a stand within the Kayaarkası-Topçular Village, Inebolu district, Kastamonu province of Turkey. The study site of 0.35 Ha is located on the transition zone of frequently passing rockfall fragments (∼ 40 cm in diameter) generally causing healable injuries. Parameters of trees and injuries were recorded and analysed as to injury number, height and size. Bivariate correlation analysis were used to investigate the relationships between: a) diameter at breast height and number of injuries per tree, b) diameter at breast height and total injury size, c) the number of injuries and total injury size and d) the number of injuries per tree and distance from the source of the rockfall area. Results indicate that the average height of injury, average number of injuries and average injury area to be 81.3 cm (STDEV: 49.8), 7.46 (STDEV: 4.4) and 628.6 cm2 (STDEV: 678.2), respectively. In total 84% of all injuries were recorded within 160° sector at the upslope side of trees and callus tissue that had closed wounds was observed in 79.1% of all injuries. Furthermore 14.5% of injured trees had callus tissue in the process of closing wounds while 6.4% of injuries had not formed any callus tissue. The most common injury types were bark and wood injuries. Bivariate correlation analysis indicated strong relationships between diameter at breast height and the number of injuries (rs = 0.524), injury number and total injury area (rs = 0.653) and distance from rockfall area and injury numbers relations (rs = −0.518). A weaker relationship was found between diameter at breast height and total injury area (rs = 0.363). These results indicate that bigger trees are more prone to rockfall injuries. As expected, trees further from the rockfall area seem to be less prone to rockfall injuries. From our results, it can be inferred that the protection of people and property can be increased through the maintanance of forest in areas immediately below areas prone to rockfall. This stand is still managed in selective forest management system. In order to protect the settlement at the deposition zone it has to manage for protective goals with uneven-aged and multilayered stand structure.

Prof. Dr. Asuman Efe's Cirriculum Vitea and Scientific Publications

Abstract Prof. Dr. Asuman Efe, born in Ardahan in 1955, passed away in a terrible traffic accident on June 08, 2010 too sadly. Prof. Efe was the Chairmanship of the Department of Forest Botany, Faculty of Forestry, Istanbul University. She served as an academician about 32 years in the Department of Forest Botany. She published many books and research papers in the international and national scientific journals. Keywords: Prof. Dr. Asuman Efe, Department of Forest Botany

Wood Anatomy of Endemic RHAMNUS Species In The Mediterranean Region of Turkey

The wood anatomy is described of five Rhamnus species endemic in the Mediterranean region of Turkey, and ecological adaptations are discussed. The wood of all species is drought-adapted with low mesomorphy values (range 11–23), high vessel frequencies (277–457/mm2), spiral thickenings, low vessel diameters (22–35 μm) and short vessel elements (189–240 μm). The vessels are grouped in a dentritic pattern with abundant vasicentric and vascular tracheids.