A RESEARCH ON THE MIXTURE RATIOS AND THE DISTRIBUTIONS OF THE SPECIES TO TREE LAYERS IN LEBANON CEDAR (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) STANDS OF THE YAV AN MOUNTAIN, KAHRAMANMARA

In this study, six sample plots were selected from pure and mixed stands of Lebanon cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) in the Yavsan Mountain, Kahramanmaras, the mixture ratios of the tree species in the sample plots were calculated and the distributions of the species to tree layers were examined. In terms of basal area, the stands from which the sample plots were selected were the pure cedar (2), mixed cedar-fir (2), cedar-Crimean pine-fir (1) and Crimean pine-fir-cedar (1) stands. In the mixed cedar stands, the mixture ratios and the distributions of the species to tree layers were generally far from optimal. However, the mixed cedar-fir stands had a relatively more suitable species mixture than that of the stands showing three-species mixture. In the pure and mixed stands of the cedar, the mixture ratios and the distributions of the species to tree layers should be arranged in the way of suitable management objective. Keywords: Lebanon cedar, Mixture ratio, Tree layer, Yavsan mountain