| Karabucak Forest | |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Area | 1200 ha[1] |
Karabucak Forest is a forest plantation inTurkey.
The forest is at the south ofTarsus city inMersin Province. The center of the forest is at about36°53′N34°52′E / 36.883°N 34.867°E /36.883; 34.867. The distance to Tarsus is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) and toMersin is 25 kilometres (16 mi). There are two sections in the forest. In the older section calledGüresin forestEucalyptus(Eucalyptus camaldulensis) has been planted[2][page needed] and in the newer section calledTuran Emeksiz,stone pine (Pinus pinea) andmaritime pine (Pinus pinaster) have been planted[3][failed verification]along with a few other species (Güresin was the surname of Fehmi Güresin, the engineer in charge of the project back in 1939 and Turan Emeksiz was the name of a forestry engineering student killed in 1960).[citation needed]
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During theancient ages, Tarsus was aMediterranean Sea port. But because of alluvial deposits from theBerdan River the coastline was continuously moving to south. By the 6th century, the coastline had already been moved away and a small lagoon namedRhegma had been formed which obstructed the river flow in the rainy seasons and caused floods.Byzantine EmperorJustinian I (reigned 527-565) had a channel constructed at the east of the city to facilitate easier flow. (present watercourse of the river). After 7th century the lake was partially dried up and turned into marshes. But because of the marshes, the number ofmalaria cases increased sharply. In 1939, theTurkish government (ministry of forestry) started a project to drain the marshes. Eucalyptus trees were planted on 885 hectare area and the marshes were totally drained.In 1960s the forest was further enlarged by covering the coastal band. Pine was preferred in the coastal band.[failed verification]
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The marsh has been drained and the sands movement at the coast has been checked. The forest in addition to being a source of revenue, is now a popular picnic area for Tarsus citizens.
