Current stand structures of Turkish red pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) forests allocated for soil conservation value in Mediterranean Region

The long process of soil formation, along with the degradation of existing soil structures and the rapid decline of fertile areas due to human impact, threatens environmental sustainability. In Türkiye, deforestation accelerates soil loss, making forest conservation and planning based on scientific data a necessity. In this study, the stand structures of Turkish red pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) forests allocated to soil conservation in the Mediterranean region were analyzed. For this purpose, "vegetation cover factor" (C) values were calculated using four different methods. Subsequently, the C factors calculated using RUSLE, as well as the prevented soil loss values excluding C, were displayed. Relationships between different stand parameters were analyzed, and the effects of various forest structures on soil conservation were examined. The results revealed that the VIIth age class (ages 120-140 years) yielded the highest soil conservation capacity, while a sharp decline in prevented soil loss values was observed after this age. Fully closed stands in the VIIth age class and good site quality were found to achieve the highest erosion prevention amount, with 1057 tons/ha/year. It was also observed that soil loss tended to increase as slope steepness increased, with forests on slopes exceeding 50% in terms of prevented soil loss values. When development stages were considered, soil loss in the "d" stage forests, was calculated as 146 tons/ha/year, while prevented soil loss reached up to 747 tons/ha/year. Forests having good site and in the VIIth age class reached the highest prevented soil loss amount with 1010 tons/ha/year. In conclusion, the findings presented in this study are expected to provide a significant basis for decision-making processes, contributing to the adoption of scientifically based decisions in forest management planning. Furthermore, the results are expected to serve as a guide, particularly in the classification of soil conservation management units. It is recommended to conduct similar studies with different tree species and in dissimilar regions.