Regional Clusters, Similarities, and Changes in Turkey's Wood Production: A Comparative Analysis Using K-Means and Ward's Clustering Methods

Abstract

This study aimed to separate the wood production in regions and provinces of Turkey into homogeneous groups based on similarities by using the country's wood production figures for 2013 and 2018. Within this context, the hierarchical Ward's and non-hierarchical K-means clustering methods were used comparatively. Clustering analyses of 2 to 6 in number were performed via both methods, and the same regions mostly fell into the same cluster groups, although in different cluster combinations. The results showed that some provinces with rich forest areas did not produce enough wood. It was observed that these provinces were in the same clusters with provinces having a low amount of forest areas and low wood production. Over the five-year period, very few provinces and regions differed in line with the previous development plans. The creation of a spatial database for wood raw material production using the findings obtained in this study will contribute to the development of operational inventory methods that can be included in long- and medium-term forestry plans.