Determination of heavy metal deposits in some conifer species used in urban afforestations in Kastamonu

Heavy metals are important components of air pollution and their importance is increasing due to industrialization. Heavy metals in general; they are important because of their long-lasting degradation processes in nature, their accumulation properties, their carcinogenic or toxic effects, and their toxicity even in low amounts. Due to these importance, heavy metal pollution should be monitored especially in urban centers and industrial areas with heavy traffic. Different plant species are widely used as indicators in these monitoring studies. However, taking into account the different degrees of heavy metal accumulation potential of different plant species, the accumulation amounts of the species should be determined by research. Species used in urban afforestation are the material of many studies for this purpose. In this study, it is aimed to reveal the heavy metal accumulations in some coniferous species used in Kastamonu urban afforestation. For this purpose, one-year-old needle samples were taken from individuals of coniferous tree species in areas with heavy traffic such as Pinus sylvestris, Pinus nigra Arnold subsp. pallasiana, Abies nordmanniana subsp. bornmülleriana, Cedrus libani, Cupressus arizonica, Picea pungens, Picea orientalis, Thuja orientalis, Cryptomeria japonica. The amounts of Ca, Mg, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni and Zn were determined in the collected samples. In the results of study, there are significant differences between species in terms of heavy metal accumulation in different coniferous tree species. The highest values are A.bornmülleriana (4100,333 ppm) for Ca, C. japonica (2093,467 ppm) for Mg, T. orientalis (0.252 ppm) for Cd, T. orientalis (2.135 ppm) for Cr, C.libani (6,272 ppm) for Cu, T.orientalis for Fe (485,421 ppm), T.orientalis for Pb (2,765 ppm), P.pungens for Mn (27.050 ppm), C.libani for Ni (1,603 ppm), A.bornmülleriana (14,395 ppm) for Zn. T. orientalis had the highest value in Cd, Cr, Fe, Pb, A. bornmülleriana in Ca and Zn, C.libani in Cu and Ni heavy metals. Species with high heavy metal accumulation should be considered as an indicator in the monitoring of these metals.