Variation of tree diameters along road edges: the case of Karacabey linden forest in Bursa, Turkey

Roads have important effects on forest ecosystems including degradation and fragmentation of habitats. however, light availability along the road edge increases which reflects the diversity and amount of plant species. this study is aimed to investigate the road edge effect on tree growing by measuring the differentiation of tree diameters along a sample road located within linden stands. the study was conducted in karacabey province of bursa where linden has the largest distribution in turkey. field data were collected from sample trees selected from 5-meter-wide stripes at road edge and from control zone away from road edge. the tree diameters at breast height (dbh) and trunk core samples were collected from sample trees located in the specified zones. statistical analysis was conducted to indicate whether there is a differences in dbh and dbh growth values between trees at road edge and ones at control zone. the results indicated that increasing distance from road edge resulted in reduction in the average tree diameters as well as dbh growth values. there was a statistically significant difference between dbh values for trees at road edge and ones at control zone. on the other hand, there was no significant difference between dbh growth values.