Vegetation in the vicinity of Uzungöl (Trabzon) and changes in recent years

The research area consists of the vicinity of Uzungöl (Trabzon). The northern boundary of this area consists of the Haldizan river water section line, and the Demirkapı river water section line to the south. The aim of this study is; to reveal the natural vegetation of the specified area and to evaluate the changes occurring in vegetation in recent years. The study consists of three parts; In the first section, the ecological conditions (climatic and geomorphological features) of the vegetation were revealed. In the second part, the plant species that constitute the vegetation cover of the research area and the distribution of these species are examined. In the third chapter, the reasons and results of the changes in vegetation were emphasized. The fact that Uzungöl, which is located in the research area, is an important tourism center, as well as the presence of an ecologically important natural existence of the moist forests around it, constitutes a large part of this research. The 1625 ha, within the Yenimahalle borders, comprising the southeastern part of the area was turned into a "natural park" in 1989; an even bigger area comprised of the Yenimahalle and Çamlık Communities was announced to be a "Grade 1 and 3 Natural Site Area"; furthermore, an area including the Natural Park was made "Specially Protected Environment Area" in 2004 (T.C Ministry of Environment and City Planning, 2013-2017). The changes in the status of the research area over the years have caused some legal problems in the regulations concerning the natural environment. The vegetation and distribution of the research area are explained in detail below, along with the changes in recent years. Key words: Plant geography, humid forests, colchic flora, vegetation cover change, Uzungöl.