The objectives of this study were to provide information on the history of forest plantations and the institutions responsible for plantation works in Turkey, and to make recommendations for the solution of problems relating to plantations.

Plantation activities can be divided into three periods in Turkey according to the legislation, starting in 1937. Under the Forest Law 3116 plantation activities were implemented systematically by the General Directorate of Forestry between 1937 and 1956. In the second period (1956–1986), plantation activities increased as industrial plantations were initiated. The third period, covering 1986 to the present-day, saw, in addition to afforestation, plantation establishment for non-timber purposes such as erosion control, range improvement and energy.

There are many political problems as well as institutional ones that have influenced plantation activities in Turkey and these have on occasion led to a reduction in forestry activities during certain periods. Although the Development Plans and the report of the Turkish National Forestry Program and the Forestry Special Expertise Commission include many objectives and policies regarding forest plantations the majority of these have not been fulfilled.