Investigation of the user characteristics of urban forest in the Western Black Sea region

With the help of the industrial revolution the development of industry, forced people to migrate from the rural areas to big cities live because of employment, health, and education. The intense immigration decreased the amount of green space per capita in urban areas and increased the need for new recreational place. Groups of trees located within the city and wooded areas around the city are qualified to answer this need. In addition, they contribute to the urban ecology and have psychological and physiological benefits for the urban population. In this study; it is aimed to reveal the current status of the 10 urban forests in the western Black Sea Region, and to investigate the user properties. In this context, a literature review conducted from domestic and foreign sources, Regional Directorates of Forestry which are responsible of close urban forests were visited, files and documents about urban forests inspected and a survey was conducted on the visitors of the urban forest to measure their perceptions expectations and use features. Also the differences between 2006 and 2013 Recreation Area Regulations are exposed. The results obtained in the analysis concludes that, the maintenance of urban forests should be done regularly, in every urban forest the prominent forestry properties in the city should be emphasized, events, that can attract users to the urban forests which does not have the maximum number of users should take place, if necessary, urban forests who do not have enough visitors should be closed in order to avoid further damage.