Economy, Forestry and Fishing

Although 13 percent of Turkey’s area is classified as forested, lumbering is relatively unimportant, with no more than one-third of the forests having commercial value. In 2000, 17.8 million cubic meters (627 million cubic feet) of timber was cut. Only about one-eighth was sawed into lumber; most of the rest was used as fuel.

The fish catch in 1997 was 500,260 metric tons; most of the fish came from the Mediterranean and Black seas. Anchovies were generally caught in the largest numbers; mackerel, sardines, mullet, and whiting were also caught.