Identification of plantation areas for the endangered oriental sweetgum tree (Liquidambar orientalis Miller, 1768) in Türkiye

• Published in: International journal of environmental science and technology (Tehran) Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 153 - 168
• Main Authors: Ürker, O., Günlü, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2024
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Science and Engineering; Original Paper; Soil Science & Conservation; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Plantation; Analytical hierarchy process (AHP); Remote sensing; Miller, 1768; In situ conservation
• ISSN: 1735-1472; 1735-2630
• DOI: 10.1007/s13762-023-05243-7

Only two places in the world are home to the 2,500 hectares of fragmented forests of the tertiary relict oriental (Anatolian) sweetgum tree species ( Liquidambar orientalis Miller, 1768): southwestern Türkiye and Rhodes Island (Greece). It is on the brink of extinction due to ongoing anthropogenic pressures. The goal of this study, which used the analytical hierarchy process as the approach, was to identify alternate in situ conservation places where the oriental sweetgum tree may persist owing to suitable living circumstances. The study area was chosen to be on southwestern Türkiye in light of historical records and current data from field studies and forest stands to analyze the potential plantation areas. Soil and climate factors with 0.3597 (36%) weight ratios were the best criteria to determine potential plantation areas. The two most important parameters in identifying the potential plantation area for the Anatolian sweetgum tree were alluvial, alluvial coast, and hydromorphic soils with a weight of 70.3% and average winter temperature of 6–10 °C with a weight of 66.87%. The area under the curve value was determined to be 0.750. According to the results, the most suitable areas for plantations were generally observed as riverine habitats where the species spread naturally during its history. The results are useful for forestry managers in developing successful plantation practices will alleviate the fragmentation and contribute to the species avoiding the genetic bottleneck, considering almost half of the entire study area has potential to develop medium- (488,448 ha, 41.2%) and high (95,400 ha, 8.1%)-level oriental sweetgum tree plantations.