Determining Temporal Changes of Annual Productivity of Bay Laural (Laurus nobilis L.) in the Yenikoy Planning Unit

Abstract

The production of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) is performed with harvesting plans in Turkey. However, insufficient technical capacities, lack of locational data and the absence of site productivity in the plans threat the sustainability of NWFPs. The primary objective of this research is to analyze temporal changes of annual site productivity of bay leave in the Yeniköy planning unit, Turkey. The cover type maps, forest management plans (1972- 2003) and bay laurel harvest plans (1992-2013) were used as primary data. Temporal changes of bay laurel productivity were examined in terms of land use types, developing stages and canopy cover with a detailed analysis on bay laurel areas with GIS. The results indicated that there was a remarkable change for spatial distribution and productivity of bay laurel from 1974 to 2013 due mainly to the differences of inventory design causing underestimation of productivity. Appropriate sampling technique with the use of GIS may provide more realistic and accurate estimation of the productivity. The integration of NWFPs into forest management plans and sustainable production are possible with understanding the quantitative relations of NWFPs with the appropriate variables.