General Directorate of Forestry

There is a lack of information about the nutritional requirements of European catfish ( Silurus glanis ) for aquaculture. This study aimed to fill this gap using a bioenergetic factorial model. To develop the model, a series of sub-studies were carried out. Accordingly, the growth potential of fish was determined using the data collected in this study and from the literature. The whole-body moisture, protein, lipid, ash, and energy content changes were analyzed to reveal how they vary as size increased up to 4000 g. An experiment was conducted to determine the maintenance requirements and utilization efficiencies for digestible protein (DP) and digestible energy (DE). The maintenance requirements of DP and DE were estimated as 0.163 g/kg 0.7 /day and 16.44 kJ/kg 0.8 /day and their utilization efficiencies were 51.72% and 52.52% respectively. Another sub-model for estimating digestible essential amino acid requirements was also run based on the ideal protein concept (IPC) of the European catfish fillet amino acid profile. Each sub-model was then combined to estimate the daily requirements of DP, DE, DP:DE ratio, and amino acids across different sizes of fish. The estimations of DP:DE ratio requirements were converted to dietary specifications for different stages of fish growing from 10 g to 4000 g using a sequential application of two-breakpoint models, which yielded 5 different diets during the farming period of European catfish. The whole model suggested that European catfish require high dietary protein during the early stages, which can be reduced over the culture period by increasing DE. Based on the IPC, dietary digestible essential amino acid requirements were estimated depending on the sizes and diet specifications. This study provides valuable information about dietary DP, DE, DP/DE ratio, and digestible amino acid requirements of European catfish, which requires future validation through controlled feeding trials.

Aim of study: This study aimed to investigate the effects of different growing media on the seedling characteristics of Alnus orientalis.Area of study: Cones were collected from Bucak, Anamur and Fethiye regions in October 2022.Material and method: Two growing media were used: a mixture of 50% forest soil, 30% peat, and 20% fertilizer, and a mixture of 50% perlite and 50% sand. The following seedling characteristics were measured: root collar diameter, height, biomass, sturdiness quotient (SQ), and Dickson quality index (DQI).Main results: Seedling heights ranged from 12.79 cm to 18.07 cm in perlite media and from 37.63 cm to 41.80 cm in soil media. Diameters ranged from 4.30 mm to 5.32 mm in perlite media and from 9.83 mm to 11.33 mm in soil media. In soil media, no significant differences were observed among populations in terms of height, but significant differences in diameter were found. While SQ was not significantly influenced by the growing media, DQI values were significantly affected by the type of growing media.Research highlights: The use of different growing media enables a more comprehensive evaluation of the intraspecific variation in Alnus orientalis.

Abstract Equitable access to agricultural land remains a central challenge for sustainable and inclusive rural development in Africa. Despite the recognized importance of this issue, a comprehensive and systematic synthesis of land conflict types, key governance actors, and prevailing tenure systems is scarcely documented across Africa. This review fills this gap by applying a transparent and reproducible systematic review protocol – including database searching, screening, and thematic coding – which resulted in the selection of 55 studies from Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and African Journals Online. The findings reveal that inheritance (63.64%) is the most prevalent land tenure regime, while borrowing is the least common (23.67%), indicating a shift away from communal arrangements. Land conflicts are predominantly centred on ownership (28.57%) and usage rights (25%), often exacerbated by fraudulent allocations. The review underscores the central, yet often conflicting, roles of state and customary institutions, with 80% of studies highlighting corruption as a major impediment to effective land law enforcement. Women are identified as the most vulnerable actors in land access and security. The study concludes that transparent, inclusive land governance reforms, which harmonize formal and customary systems, are urgently needed to mitigate conflicts and empower marginalized stakeholders.

Natural disasters pose significant challenges to maintaining a continuous and safe blood supply. This study aimed to analyse the emergency response of the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) blood services during the 2023 Turkey earthquake, focusing on blood supply continuity, donor mobilization and lessons learnt for future preparedness. A retrospective analysis was conducted using operational data from the TRC General Directorate of Blood Services. Information on blood component requests, supplies, donor mobilization, infrastructure status and personnel deployment was collected from the period immediately following the earthquake through the subsequent recovery phase. The earthquake severely disrupted blood service infrastructure in the affected provinces, resulting in the destruction of two blood collection units and damage to several facilities. Despite these challenges, the TRC successfully met demands from the transfusion centres through rapid activation of its Emergency Crisis Board, inter-regional redistribution of packed red blood cells and strategic donor management. Within 15 days, 250,708 blood units were collected nationwide-a 129% increase compared to pre-disaster levels. Controlled donation scheduling, proactive communication and inter-regional staff deployment ensured sustained operations and prevented overcollection. However, gaps in data interoperability between hospitals and TRC systems limited real-time monitoring of clinical blood usage. The TRC's response demonstrated the effectiveness of a centralized and integrated blood service model in managing large-scale emergencies. Key lessons include the importance of donor flow regulation, transparent communication and improved hospital data integration to enhance future disaster preparedness and resilience.

Heat stress (HS) has a significant effect on poultry husbandry, especially laying breed, which lowers productivity and egg quality. In this study, grape seed powder (GSP) and black mulberry leaf powder (BMLP) were evaluated as natural antioxidants against HS effects on laying quails. The trial involved 288 8-week-old laying quails in a 2 × 3 factorial design with (six replicates and eight quails in each) two temperatures (thermoneutral and HS) and three diets (Control, 3%GSP, 4%BMLP). Feed intake was shown to be negatively impacted by HS, however its effects were mitigated by GSP and BMLP (P < 0.05). Despite HS-induced reductions in egg and shell weight, BMLP significantly prevented egg weight loss (P < 0.05). A positive impact of GSP and BMLP could be seen on egg weight, albumen quality, and yolk color (P < 0.05). Serum biochemistry analysis indicated that GSP and BMLP reduced cholesterol and triglyceride levels, while BMLP showed superiority in decreasing malondialdehyde (MDA), an oxidative stress marker (P < 0.05). Furthermore, both additives improved albumen quality and reduced oxidative stress. These findings emphasize the potential of natural antioxidants, particularly BMLP, for enhancing quail resilience to HS and maintaining overall health. Therefore, incorporating GSP and BMLP into quail diets is recommended to mitigate the detrimental effects of HS on productivity and egg quality.

Aim of study: Evaluate the effectiveness of fire lookout towers in İzmir by integrating viewshed and network analyses with key fire-risk layers. Area of study: İzmir Regional Forest Directorate (western Türkiye), with fire incident records from 2009-2023. Material and method: DEM-based GIS viewshed mapping of tower visibility; road-network/vehicle-speed–based service-area (5-30 min) network analysis; overlay with fire susceptibility/severity maps, WUI, 2009-2023 incidents, and water sources; spatial intersections and summary statistics. Main results: Towers see 72.1% of the area (27.9% blind spots); 75.9% of very-high susceptibility and 73.2% of high-severity zones are visible; 85.7% of 5-min reachable areas are visible but non-visible shares grow with longer times; in WUI, visibility = 72-78% while accessibility rises from 35.4-43.5% (5 min) to ~70% (15 min); 79% of past fires occurred in visible areas and &gt;60% were accessible within 15 min; only 50.6% of 405 water sources are reachable in 10 min. Research highlights: Considering visibility and accessibility together provides site-specific, action-oriented indicators; blind spots and limited short-term accessibility within the WUI are the primary gaps. Restricted access to water sources reduces operational efficiency. Optimizing tower siting and improving road/water infrastructure can increase coverage and response capacity.

Population expansion, urban development, climate change, and precipitation patterns are complicating sustainable natural resource management. Subbasin prioritization enhances the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of resource management. Artificial intelligence and data analytics eradicate the constraints of traditional methodologies, facilitating more precise evaluations of soil erosion, water management, and environmental risks. This research has created a comprehensive decision support system for the multidimensional assessment of sub-basins. The Erosion and Flood Risk-Based Soil Protection (EFR), Socio-Economic Integrated Basin Management (SEW), and Prioritization Based on Basin Water Yield (PBW) functions were utilized to prioritize sustainability objectives. EFR addresses erosion and flood risks, PBW evaluates water yield potential, and SEW integrates socio-economic drivers that directly influence water use and management feasibility. Our approach integrates principal component analysis–technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (PCA–TOPSIS) with machine learning (ML) and provides a scalable, data-driven alternative to conventional methods. The combination of machine learning algorithms with PCA and TOPSIS not only improves analytical capabilities but also offers a scalable alternative for prioritization under changing data scenarios. Among the models, support vector machine (SVM) achieved the highest performance for PBW (R2 = 0.87) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) performed best for EFR (R2 = 0.71), while random forest (RF) and gradient boosting machine (GBM) models exhibited stable accuracy for SEW (R2 ~ 0.65–0.69). These quantitative results confirm the robustness and consistency of the proposed hybrid framework. The findings show that some sub-basins are prioritized for sustainable land and water resources management; these areas are generally of high priority according to different risk and management criteria. For these basins, it is suggested that comprehensive local-scale studies be carried out, making sure that preventive and remedial measures are given top priority for execution. The SVM model worked best for the PBW function, the ANN model worked best for the EFR function, and the RF and GBM models worked best for the SEW function. This framework not only finds sub-basins that are most important, but it also gives useful information for managing watersheds in a way that is sustainable even when the climate and economy change.

The paper “Studies on the Condition of the Forest Stands in Production Unit II Bâltane, Strehaia Forest District, Mehedinți Forestry Directorate” analyzes the current state of forest stands in southwestern Romania, considering the local pedological, climatic, and geomorphological conditions. The research employed parcel descriptions, site mapping, and pedological analyses (29 soil profiles), processed using the AS2007 software. Results indicate the predominance of typical and vertic luvisols (86%), characteristic of oak (Quercus) formations, as well as approximately 10% of low-productivity stands requiring ecological reconstruction. The study highlights the multifunctional role of forests, their contribution to biodiversity conservation (particularly within the ROSCI0405 Strehaia–Bâltanele Natura 2000 Site), and the importance of applying sustainable forest management principles to balance the productive and ecological functions of forest ecosystems.