Determination of The Effects of Alucra Forest Planning Unit's Population Dynamics on Land Use Changes

Aim of study: This study is done to monitor temporal land use/land cover changes in a typical mountain watershed covering an area of 135441.0 ha in North Eastern of Turkey based on rural demographic dynamics and forest management plans belonging to the years 1987 and 2013 coupled by GIS analyses. It also investigates changes in the shape of land use class (LUC) over the period. Material and Methods: The changes occurring time wise and positional on the base of the local LUC was examined by benefiting from the forest management plans from 1987 to 2013. Moreover, the change of LUC around these areas has been examined with the 1000 m zones thrown around the settlement areas and correlated with the fast decrease of the population recent years. Demographic dynamics (increase or decrease) affect the usage of forest lands, as well. Main results: While there was an increase in the productive forest lands (pure coniferous and deciduous, and mixed forest) between 1987 and 2013. In the same periods there was a decrease in agricultural and sandy areas. The increase of patches in the productive forest lands mostly resulted from afforestation works conducted in the unproductive forest lands, and forestry maintenance activities. Another reason for this increase of forest patches is why people have immigrated to urban areas in the last years. Research Highlights: It can be said that one of the most important causes in the rise of the forest resources in the Alucra Forest Planning Units (FPU) is the time wise changes of social structure. Furthermore, the forestry activities in the study between 1987 and 2013 are also the other significant factor in this increase of forest resources