Export of forest products in the Ottoman Empire during the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Prior to the Tanzimat era, forests in the Ottoman Empire were predominantly exploited for military purposes, particularly to meet the material needs of strategic institutions such as the Imperial Arsenal (Tersane) and the Armory (Tophane). In addition to these military uses, forests also fulfilled essential needs of the population, including heating and housing, and served as grazing lands for communities engaged in animal husbandry. A fully specialized and institutionalized forestry sector began to emerge only during the Crimean War (1853-1856), a period in which numerous foreign experts, particularly from France, were invited to the Empire. Their contributions marked the beginning of the first scientific studies in the field of forestry. These developments collectively contributed to the transformation of forest products into a significant source of revenue for the Ottoman state treasury. This study identifies the forest assets of the geographically vast Ottoman Empire and examines the uses of both timber and non-timber forest products, with the aim of determining their roles in domestic and foreign markets. Drawing on Ottoman archival documents, statistical yearbooks, and official reports, the research analyzes the role of forest products in foreign trade under three categories: timber (kereste), fuelwood (mahrukat), and other forest yields (mahsulat). The First Statistical Yearbook of the Ottoman Empire (1897), together with the foreign trade (Ticaret-i Hariciye) statistics of the period, reveals the import-export balance in Ottoman foreign trade during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These sources also provide important data on the export volume, product diversity, and regional distribution of forest products. The study concludes that forest products, especially as industrial raw materials, were in high demand in European markets, and that this demand played a decisive role in shaping both the forestry policies and economic strategies of the Ottoman Empire. KEYWORDS: Forest Policies, History of Forestry, Forest Products, Foreign Trade, Export, Statistics.