Determination of deadwood volume & the affecting factors in Trojan fir forests

Abstract

Deadwood is one of the important components of forest ecosystems since it is considered as an indicator of resource availability and biodiversity, an important carbon stock, and habitat for insect and fungal species. Removal of dead trees from forests may result in the elimination of many species, and also reduce the number and density of species. Trojan fir (Abies nordmanniana subsp. equi-trojani) is known to be rich in species composition; however, our knowledge on the amount and type of deadwood (i.e. standing or lying) in these forests is limited. Thus, in this study, deadwood quantity and type in Trojan fir forests were determined. In addition, less is known about the factors that influence the amount of deadwood volume; therefore, the effects of stand type, elevation (m), aspect, quadratic mean diameter (QMD) (cm), basal area (BA) (m2 ha-1) and stand volume (m3 ha-1) on deadwood volume were also observed. Stand type, QMD and BA significantly affected the volume of deadwood in Trojan fir forests while stand volume, elevation and aspect had no influence on the deadwood volume. In comparison to the values in the literature, the amount of deadwood observed seems to be acceptable across all stand types. Given the initial results from this study, it can be recommended that large scale deadwood assessments are needed in Turkey, and it can be combined with the current inventory system.