Investigation of heavy metal pollution in forest soils around Kahramanmaraş city center

The General Directorate of Forestry is responsible for the protection of forests, and its efforts to prevent and extinguish fires in forest areas, as well as to protect forest life against illegal interventions, are organized in the best possible way. The purpose of this study titled "Investıgatıon of Heavy Metal Pollutıon in Forest Soils Around Kahramanmaraş City Center"; To investigate the factors that destroy the forest areas centered in Kahramanmaraş, to determine the values of heavy metal pollution affecting the fertile soil and to determine the measures that can be taken against them. The forest is a living entity consisting of organic matter, and from seed to cutting age, it is exposed to different dangers caused by external influences such as biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living). Protecting forest areas can be achieved by rendering harmless the factors that could harm these areas. These harmful factors must be identified well and the causes of these factors must be investigated and eliminated. For the continuity of forests, these areas must be protected in the best possible way, managed sustainably, and all external factors must be monitored in detail and their effects examined. Water and air pollutants formed during industrial activities tend to mix with the soil through chemical means. Soil pollution is one of the types of pollution that is isolated in nature and has no possibility of returning. It is not appropriate to carry out agricultural activities on dirty soil, and such soil is left idle. In this investigation study, the level of heavy metals in the topsoil conditions of the forest vegetation with different stand conditions located around the Cement Factory was determined; In the topsoil samples taken in 4 replicates from a distance of 45-50m from the forest vegetation around the Cement Factory, the average value of Cu was 23.83mg/kg, the average value of Zn was 0.038mg/kg, the average value of As was 0.002mg/kg, The average value of Co was determined as 31.14mg/kg, the average value of Cd was 0.037mg/kg, the average value of Pb was 13.95mg/kg, and the average value of Hg was 3.86mg/kg. As a result of the test, it was determined that the average values of Co and Hg, one of the heavy metal types determined in the upper soil layer taken from a certain area, were above the limit values determined by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. The fact that other pollutants are below the limit values should not ignore the fact that the soil structure in the region has begun to be polluted by heavy metals.