Journal of Forest Ecosystems Research

Forest fire risk zone mapping from AHP and WLC models: the case of forest zones in Mamasani and Rostam, Fars

MohammadReza Mirzaei

Background and purpose: Various factors affect the occurrence, spread, and controllability of forest fires. A hazard fire zones map can be obtained by knowing the important influencing factors. This map shows fire severity in different zones and stages which provides a suitable tool for managing, preventing, and reducing the damages caused by fires to the natural resources manager. This study aims to prepare fire hazard severity zones based on the range of these environmental factors in the forest areas of Mamsani and Rostam counties in the northwest of Fars province with an area of 2188.7 square kilometers.

Materials and methods: The environmental criteria that were used in this study include elevation, slope, slope direction, distance from the road, distance from residential areas, distance from agricultural lands, average annual temperature, average annual precipitation, and land use. After collecting data from different sources, the fuzzy concept was applied to standardize the criteria by using different fuzzy membership functions. A hierarchical analysis process (AHP) was used to weight the criteria and prioritize them. For this purpose, a questionnaire was prepared, and criteria were scored by experts. All the weighted criteria were overlayed by weighted linear combination method (WLC). To obtain the weights of the criteria, the data obtained from the questionnaires were extracted and analyzed in the Expert Choice software. Each of the selected criteria was also prepared as a map using the geographic information system (GIS) in the ArcMap software environment. Finally, the fire severity risk map was prepared in five categories of very high, high, medium, low, and very low fire severity zones.

Findings: The results show that the burned areas show a high compliance of the implemented model with the existing situation. Among the studied factors, the three main factors of fire in this area are distance from agricultural land, distance from road and distance from residential areas with relative weights of 0.254, 0.1971 and 0.1786 respectively. The results showed that the most fires occurred in the 1500-1900 elevation class and 0-10% slope class. As the slope increases, the rate of fire has decreased. Also, the southern aspect has been prone to fire.

Conclusions: So, it can be concluded that most fires have occurred in areas where human access to those areas is more and easier and other factors are less important. Also, the results of this research showed that forest fire risk zone mapping can help managers prevent fire in different forest areas.

Assessment of land-use changes using Aerial photography in Padena region from 1955 to 2013 according to article 2 of the conservation and protection of natural resources law

MohammadReza Mirzaei Gharehlar

Background and Objectives: One of the damages inflicted on natural resources is land use change. This issue is present in all regions of Iran with varying intensity and severity and is often referred to under various names such as land degradation, deforestation, etc. According to Iran's 1963 Law on Nationalization of Forests and Mountain Ranges, all forests, Rang, meadows and woodlands, with some exceptions, are recognized as public property, which is sometimes claimed by individuals or legal entities, including government or private institutions. This land tenure situation has been confronted. Some challenges such as illegal tenure and land use change. This type of land use change or illegal appropriation is sometimes referred to as “land grabbing”. The aim of this research is to observe the land use changes in Padena region of Iran in recent years, focusing on two land use types, reclamation and non-reclamation, as specified in the Second Natural Resources Development Law. The recent land use changes are compared with the maps prepared according to the Nationalization Law.

Materials and methods: The studied area is a part of the Marber River watershed, called Padnai-Olia, with an area of 54674 hectares in the southeast of Isfahan province. A study of temporal changes over a period of 58 years, from 1955 to 2013, was conducted to evaluate the fluctuations. The maps obtained from aerial and satellite images were analyzed with the help of geographic information systems and remote sensing. The satellite images for the year 2013 were obtained from Google Earth, the aerial images at different scales (1:20000, 1:50000, 1:40000) and the required maps were provided by the Armed Forces Geographical Organization and the Iran National Cartographic Center. A cross-tabulation analysis is used to compare the maps from different time periods. In this context, three land use maps corresponding to the present time and land use maps for a period of at least 15 and 51 years at a scale of 1:25,000 were prepared. On the other hand, law enforcement maps showing reclamation and non-reclamation areas were also requested by the Regional Natural Resources Agency. The land use map for law enforcement, based on 1: 50,000 maps produced by the National Mapping Organization in 1973, serves as the basis for delineating national lands and exceptions in the implementation of natural resource and watershed laws.

Results: The results obtained show that about 12.7% of land not designated for reclamation (rangeland) in the Padena region has undergone land use change. The highest rate of land use change occurred in the periods 1955-1969 and 1999-2013. The total area of rehabilitated land in 1955 amounted to 2095 hectares, which corresponds to 8.3% of the total area of the region. This area was increased to 6390 hectares (11.7%), 6595 hectares (12.1%) and 8776 hectares (16.0%) in 1965, 1999 and 2013, respectively.

Conclusions: The area of restoration areas in the current regulatory maps (6259 hectares) differs significantly from the Survey Organization's 1:50,000 topographic maps from 1973 (3358 hectares) and the maps derived from 1334 aerial photographs in this study (2059 hectares). Therefore, it is necessary to obtain accurate land use maps for this region.

Analysis parametric models of species diversity of riparian forests in Maroon Behbahan

reza basiri

Background and Objectives: Plant ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between plants and environmental factors that determine their distribution and abundance. Ecology provides the necessary framework for an accurate understanding of vegetation dynamics and species distribution, emphasizing the essential role of vegetation within ecosystems. The biodiversity of any habitat plays a crucial role in the stability and health of the natural environment. The assessment of different plant species and their distributions allows important steps to be taken towards biodiversity conservation. Researchers use parametric distribution models, also known as abundance distribution models, to evaluate vegetation diversity and evaluate species diversity. The four main models developed by ecologists include the geometric series model, the lognormal series model, the logarithmic series model, and the broken-stick model, which are used to adjust the distribution of species diversity. The application of parametric models in riparian forests - one of the most diverse and complex plant communities in the world - has provided a new perspective on methods for assessing ecological diversity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to measure biodiversity in the riparian forests of Maroon River in Behbahan district using biodiversity distribution models.

Materials and methods: In this study, transects were laid at 100-meter intervals across the study area to record vegetation. We surveyed 79 sample plots and recorded and analyzed the percentage of tree cover, number of individuals and species composition. The TWINSPAN analysis classified the sampled plots into two ecological groups based on the indicator species Populus euphratica Oliv. and Tamarix arceuthoides Bunge, resulting in 56 and 23 sample plots, respectively. Using the species abundance data and the chi-square test for goodness of fit, we tested the fit of the Geometric, Lognormal, Logarithmic and Broken-Stick parametric models for each ecological group.

Results: The results of the chi-square test showed significant differences between the observed and expected abundance of species in both ecological groups (Populus euphratica and Tamarix arceuthoides), leading to the rejection of the parametric models. However, no significant difference was found between the distribution curve of the observed data and the lognormal distribution curve.

Conclusion: The lognormal model provided the best fit for the distribution of species abundance in both ecological groups, suggesting that these communities are heterogeneous and stable, characterized by species with moderate abundance.

Effect of soil phosphorus on vegetative, photosynthetic, water related and nutritional traits of brant’s oak seedlings under different water conditions

Payam Fayyaz

Background and objectives. By accelerating of the intensity and duration of the drought periods in the Zagros forests, the revival of native tree species, including the brant’s oak (Persian oak), is diminished. Despite the knowledge of the importance of phosphorus in increasing drought resistance in different species, there is little information about the role of this element in brant’s oak seedlings in facing drought.
Materials and methods: For this purpose, the main and interactive effects of two factors of soil phosphorus (at five levels of zero, 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/kg) and soil moisture regime (at three levels of 60, 30 and 10 percent of field capacity) on performance traits of one-year-old brant’s oak seedlings, with six replications, have been examined. The studied traits include morphological traits (root and stem length, number and area of leaves, fresh weight of roots, stems and leaves), physiological traits (relative water content and electrolyte leakage rate in different organs of leaves, stems and roots, and optimum and maximum yield of photosystem II, and chlorophyll index) and nutrition uptake (concentration of potassium and phosphorus elements in leaves).
Results: The results revealed that with the decrease in soil water content, the traits of leaf number, root and leaf fresh weight, relative water content, photosystem II performance, leaf chlorophyll index and leaf potassium and phosphorus content decreased and root length and electrolyte leakage rate increased. The increase of soil phosphorus in the high irrigated seedlings (60 percent of field capacity) caused the development of aerial organs and leaf surface, and in the seedlings that were in water deficit conditions, it caused the maximum performance of photosystem II to be maintained. Increasing soil phosphorus in all water conditions increased phosphorus, potassium and chlorophyll index, in the leaves of brant’s oak, but it had no effect on reducing membrane damage caused by oxidative stress.
Conclusion: In general, application of phosphorus increased the resistance of brant’s oak seedlings to drought stress by improving nutritional status and protecting the photosynthetic apparatus. Implementing higher concentrations of phosphorus is suggested for future research in order to study the possibility of improving water relations and protecting against plasma membrane injury.

Evaluation of plant biodiversity in relation to adaphic and physiographic conditions in natural habitats of the middle Zagros (Case study: North Ilam Forests)

Yasem Khanmohmadian

Introduction: Zagros habitat as one of the important biological resources of the country is of special importance in terms of size, plant and animal species, genetic resources, pastures under turbulence, etc. Due to its structural and vegetative characteristics, it has a high diversity of plants. The aim of this study is to achieve the relationship between plant diversity with adaptive factors and also to identify the dominant flora of the region.
Results: The results of a 1700-hectare tour of the region's forests showed that a total of 79 herbaceous species belonging to 66 genera and 32 families, 5 tree species and 6 shrub species were identified in the study area. Among the herbaceous species, Bromus Tectorum (L) are among the plants with 69%, Picnomon Cass with 62%, Geranium Lucidum with 58%, respectively. Hordeum Bulbosum (51%) and Medicago Radiata (49%) were the most abundant in the region, and Qurecus Brantii Linddi, one of the western oak species, has the highest presence and percentage of cover. Allocates. Shannon-Winro Variety Index of plant species was positively correlated with organic matter and nitrogen, so that with increasing these elements, Shannon-Winro Ghana variety increased. Soil organic matter plays a very important role in plant growth and distribution. According to the study, the regeneration of oak and wild cherry seeds with nitrogen and potassium showed a positive correlation. Nitrogen and potassium are the most important nutrients in the soil, which play an important role in plant growth.
Overall Conclusion: According to studies conducted among different plant species in this section, the species have edible, industrial and conservation values, so protect these existing areas and try to revive and develop them. It is a necessity today. Implementation of the management of the governing unit on it is witnessing an increase in the richness and diversity of vegetation in the region and subsequently prevent any destructive floods in the region. Destruction of forests, vegetation, soil, etc. can play an effective role. Proposed programs are a comprehensive management plan and revised plans that must be updated every few years according to the conditions of the region, so the proposed programs, including Better management of livestock farmers in the region and strengthening the protection level of the region will be a prerequisite for research and educational, research and recreational programs.
Innovation aspects:
1- Investigating biodiversity in the forests of northern Ilam
2- Determining the relationship between plant biodiversity and adaptive conditions in the forests of northern Ilam

A comparison distance sampling methods for estimating the plant density and canopy cover in different inventory net (Case study: Manesht and ghalarang forest of ilam, Iran)

amir modaberi

Background and objectives: Primary information about different methods of vegetation sampling is important to researchers to decide about their sampling.
Materials and methods: In this study we applied five distance methods (closest individual, nearest neighbor, second nearest neighbor, joint-point and point- centered quarter method) to estimate plant density and canopy cover based on different inventory net (100×100, 150×150, 200×100 and 200×200)m in Manesht and ghalarang ilam province were compared according to their accuracy.
Results : The result showed that among the distance sampling methods mentioned with different inventory net according to accuracy for density second nearest neighbor in 200×200 inventiry net and for canopy cover respectively point- centered quarter method in 200×100 and 150×150 were more suitable methods for this region. Because this formulas could provide an acceptable estimate based on ±10% accepted accuracy.
Conclusion : According to this study distance sampling methods in Zagros forest was relatively good accuracy and can be used in other research and executive censuses.

Determination of the optimum felling frequency and sprout density in mid-term white poplar (Populus alba L.) cultivations (case study: Dehcheshme village in Farsan county)

ahmad fadaei

Background and Objective: the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different cultivation densities and cutting turns on the wood yield of white poplar (Populus alba L.) trees in eastern part of Dehcheshmeh village in Farsan county.

Materials and Methods: An area of approximately 5 hectares was divided into 12 more or less uniform and flat terraces. According to the age of the trees, the terraces were divided into two groups: the terraces with young trees (from 6 to 7 years old) and those with older trees (from 15 to 18 years old). The terraces were also labeled either they were uncut, or under the first (cut) or second turn (double-cut) of cutting; and if they were grown in thin or dense cultivation. Number of shoots and the dimensions of the trees were measured using a plot sampling approach. The width of the annual rings of fallen trees was estimated using the photogrammetry method.

Results: Considering the age of trees as block, a split-plot design indicated that the trees grown in the cut terraces were significantly larger than those in uncut or double-cut terraces in sense of DBH, height, crown height and standing volume. The highest shoot number was observed in double-cut terraces and the highest crown height values were belonged to the uncut and the double-cut terraces. As the cultivations became thinner, the volume and dimensions of the trees increased significantly. The analysis of mean (MAI) and current (CAI) annual increment curves and the point where those curves intercepted, showed that the biological age for the thinned and cut cultivations (the superior treatments) were 12.1 and 13.0 years respectively.

Conclusion: In the center of poplar cultivation in the province of Chaharmahal-Va-Bakhtiari, it is strongly recommended to cultivate the white poplars in density of less than 100 trees per are, with a single cut, and for 12.5 years of rotation period.

The effect of different treatments on dormancy break and seed germination of Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.), a shrub species in semi-arid regions

Mohsen Javanmiri pour

Background and purpose: The Sumac shrub is a commonly used species for afforestation in arid and semi-arid areas to reclaim land. Additionally, the fruits of Sumac are used to support the economy of local communities. The purpose of this study is to analyze the type of dormancy exhibited by Sumac seeds, and to determine the effects of different dormancy breaking treatments. These treatments include scratching the seeds, treating them with boiling water, sulfuric acid, cold layer, and gibberellic acid (GA3) to increase the rate of germination.
Materials and methods: A study was conducted at the Forest Tree Seed Technology Laboratory of the Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran. The study was conducted in four replicates of 50 seeds using a completely randomized design. The first step was to measure the survival percentage of the seeds using the tetrazolium test, which was found to be 85.5%. The study involved different treatments applied on sumac seeds. The treatments without the presence of gibberellic hormone included: A) Boiling water treatment with three cold layer durations of 2, 4 and 6 months, B) Chemical scraping treatment with 96% sulfuric acid at three levels of 40, 80 and 120 minutes and three cold layer durations of 2, 4 and 6 months, C) Chemical scraping treatment with 96% sulfuric acid in three levels of 40, 80 and 120 minutes and boiling water treatment and three durations of the cold layer of 2, 4 and 6 months. The treatments with the presence of gibberellic acid hormone included: A) Treatment with boiling water and cold layer in three periods of 2, 4 and 6 months and gibberellic acid at three levels of 250, 500 and 1000 P.P.M, B) Treatments with sulfuric acid for 80 minutes and cold layer in three periods of 2, 4 and 6 months and gibberellic acid in three amounts of 250, 500 and 1000 P.P.M, C) Treatments with sulfuric acid for 80 minutes, boiling water and cold layer in three periods of 2, 4 and 6 months and gibberellic acid in three amounts of 250, 500 and 1000 P.P.M.
Findings: The analysis of variance for germination speed confirms that there is a significant variation in the average germination rates between different treatments. The average germination rates for the sulfuric acid treatment, which involved boiling cold water for 120 minutes over a period of two months, was 7.96. This treatment showed a significant difference in growth compared to the control treatment, which had an average growth rate of 96.7. Similarly, the 2-month cold broth treatment had an average germination rate of 7.61, which was significantly different from the control treatment. The Gibberellic acid 500 ppm cold decoction treatment for 6 months resulted in a significant growth rate of 18.75, which was significantly different from the control treatment. Finally, the Gibberellic acid 250 ppm + boiling water + cold treatment for 6 months had an average germination rate of 15.79 and showed a significant difference in growth compared to the control treatment.
Conclusion: According to the results, sumac seeds exhibit both physical and physiological dormancy. The treatment of scraping with sulfuric acid followed by a cold layer did not have a significant impact on dormancy breaking and germination. However, the use of gibberellic acid improved both the percentage and speed of germination, with the best results obtained using a treatment of 500 ppm gibberellic acid along with boiling water and cold storage for six months, resulting in a germination rate of 18.79%.

Evaluation of environmental factors on Lonicera nummulariifolia Jaub. & Spach in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province

Mostafa Moradi

Background and objectives: Site demands and characteristics of different plant species is necessary for forest protection and restoration. Therefore, soil properties determination is one of the most important steps in plant species site demands determination. This research was conducted to understand sire demands of Lonicera nummulariifolia in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. Besides, to determine the most important soil factors affecting on L. nummulariifolia distribution.
Materials and methods: Four sites including Gazestan (1792 m above sea level), Samsami (2210 m a.s.l.), Kohrang (2215 m a.s.l.), and Ardal (1531 m a.s.l.) were selected in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. Soil samples were taken from the depth of 0-30 cm. soil physicochemical properties including soil nitrogen, available potassium, organic carbon, pH, and electrical conductivity, were determined. Besides, quantitative characteristic of trees (tree diameter, height, and crown diameter) were measured. Soil properties were evaluated using one-way ANOVA. Furthermore, principal component analysis was used to determine the most important soil variables affecting L. nummulariifolia distribution.
Results: Results of this study indicated that the tallest and shortest trees with the average of 2.26 and 1.57 belonged to the Kograng and Gazestan, respectively. Also, trees origin in the Samsami site was coppice while in the other three sites they were high stands. Soil physicochemical properties indicated that soil electrical conductivity, nitrogen and organic matter had no significant differences between studied sites. Furthermore, soil pH was almost neutral in studied sites and showed no significant differences. While, Kohrang and Gazestan had the highest significant value of potassium. The least value of potassium was belonged to the Samsami. While, the most and least values of silt belonged to the Gazestan and Kohrang, respectively. Gazestan had the least value of soil sand percent compared to the other studied sites. Conical correspondence analysis indicted that the most important factors affecting L. nummulariifolia distribution are soil organic matter, nitrogen, potassium, electrical conductivity, clay, aspects, and slope respectively.
Conclusion: L. nummulariifolia distribution demands for sites with the higher soil nutrient and organic carbon. Also, it’s prefer neutral soil pH. In the other world soil physiochemical properties play and important role in L. nummulariifolia distribution and information about site requirements of this species could help to identify proper sites for reforestation to enrichments of Zagros forest.

The valuation of some services and functions of forest ecosystem of Noujian watershed

amir modaberi

Background and objectives: In addition to wood production, forests have many environmental and social resources that most of them are often lacking in the market.
Materials and methods: In this paper five cases of ecosystem services forest ecosystem was considered from an economic perspective and they have been evaluated to various approaches. For this purpose, the recreational value of the area by using a conditional valuation method and the value of carbon sequestration, the maintenance of soil nutrients, the value of water regulation and the value of non-food products in the region were estimated by using the replacement cost method. Then the total economic value of these functions was estimated.
Results: According to the results total economic value and the annual value per hectare of forest ecosystem were 576413505.1 Toman and 17243407.560 Toman in year respectively. The functions of Carbon sequestration with equivalent value 574114967.1 thousand Toman had the most value and Recreational function had the lowest total value among other functions with equivalent value 126618 thousand Toman per year.
Conclusion: The results of the study, as well as other similar studies can be concluded that natural resources with regard to the future exploitation process, they are more under pressure and rarer, So it is necessary that with the optimal using of these valuable ecosystems, this natural heritage has been protected. With understanding the economic value of the whole ecosystem, programmers and policymakers are able to make more comprehensive decisions and determine the precedence between available options that makes optimal use of it.

The Effects of Livestock and pasture balance project based on the exploiters' perspectives: the case of central district of Kohgiluyeh County

Mehdi Nooripoor

Background and objective: Sustainable exploitation of natural resources plays an important role in providing livelihoods to rural and nomadic communities. Nowadays, indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources has prompted policy makers to adopt guidelines for their sustainable management. Among the factors inﬂuencing the rangeland degradation, is an imbalance between the number of livestock per hectare and the grazing capacity of the rangeland due to the production capacity of the rangeland. However, many livestock balance plans have been implemented in different parts of the country, it has not been studied much whether these plans actually have acceptable effects or achieved the desired goals. Therefore, the general aim of this study is to identify the effects of balancing livestock numbers and Identifying the Effects of balancing livestock numbers and rangeland carrying capacity from the view point of ranchers, the case of Central District of Kohgiluyeh County.
Materials and methods: The present study was carried out using a mixed method. In the qualitative section, sampling based on the principles of qualitative research continued until data saturation and then, started coding through content analysis. Using the data of qualitative section, a structured questionnaire was prepared. The face validity of the questionnaire was conﬁrmed by subject experts and distributed among the studied samples. In addition, data analysis was performed using SPSSv21 software to categorize the concepts obtained from the ﬁrst section
Results: The ﬁndings showed that from the respondents' view point, the implementation of the mentioned plan had several effects. Analysis of the data collected through content analysis and open coding indicated that these effects included 63 items. Then, to categorize the effects and to reduce the number of known variables and form new structures for them (based on the correlation between variables), exploratory factor analysis method has been used. The ﬁndings of factor analysis showed that only 39 of the indicators were extracted from the seven categories and explained 56.243% of the variance of variables used in factor analysis. Among these categorizes, the most effect was due to the psychosocial-educational factor, which explained 14.437% of the total variance.
Research constraints: Factors such as the lack of villagers at the time of the Census, the immigration of some ranchers and the severity of some areas were the research constraints.

Assessment of survival rate of wild almond plantations in Bazoft based on topographic condition

Mahmood Karimi

Background and purpose: In recent years, forestry projects have gained increasing environmental, economic and social importance as an indicator of development. These projects are one of the most important international activities. Since the establishment of a natural forest in arid and semi-arid regions is a long and complicated process, it is difficult and necessary to restore a deforested forest in these areas. The harsh conditions and nature have reduced the forest ecosystem, so this study aims to present a picture of the status of the current forestry plans with Amygdalus scoparia Spach in four regions of central Bazoft. The intention was to compare the qualitative and quantitative status of forestry in these areas and tested the viability and adaptability of tree and shrub species cultivated in the valleys around the Bazoft river and in the central Bazoft region.
Materials and methods: In this study, the centers of sample plots were 400 m² ((20 × 20 m) in a completely randomized design. In total, there were 153 plots, and in each sample plot, quantitative characteristics such as mean area of canopy, average height and qualitative characteristics such as vitality and the most important characteristic and survival was estimated. Kaplan-Meier estimator was used to estimate Survival Distribution Function, average survival rate and drying risk in each forest area. The same survival function tests associated with this estimator were also performed to ensure probable segregation of the areas. Analysis of variance was performed in regard to classified factors of the region (in four classes), planting time (in four classes: 1385, 86, 87, 88), Front (in four classes: Four main directions), slope (in two classes: more than 25 Percent and below), elevation and density of primary seedlings. Mean values were compared by Tukey test.
Findings: The results of the comparison of survival rates showed that at a small spatial distance, a significant difference was observed in forestry with a singletree species. The highest survival rate after one decade was 0.88 and the lowest was 0.64. Even two identical tests of survival function i.e. Log-rank and Wilcoxon showed that there was a significant difference between forested areas with Amygdalus scoparia species. Cox Proportional Hazards Model using topographic factors (slope, front and sea level) as covariance using Wald statistic showed that the highest Amygdalus scoparia cultivation risk ratio were the western and northern fronts and then low slope regions.
Conclusion: There was a significant difference between forested areas with Amygdalus scoparia species. Based on the average canopy area, height and freshness of the trees, the southern slopes were perfectly suitable for cultivation, and the western and northern slopes were inappropriate for cultivation of these trees. The other topographic factors that probably influenced the success of the Amygdalus scoparia cultivation (slope and elevation) had not significant effects on the outcome of the Amygdalus scoparia cultivation.