Forest Asset in
Turkey
REPUBLIC OF TURKEY
MINISTRY OF FORESTRY AND WATER AFFAIRS
Erosion Control From Past to Today
General DIrectorate of CombatIng DesertIfIcatIon and ErosIon
Forests in Turkey cover 21.67 million hectares of land (%27.6 of country land). %99,9
of country’s forests belong to government. Approximately half of the forests are consisted of coniferous leaved and the other half is consisted of broad leaved species.
Plant species expect forest trees of Turkey’s forest have rich biological diversity in
terms of non-wood forest products and fauna resources. Forest land in Turkey has
been increased approximately 1,47 million hectares of land with the works done in
40 years.
Topographical Structure of Turkey
Afforestation, erosion control, rehabilitation of degraded forest land and range land works have
been continued by accelerating since 1946 . Afforestation and erosion control works have been
reached to maximum level with Afforestation and Erosion Control Mobilization covering 20082012.
Erosion
Afforestation, erosion control, rehabilitation of degraded forest lands, rangeland rehabilitation,
establishment of energy forest, artificial regeneration and private afforestation works have been
done in 7.889.301 hectares of land in Turkey by the end of 2012. 1.070.435 hectares of these works
are the erosion control works, afforestation, rehabilitation and rangeland rehabilitation works
make indirectly contribution to the prevention of erosion.
Is the eroding, moving and accumulating of the soil by various factors
Causes of Erosion
Mankind become face to face with by many problems such as drought hunger,
erosion, flood, overflow and air pollution because of degradation in ecosystems.
Geographical position of Turkey, climate, topography and soil conditions increase
Turkey’s sensitiveness against land/soil degradation and drought. When we examine the causes of erosion, human factor becomes prominent. Geographical position of Turkey, topography, climate conditions have adjuvant effect on erosion and
they make difficult combating with erosion.
Land Use in Turkey
AGRICULTURE
31,10%
STEEP SLOPPY
(more than15);
62,50%
Isparta - Uluborlu
RANGELAND
18,60%
FLAT AND SLIGHTLY
SLOPPY
(0-5); 8,50%
MEDIUM SLOPPY
SLIGHTLY WAVY
(5-10);
12,80%
FOREST
27,60%
OTHER
21,30%
There is active erosion in %59 of rangelands, %54 of forest lands and %64 of rangeland of Turkey.
2002
Every year in Turkey 182 million tons of productive topsoil is being moved
as sediment by rivers (EİE 2005)
WATER LANDS
1,40%
Ankara - Elmadağ
1995
2003
“Turkey is the world leader in combating with erosion”
OECD Secretary General
Angel GURRİA
www.cem.gov.tr
Erzurum
Ağrı - Doğubeyazıt
CTA LTD. (0312) 222 66 77
VERY SLOPPY
(10-15);
16,20%
1984
EROSION CONTROL WORKS
IN TURKEY
Kastamonu - Tosya
Damages of Erosion
Methods Used in Erosion Control
Works
SoIl Loss Map ReachIng to Turkey’s RIvers
Konya - Karapınar
Destruction of vegetation cover increases land slide, flood and overflow
in addition to erosion .
Not only soil’s organic substances
that are found in soil are destructed
but also productivity of soil decreases
with erosion as they move with microorganisms .
Unproductive and destructed agricultural lands as they are not able to
feed the community living on and by
increasing immigration from rural to
urban lead big economic and social Erzurum
problems.
While the destruction of rangelands causes regression of livestock, it results in
decrease in income and job opportunities shrinkage.
Productive soils which are moved by erosion shortens economic life of dams
by filling catchments.
Loss of green cover and soil accelerate climate change and causes the destruction of ecological balance, this increase biological diversity in ecosystem.
A surface that there is no vegetation cover and soil may not feed natural water
resources regularly and permanently as it does not absorb snow and rainfall.
Konya Karapınar Wind Erosion Prevention Project:
Administrative measures oriented to prevention of human intervention and cultural measures such as afforestation and plantation works oriented to preventing
of surface erosion are taken.
PRESENTATION
In addition to this in erosion control works;
Terracing works in order to prevent surface erosion
Plantations such as wall, living fence and gabion are
used for prevention of gully erosion.
Technical measures such as windbreaks, forest belts
etc. for prevention of wind erosion are taken.
Catchment Border
Dam and Lake
Lake
Dry stone check dam
Combating with Erosion Action Plan:
Combating with Erosion Action Plan covering 2013-2017 has been
prepared by the participation of related agents and agencies for combating with erosion in an effective way.
Increase in flood issues occur by the effect of floods in
Turkey that is experienced in recent years.
It has been needed more wide terracing in which rainfall may be stored in order to prevent rainfall’s flow in
the flood catchment.
In the scope of this plan, afforestation, erosion control, rehabilitation
and rangeland rehabilitation works will be realized in 1.400.000 hectares of land in 5 years with the aim of combating with erosion and maintenance work in 2.287.379 hectares of land will be realized in afforestation
and erosion control fields.
Machinery is being used in the construction of gradoni
type terraces that is 150 cm width which is calculated
according to maximum rainfalls in arid and semi-arid
areas.
Van - Ağzıkara
Upper Catchment Flood Control Action Plan and Dam Catchments Green Belt Afforestation
Action Plan covering 2013-2017 have been prepared.400 units green belt afforestation works
will be held around dam and pond by implementation of these plans in addition to combating with flood works held in 227 flood catchments in 4.155.201 hectares of land.
Erosion Monitoring System
Iğdır Aralık Project of Prevention of
Wind Erosion:
Micro, lower catchment and river borders of 25 water catchments which are described around Turkey have been formed.
As a result of destruction of citrullus that is found naturally in the
region by overgrazing and fulfillment of fuel wood need, it has been
targeted to prevent damages of sand storms caused by severe wind
in Turkey-Nakhichevan, settlement area and agriculture and rangelands and to restore soil characteristics which are lost. In the scope
of Project, works have been realized in 680 hectares of land by OGM,
ÇEM and Iğdır Governorship and these works still continue.
Erosion maps which indicate annual average soil loss that indicate “potential”,
“real” and “reaching river” have been formed with GIS by taking into consideration borders of catchment, lower catchment and micro catchment.
Tarsus - İnköy Catchment
Erosion
Iğdır - Aralık
Karapınar district has become face to face with immigration danger in 1960’s because of severe wind erosion. Combating with erosion has been started in 1962 by
Ministry of Agriculture, General Directorate of Soil-Water. First of all, 13 000 hectares
of land have been controlled by wire fences and rehabilitation works have been held.
Dune stabilization has been realized by reed and wood windbreaks in order to protect seedling which will constitute living windbreaks.
Karapınar Prevention of Wind Erosion Project’s works are being conducted by General Directorate of Forestry for the protection of settlement, rangeland and agriculture
lands from sand storms caused by severe wind and restore the vegetation cover that
are found in destructed areas which is under the influence of arid climate in KonyaKarapınar. 57.500 2 seedlings have been planted with the works done in the spring of
2010 - 2011.Irrigation has been continued, complementation plantations have been
done instead of dried seedlings. Monitoring and evaluation of the project is being
conducted by General Directorate of Combating with Desertification and Erosion.
Afforestation of Agricultural Lands Project:
In the scope of Land Consolidation Project, land consolidation and land use planning is being
held by Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock.
Afforestation aimed at afforestation of roads in agriculture lands,
windbreaks, combating with
pests in a biological way will be
held .Issues such as combating
with pests in a biological way
and contribution to production
to honey, stopping the speed
of wind, preventing of erosion,
contributing to water economy
of soil, establishing of shades etc
will be provided with these projects in this context.
Konya - Altınova