Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, cilt.604, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Coppice-originated oak forests constitute vital carbon reservoirs in temperate regions, yet the fine-scale relationships between thermal microclimate, stand structure, and biomass dynamics remain poorly understood. This study integrates thermal remote sensing with forest inventory approaches to investigate spatial variations in biomass components (foliage, ground cover and organic soil) alongland surface temperature (LST) gradients in coppice-originated oak forests of northwestern T & uuml;rkiye. LST was mapped using Landsat 7 ETM+ imagery, and relationships with biomass components were characterized using 244 sample plots. Cluster analysis identified two temperature classes (low: 23.7 degrees C, high: 26.8 degrees C), with cooler stands exhibiting greater structural development. The 3.1 degrees C difference was associated with substantial biomass increases: 45 % in foliage, 33 % in ground cover, and 31 % in organic soil. Biomass components were predicted using multiple linear regression and Generalized Additive Models (GAMs). GAMs demonstrated 32 % lower error rates for foliage prediction. Foliage biomass achieved the highest prediction accuracy (97 % explained variance), while ground cover showed poorest performance (39 % explained variance), likely reflecting high heterogeneity and fine-scale environmental drivers not captured by stand-level variables. LST functions as an integrative indicator of stand structural development, with cooler signatures reflecting greater canopy closure and maturity. The thermal buffering capacity of mature stands creates feedback mechanisms promoting sustained biomass accumulation and potentially enhancing climate resilience. These results support management strategies promoting forest maturation to optimize carbon storage and microclimate buffering.