Determination of the amount of crown fuel loading in non-treated young Turkish red pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) afforestation areas

The study was carried out in the areas of unthreated Pinus brutia afforestation. Totally 15 sampling plots were taken in three different stand types to determine the stand characteristics. To determine the amount of litter fuel and humus in surface fuels, 30x30 cm size of sub-samples were taken from three different locations of sampling plots. Studies were carried out to determine the amount of crown fuel on 36 measured trees selected from sampling plots. Trees are divided into sections taking into account 1 meter length from the height of d0.30 to top branches of trees. The living and non-living fuels on each section are divided into different classes as foliage and branches. Live and dead foliage and braches wet weights determined in the field and transported to the laboratory. Later, oven-dried fuel weight was determined in laboratory conditions. According to the results of the determination of the amount of litter fuel ranged from 8,90 to 13,30 tone/ha and duff ranged from 5,10 to 19,40. Besides the average total fuel loading was found as 14,10-32,80 tone/ha. Correlation and regression analyzes were made on the data obtained from the determination of the amount of fuel materials on single tree. Models for predicting the amount of total fuel amount with the live and non-living foliages and branches on the tree were developed. In developed models, diameter at breast height, crown base height, tree height and crown width were found determinative. The R2 values of the developed models were changed between 0,602 to 0,960. With this study, it has been tried to reveal the change in the vertical distribution of the amount of live and nonliving fuel amount in Pinus brutia tree species. The lowest oven dried fuel amounts were determined 2,31 kg per tree and the highest oven dried fuel amount were determined 36,84 kg per tree with the average 12,05 kg. Also 26,7% of total fuel amount are non-living and 73,3% of the total fuel amount are live fuels in sampled trees.