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Bark thickness models for oak forests being converted from coppice to high forests in Northwestern Turkey

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Abstract

The research was carried out in the coppice-originated pure oak stands that are being converted to high forests in northwest Turkey. The main goal of the research was to determine the bark thickness (BT) based on tree variables, such as tree diameter at breast height (DBH), total tree height (H), crown diameter (CD), and age (AGE) of the stem sections taken from a total of 350 trees that were destructively sampled from different sites, different oak species (Quercus petraea, Quercus frainetto, Quercus cerris), and different development stages. Models were developed with stepwise multiple regression analysis to predict BT based on the variables. For all oak species, all models obtained by stepwise multiple regression analysis were found to be significant at p = 0.001 level. In Quercus petraea, only the DBH-dependent model explained the variation in BT at a rate of 73%, estimating with an absolute error rate of 21%. The fit statistics of the models (based on DBH and DBH-H explanatory variables) obtained for Quercus frainetto are very close to each other, and they explained the variation in BT at a rate of 69% and estimated with an error rate of 26%. Models (based on DBH and DBH-H explanatory variables) explain the variation in BT in Turkey oak at a rate of 91%, indicating species-specific results. The models based on only DBH can be used with high accuracy to estimate BT.

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Abbreviations

Adj.R2 :

Adjusted coefficient of determination

AGE:

Age

AIC:

Akaike information criterion

BT:

Bark thickness

CD:

Crown diameter

DBH:

Tree diameter at breast height

H:

Total tree height

LDF:

Large-diameter forest (mean DBH = 20–36 cm)

MAE%:

Mean absolute error percentage

MDF:

Medium-diameter forest (mean DBH = 8-20 cm)

QP:

Quercus petraea

QF:

Quercus frainetto

QC:

Quercus cerris

RMSE:

Root mean square error

SDF:

Small-diameter forest (mean DBH = 0–8 cm)

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Funding

The bark samples including research material of this paper were taken under the project supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, project number: TUBITAK -TOVAG-107O750.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Yield and Biometry, Faculty of Forestry, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, 34473, Bahcekoy, Sariyer, Istanbul, Turkey

    Ersel Yilmaz & Emrah Ozdemir

  2. Department of Soil Science and Ecology, Faculty of Forestry, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, 34473, Bahcekoy, Sariyer, Istanbul, Turkey

    Ender Makineci

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  1. Ersel Yilmaz
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Contributions

Ersel Yilmaz coordinated the research, planned and carried out the measurements, and discussed the results. Emrah Ozdemir developed the theory and analytical methods, conducted the field experiment, and run the data analysis. Ender Makineci supervised the work, designed and conducted the field experiment, and discussed the results. All authors helped in writing, read, and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ender Makineci.

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Yilmaz, E., Ozdemir, E. & Makineci, E. Bark thickness models for oak forests being converted from coppice to high forests in Northwestern Turkey. Environ Monit Assess 193, 728 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09524-x

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