Investigation of some damages to soil caused by logging activities in oak stands: A case study of Kastamonu / Çöme region

This study aims to determine the impact or damage on soil properties during the removal of oak trees in compartment numbered 100 and 101 in the district of Kastamonu-Pınarbaşı using an agricultural tractor. In order to determine the effect of logging activities on soil, some physical and chemical properties of soil (pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter content, soil texture, bulk density and maximum water holding capacity) were determined. For this purpose, a total of 80 soil samples were taken from two soil depth levels (0-10 cm and 10-20 cm) under the control site (no logging activity) and skidding site. According to the results obtained, pH (P=0,044) and bulk density (P=0,016) values at 0-10 cm soil depth and pH (P=0,006) and organic matter content (P<0,001) at 10-20 cm soil depth of the skidding and control site soils were statistically significantly different. While the average organic matter content was the lowest in the skidding site soils (7.29%), the bulk density values (1.39 g/cm3) were found to be quite high. However, electrical conductivity, organic matter, and permeability values decreased as the soil depth increased in the skidding and control sites. As a result, it is thought that these negative effects on soil properties during the logging activity, especially the decrease in the amount of soil organic matter content and the increase in bulk density values, soil compaction and therefore the life of soil organisms and litter decomposition are negatively affected.