Investigations of the spatial and climate characteristics of natural pure chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) forests: A case of Zonguldak Regional Directorate of Forestry

Abstract

Chestnuts with high economic and socio-cultural value (Castanea sativa Mill.) must determine forests' spatial and climatic characteristics to improve them, increase fruit yield, and effectively combat diseases and pests. This study aimed to determine the spatial and climatic attributes of pure chestnut forests spreading within the borders of the Zonguldak Forestry Regional Directorate. A total of six criteria were used for spatial and climatic analyses: total precipitation (mm/year), annual mean temperature (C°), wind speed (m/s), altitude (m), slope (%), and aspect (°). Climate values were calculated as maximum, minimum, and average values, respectively; 1 619.25, 866.95, and 1 024.07 mm/year for total precipitation (mm/year), 13, 6 and 11.76 C° for annual mean temperature (C°), 6.62, 0.22 and 2.46 m/s for wind speed (m/s). The spatial characteristics were calculated as 1 221.68, 33.24, and 300.23 m for the height (m), 32.43%, 7.34%, and 18.63% for the slope (%) and finally, 338.63°, 18.18° and 184.18° for the angle (°), respectively, in terms of maximum, minimum and average values. Bartın Forest Management Directorate (FMD) ranks first with 57.18% of the natural chestnut forests spread the most in the study area, while Zonguldak FMD ranks second with 21.45% and Ulus FMD ranks third with 17.13%. The results obtained from the study based on the location and climate will contribute to the selection of the most suitable place for the new chestnut forest afforestation studies to be established and increase the percentage of success.