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Predicting and Mapping Dominant Height of Oriental Beech Stands Using Environmental Variables in Sinop, Northern Turkey

Author

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  • Ismet Yener

    (Department of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Forestry, Artvin Coruh University, Artvin 08100, Turkey)

  • Engin Guvendi

    (Department of Forestry, Kürtün Vocational School, Gümüşhane University, Gümüşhane 29810, Turkey)

Abstract

The dominant height of forest stands (SDH) is an essential indicator of site productivity in operational forest management. It refers to the capacity of a particular site to support stand growth. Sites with taller dominant trees are typically more productive and may be more suitable for certain management practices. The present study investigated the relationship between the dominant height of oriental beech stands and numerous environmental variables, including physiographic, climatic, and edaphic attributes. We developed models and generated maps of SDH using multilinear regression (MLR) and regression tree (RT) techniques based on environmental variables. With this aim, the total height, diameter at breast height, and age of sample trees were measured on 222 sample plots. Additionally, topsoil samples (0–20 cm) were collected from each plot to analyze the physical and chemical soil properties. The statistical results showed that latitude, elevation, mean annual maximum temperature, and several soil attributes (i.e., bulk density, field capacity, organic carbon, and pH) were significantly correlated with the SDH. The RT model outperformed the MLR model, explaining 57% of the variation in the SDH with an RMSE of 2.37 m. The maps generated by both models clearly indicated an increasing trend in the SDH from north to south, suggesting that elevation above sea level is a driving factor shaping forest canopy height. The assessments, models, and maps provided by this study can be used by forest planners and land managers, as there is no reliable data on site productivity in the studied region.

Suggested Citation

  • Ismet Yener & Engin Guvendi, 2023. "Predicting and Mapping Dominant Height of Oriental Beech Stands Using Environmental Variables in Sinop, Northern Turkey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-20, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:19:p:14580-:d:1255439
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hanyue Zhang & Zhongke Feng & Shan Wang & Wenxu Ji, 2022. "Disentangling the Factors That Contribute to the Growth of Betula spp. and Cunninghami lanceolata in China Based on Machine Learning Algorithms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-15, July.
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