RELATIONS BETWEEN TREE HEIGHT AND SOIL PROPERTIES IN SEMIARID BLACK PINE (PINUS NIGRA ARNOLD.) AFFORESTATION

This study was carried out in black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold.) afforestation sites located in the southwest of Turkey (Burdur). The study area has a semi-arid climate type and has a transition climate characteristic between the Mediterranean climate and the continental climate. The relationship between tree height and soil nutrient concentrations (P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu), other soil characteristics (texture, pH, EC, lime and organic matter), and tree needle nutrient concentrations (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) were investigated in two different soil depths (0-30 cm and 30-60 cm) in 15 sample plots. While there was statistically significant relationship between tree height and soil characteristics in five parameters for 0-30 cm soil depth (positive with clay and organic matter, negative with silt, pH and lime), a weaker correlation was found between the three parameters (positive with clay, negative with pH and lime) for the 30-60 cm depth. A positive significant relationship was determined between tree height and K, Mg, Mn and Cu concentrations at depths of 0-30 cm, and tree height and Na at depths of 30-60 cm. P, N and Cu concentrations of needle nutrients were found to have a significant positive correlation with tree height.