Estimation of Crown Fuel Load of Suppressed Trees In
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Kastamonu Uni., Orman Fakültesi Dergisi, 2019, 19 (3): 350-359 Research Article Kastamonu Univ., Journal of Forestry Faculty Doi:10.17475/kastorman.662733 Estimation of Crown Fuel Load of Suppressed Trees in Non-treated Young Calabrian Pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) Plantation Areas İsmail BAYSAL1* , Mehmet YURTGAN2 , Ömer KÜÇÜK3 , Nuray ÖZTÜRK1 1Düzce University, Faculty of Forestry, Department of Forest Engineering, Düzce, TURKEY 2Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry - General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, Sakarya, TURKEY 3Kastamonu University, Faculty of Forestry, Department of Forest Engineering, Kastamonu, TURKEY *Corresponding author: [email protected] Received Date: 19.03.2019 Accepted Date: 09.12.2019 Abstract Aim of study: Pinus brutia is the most widespread conifer forest tree species in Turkey. It is mainly distributed in fire sensitive regions of the country. The economic importance in wood production and the deterministic role in forest fires fighting activities make this forest tree more valuable and important. This study describes crown fuel load of suppressed trees in non-treated young Calabrian pine stands. Area of study: The study area is located in the Western Black Sea region of Turkey. Sampling plots were located in Hacımahmut Forest Planning Unit. Material and methods: Trees were selected from non-treated young Calabrian pine plantation stands and used to obtain live crown fuel load and characteristics. For this purpose, 30 young suppressed trees were cut and sampled. Main results: In sampled trees, oven dried total live needle biomass ranged between 0.54 kg and 3.19 kg and total live crown fuel load chanced between 1.96 kg and 12.73 kg. Regression models to estimate crown fuel load were developed according to some tree characteristics. Models developed explained 0.79 to 0.89% of the observed variation. Highlights: Regression analysis indicated that the total live crown fuel load was strongly correlated with both diameters at breast height (DBH) and crown base height (CBH). Keywords: Forest Fires, Live Crown Fuel Load, Biomass, Pinus brutia, Turkey Müdahale Görmemiş Genç Kızılçam (Pinus brutia Ten.) Ağaçlandırma Alanlarındaki Mağlup Ağaçlarda Tepe Yanıcı Madde Miktarının Tahmini Öz Çalışmanın amacı: Kızılçam Türkiye’deki en yaygın ibreli orman ağacı türüdür. Çoğunlukla ülkenin yangına hassas bölgelerinde yayılmaktadır. Odun üretimindeki ekonomik önemi ve orman yangınları ile mücadele çalışmalarındaki belirleyici rolü bu orman ağacını değerli ve önemli kılmaktadır. Bu çalışma, ağaçlandırma alanlarındaki mağlup kızılçam ağaçlarındaki tepe yanıcı madde miktarını açıklamaktadır. Çalışma alanı: Çalışma alanı Batı Karadeniz Bölgesi’nde yer almaktadır. Örnekleme alanları Hacımahmut Orman İşletme Şefliği sınırları içinde yer almaktadır. Materyal ve yöntem: Ağaçlar hiç müdahale görmemiş genç kızılçam ağaçlandırma alanlarından seçilmiştir. Ağaçlar tepe yanıcı madde miktarları ve özelliklerinin elde edilmesinde kullanılmıştır. Bu amaçla 30 adet mağlup gövde genç kızılçam ağacı kesilmiş ve örneklenmiştir. Sonuçlar: Örneklenen ağaçlarda fırın kurusu toplam canlı ibre miktarı 0.54 kg – 3.19 kg ve toplam canlı tepe yanıcı madde miktarı 1.96 kg – 12.37 kg arasında değişmektedir. Çalışmada, bazı ağaç özellikleri dikkate alınarak tepe yanıcı madde miktarını tahmin eden regresyon modelleri geliştirilmiştir. Geliştirilen bu modellerin R2 değerleri 0.79 ile 0.89 arasındadır. Önemli vurgular: Regresyon analizi sonuçlarına göre toplam canlı tepe yanıcı madde miktarının göğüs yüksekliğindeki çap (DBH) ve tepe altı yüksekliğiyle (CBH) kuvvetli ilişkili olduğunu göstermiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Orman Yangınları, Tepe Yanıcı Madde Miktarı, Biyokütle, Pinus brutia, Türkiye Citation (Atıf): Baysal, I., Yurtgan, M., Kucuk, O., & Ozturk, N. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons (2019). Estimation of Crown Fuel Load of Suppressed Trees in Non- 350 Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International treated Young Calabrian Pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) Plantation Areas. License. Kastamonu University Journal of Forestry Faculty, 19 (3), 350-359. Kastamonu Uni., Orman Fakültesi Dergisi, 2019, 19 (3): 350-359 Baysal et al. Kastamonu Univ., Journal of Forestry Faculty Introduction Canopy fuels, composed of different There are many biotic and abiotic structures and statutes of tree crowns, are disturbances (Attiwill, 1994) limiting the mainly responsible for the behavior of crown utilization of forest resources in forest fires, such as intensity and spread of fire ecosystems (Gadow, 2000). One of the most (Alexander and Cruz, 2016). Therefore, most important one is undoubtedly forest fires of studies were conducted to obtain for tree (Bowman et al., 2009). The ability to control crown fuel loads based on some trees forest fires and the successful prediction of (Stocks, 1980; Ter-Mikaelian and Korzukhin, fire behavior are mostly associated with fuel 1997; Stocks, et al., 2004; Mitsopoulos and (Alexander, Cruz, Vaillant & Peterson, 2013) Dimitrakopoulos, 2007) and canopy fuel and its characteristics (Bilgili, 2003; characteristic on flammable stands around Fernandes, 2009). Fuels are indispensable the world (Cruz et al., 2003; Cruz and and essential component of fire events Fernandes, 2008). (Byram, 1959) and fire management (Agee et In Turkey, especially for the al., 2000). Therefore, fuel classification establishment of Turkey Fire Danger Rating (Gould, McCaw, Cheney, Ellis & Matthews, System (Kucuk, Bilgili, Saglam, Dinc 2008; Gould and Cruz, 2012) and crown fuel Durmaz & Baysal, 2007b), some crown fuel load determination (Kucuk, Bilgili & load determination studies were conducted in Saglam, 2008a) are of great importance in fire sensitive region of the different parts of fire prevention and fire suppression the country. Together with these studies, fuel activities. types of fire sensitive region of the Turkey Some types of forests support only have been revealed (Kucuk, Bilgili & surface fires (Weaver, 1943; Weaver, 1967) Fernandes, 2015). In addition, the amounts while some support crown fires (Van and properties of the crown fuel component Wagner, 1978; Veblen, 2000). Conifer characteristics have been determined (Kucuk, forests are generally liable to support crown Saglam & Bilgili, 2007c; Kucuk and Bilgili, fires (Turner and Romme, 1994). Especially 2008b). Calabrian pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) young conifer forests are subject to very has the largest distribution covering nearly intense crown fires. In a crown fire, by the 5.6 million ha of forest lands in Turkey uninterrupted aid of surface fuel (GDF, 2018), was mainly studied tree species consumption, most of the consumed (Kucuk & Bilgili, 2007a; Kucuk et al., materials are derived from aerial fuels. The 2008a; Bilgili and Kucuk, 2009). But, in crown fuel term is applied to describe aerial most of these studies, there is no information fuels at the tree level and the canopy fuel for planted and non-treated forests of term is applied to describe stand level (Cruz, Calabrian pine crown fuel load in suppressed Alexander & Wakimoto, 2003). trees. In forests, some trees develop well and There are also several biomass studies placed as a dominant or co-dominant trees in conducted for the same tree species from upper part of the canopy while some are less Turkey (Sun, Uğurlu & Özer, 1980; develop as suppressed trees in lower part of Durkaya, Durkaya & Unsal, 2009; Sonmez, the canopy. Especially in dense stands, these Kahriman, Sahin & Yavuz, 2016; Eker, suppressed trees are mainly subject to Poudel & Ozcelik, 2017; Sakici, Kucuk & silvicultural interventions (Smith, Larson, Asrafh, 2018) and from different countries Kelty & Ashton, 1996). Physical (Zianis et al., 2011; de-Miguel, Pukkala, interventions to these trees or self- Assaf, & Shater, 2014). However, these competition of trees with each other result in studies do not deal with and explain fuel the removal of trees from the canopy to the components of tree crowns especially surface, resulting in an increase of surface according to status of tree crowns in forest fuel loads. This increases the intensity of canopies. In these studies, some informations surface fires while decreasing canopy bulk about the tree crown characteristics were density hence mitigating the behavior of mostly not reported. crown fires (Agee & Skinner, 2005). 351 Kastamonu Uni., Orman Fakültesi Dergisi, 2019, 19 (3): 350-359 Baysal et al. Kastamonu Univ., Journal of Forestry Faculty Fires in young and middle-aged Calabrian of suppressed trees in non-treated Calabrian pine forests, especially in afforested areas, pine plantation stands. are usually occurred in the form of active crown fires. Crown fires are the most Material and Method challenging types of fires for firefighting Study Area studies (Viegas, 2012). Therefore, the studies The study area is located at 400 24' to determine the crown fuel characteristic latitude and 300 38' longitude (Figure 1). and load, especially in non-treated pine Soils in the area are shallow and composed planted stands are critically important for the of crumbs and carbonates of the cretaceous determination of crown fire initiation and period. Soil types are of brown forest soil spread (Van Wagner, 1977; Alexander, 1998; and lime brown forest soil. The continental Cruz, Butler, Alexander, Forthofer & climate prevails in the study area Wakimoto, 2006), crown fire intensity characterized by cold winters, mild and rainy calculation (Rothermel, 1991; Scott and spring and autumn, hot and