Increasing population, mobility and requirements of human beings have significant effects on the dynamics of land use and land cover. Today, these impacts need to be understood and analyzed for the applicability of decision support systems, which are an important tool in the management of natural resources, urban and rural areas. The aim of this study is to detect the temporal and spatial changes of land cover and human population, in northwest Turkey. For this purpose, using satellite images of 1997-2007 and 2017 years’ land cover was estimated for 2027 by ANN (Artificial Neural Network) approach. Kappa values are 93%, 87% and 95% for 1997, 2007 and 2017 respectively. As a result, learning success was 80.6%, and correctness validation value was 90.1% for 2027 simulation. In parallel, the spatial analysis of the population was conducted for 2000-2007-2017. Using the exponential rate of change; the population was predicted to increase by concentrating on the urban area and the rural areas surrounding the urban (with a rate of 2.019%) for 2027. According to the results; rural population, urban population, forest, and built-up areas is estimated to increase by 4.14%, 5.58%, 2.72%, and 0.77% respectively from 2017 to 2027, while the agricultural and water area is estimated to decrease by 3.47% and 0.02% respectively. Consequently, the observation of population movements and the use of the ANN approach in simulations could be suggested for the success of planning in forest and land management.

The forests in Turkey is classified and managed according to their functions within the framework of Ecosystem Based Multi-Purpose Planning policy. It is very important to ensure that planning activities are handled appropriately in order to carry out forestry activities which are labor intensive, difficult and dangerous. Forest roads have served as the main infrastructure facility for forestry activities in accordance with multiple purposes. In order to increase efficiency within the concept of precision forestry and to transfer the plans to the application more clearly, it is essential to use technology and technological machinery. In this context, this study aimed to reveal the capabilities of using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) tools in planning the forest road construction. For this purpose, cut and fill volume of a 300 m long sample road was computed by using USGS based Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with 1 m x 1 m resolution and UAV based DEM with 0.05 m x 0.05 m resolution which were generated prior to road construction and after the road construction, respectively. The results indicated that the cut volume and fill volume were 81804.4 m3 and 74.2 m3, respectively. It was found that the use of UAV will be quite advantageous in terms of capturing high quality and high-resolution data for planning the forest road construction and evaluating alternative routes.

Šumske ceste jedna su od temeljnih infrastruktura u obavljanju šumarskih djelatnosti i usluga. Budući da su šume općenito smještene u planinskim područjima sa strmim nagibom u Turskoj, teškoće koje se događaju u ovim planinskim uvjetima povećavaju troškove. Cilj ove studije je procijeniti alternative planiranja šumskih cesta koje će se razvijati u planinskim područjima koja se nalaze na osjetljivim klizištima, na temelju mapiranja mapa osjetljivosti na terenu (LSM). U tu svrhu generirano je ukupno 12 modela s različitim pristupima višestrukog odlučivanja (MCDM), uključujući Modificirani analitički hijerarhijski proces (M-AHP), Fuzz sustav (FIS) i logističku regresiju (LR). Kao rezultat studije, najbolji model bio je Model 3 dobiven uz LR pristup (područje ispod krivulje (AUC) = 76,6%), a zatim LR-Model 4 (AUC = 75,7%) i FIS-Model 4 (AUC = 73.4%). Model 3 (AUC = 71%) bio je najuspješniji M-AHP pristup. Slijedom toga, primjena ovih metoda pružit će prednost u donošenju točnijih i racionalnih odluka tijekom planiranja cestovne mreže u osjetljivim šumskim područjima.

Forestry activities should be carried out within the purview of sustainable forestry while reaping the benefits of forestry. Accordingly, the construction of forest roads through forests should be carefully planned, especially in protection forests....

Forest roads are important infrastructure facilities that enable forestry activities to continue without interruption. These infrastructure facilities are very important in terms of protection and maintenance of forests, safe transportation of the produced property, afforestation, recreation, and transportation to forest fires as soon as possible. Today, an advantageous environment has been created by the widespread use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, the increase in its use, as well as the integration of clearer and reliable information within the framework of sensitive forestry understanding, with the acquisition of high-resolution images with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). This study, with the help of UAV data and GIS on forest roads, which serve as the basic infrastructure in the fulfilment of forestry activities, for forest road design and excavation-filling calculations, drones etc. made to demonstrate the applicability of the technologies. The study was carried out on the 164 coded B Type Forest Road belonging to the Cumaova Forestry Directorate affiliated with the Düzce Forestry Operations Directorate. In line with the study, first of all, data were obtained with a multi-copter drone. A Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of the study area was produced with the raw data obtained. The produced DTM data was compared with the 12.5 m Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data showing the land structure before the road was built. At the last stage of the study, the height and position data obtained from the road line with ground measurements and the excavation-fill amounts were compared using the RoadEng software. In the light of the results obtained in this study, it is thought that safer and more precise data can be obtained in forest road design studies, and it can provide a practical approach to road planning studies for planners, decision-makers and practitioners.