Determining the effects of the forest stand age on the soil quality index in afforested areas: A case study in the Palandöken Mountains

Afforestation is an essential strategy for erosion control. The objective of this study was to determine the soil quality index (SQI) in established afforested areas different ages control Erzurum, Turkey. Three were selected as plots considering their establishment periods: + 40 years old (AA>40), 10–40 (AA10–40), and less than 10 (AA<10). Forty samples taken each plot area over 0–15 15–30 cm depths. analysed texture, mean weight diameter, aggregate stability, pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, carbon, sulfur contents. These properties used indicators, whereby analytic hierarchy process (AHP) principal component analysis (PCA) establish relative importance describing quality. indicators scored using linear score functions “more better” “optimum value”. For determining SQI, additive method (SQIA), weighted with AHP (SQIAHP), PCA (SQIPCA) used. SQI scores showed statistically significant differences. In all three methods, highest value obtained from AA>40 plots.