Effect of elevation on wood density of oriental beech (Fagus orientalis lipsky): A case study from Daday

Year 2025, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 26 - 30, 12.08.2025

Emre Kuzugüdenli

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between oven-dry wood density and the site factor of
elevation in Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky). The research was conducted in three natural
stands located at different elevation zones (low: 250–500 m, mid: 800–1100 m, high: 1400–1700
m) within the Daday Forest District of Kastamonu province in Turkey. From each elevation group,
wood samples were collected from 10 trees and analyzed according to the TS 2472 standard for
oven-dry density. The data were evaluated using ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis. Results
revealed a strong negative correlation between elevation and wood density (r = –0.84; p < 0.001).
The mean oven-dry density was 0.712 g/cm³ at low elevation, decreasing to 0.617 g/cm³ at high
elevation. These findings demonstrate that wood quality depends not only on species but also on
site conditions, offering valuable insights for silvicultural planning and industrial wood
production.

Keywords

wood density , elevation , oriental beech

References

• Bowyer, J. L., Shmulsky, R., & Haygreen, J. G. (2007). Forest products and wood science: An introduction (5th ed.). Blackwell Publishing.
• Çepel, N. (1995). Ekoloji. İstanbul: İstanbul Üniversitesi Yayınları.
• Pretzsch, H., Biber, P., Schütze, G., Uhl, E., & Rötzer, T. (2014). Forest stand growth dynamics in Central Europe have accelerated since 1870. Nature Communications, 5, 4967. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5967
• Swenson, N. G., & Enquist, B. J. (2007). Ecological and evolutionary determinants of a key plant functional trait: Wood density and its community-wide variation across latitude and elevation. American Journal of Botany, 94(3), 451–459. DOI: 10.3732/ajb.94.3.451
• Chave, J., Muller-Landau, H. C., Baker, T. R., Easdale, T. A., Steege, H. T., & Webb, C. O. (2006). Regional and phylogenetic variation of wood density across 2,456 neotropical tree species. Ecological Applications, 16(6), 2356–2367. DOI: 10.1890/1051-0761(2006)016[2356:RAPVOW]2.0.CO;2
• Govorčin, S., Sinković, T., & Trajković, J. (2003). Some physical and mechanical properties of beech wood grown in Croatia. Wood Research, 48(3), 39–52.
• Kiaei, M. (2012). Effect of site and elevation on wood density and shrinkage and their relationships in Carpinus betulus. Forestry Studies in China, 14(3), 229–234. DOI: 10.1007/s11632-012-0307-z
• Hacke, U. G., & Sperry, J. S. (2001). Functional and ecological xylem anatomy. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 4(2), 97–115. DOI: 10.1078/1433-8319-00017
• Topaloğlu, H. (2013). Doğu Kayını (Fagus orientalis Lipsky)’nda odun anatomik özelliklerinin farklı yükselti basamaklarında değişimi. Bartın Orman Fakültesi Dergisi, 15(2), 37–48.
• Gierlinger, N., & Schwanninger, M. (2006). Chemical imaging of poplar wood cell walls by confocal Raman microscopy. Plant Physiology, 140(4), 1246–1254. DOI: 10.1104/pp.105.073395
• Schweingruber, F. H. (1996). Tree rings and environment: Dendroecology. Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research.
• Plomion, C., Leprovost, G., & Stokes, A. (2001). Wood formation in trees. Plant Physiology, 127(4), 1513–1523. DOI: 10.1104/pp.010816
• OGM (Orman Genel Müdürlüğü). (2023). Kastamonu Orman Bölge Müdürlüğü yıllık amenajman verileri. T.C. Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı Yayınları.
• Zobel, B. J., & van Buijtenen, J. P. (1989). Wood variation: Its causes and control. Springer-Verlag.
• Zhang, S. Y., & Zhong, Y. (1992). Age and growth effects on wood density of hardwoods. Wood Science and Technology, 26(5), 393–400. DOI: 10.1007/BF00202250
• Körner, C., & Paulsen, J. (2004). A world-wide study of high altitude treeline temperatures. Journal of Biogeography, 31(5), 713–732. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2003.01043.x
• Evans, J. D. (1996). Straightforward statistics for the behavioral sciences. Brooks/Cole Publishing.
• Panshin, A. J., & de Zeeuw, C. (1980). Textbook of wood technology (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
• Donaldson, L. A. (2001). Lignification and lignin topochemistry—An ultrastructural view. Phytochemistry, 57(6), 859–873. DOI: 10.1016/S0031-9422(01)00049-8