Evaluation of an alder tree regeneration study conducted in the Artvin-Arhavi region

In this study, the success and early seedling development of a natural regeneration treatment in a mature black alder (Alnus glutinosa subsp. barbata) stand in the Arhavi region of Artvin Province, Turkey, were evaluated. The stand was regenerated using the shelterwood method, a natural regeneration approach involving the gradual removal of the overstory. The regeneration process was initiated with a seeding felling in 2022, and activities continued with site preparation in 2023. The initial germinations were observed in the spring of 2024; between 2024 and 2025, the number and height growth of the young seedlings in the field were monitored through periodic measurements. According to the data obtained, the average height of the seedlings was determined to be approximately 2 cm at the end of the first growing season. By the end of the second year, the average height reached 15 cm Seedling counts indicated that a large number of seedlings developed successfully within the area. For example, by the end of the second year, seedling density was on the order of 10^5 per hectare (tens of thousands of seedlings per hectare), indicating a natural regeneration success rate above 70%. In conclusion, with appropriate silvicultural planning and interventions, black alder stands can regenerate naturally within a short period, and the natural regeneration method proved to be highly successful in the alder forests of the Arhavi region.