Relationship between Altitude, Slope and Tree Age with Red Heartwood of Beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) in Shaffarud Forest Area

The relationship between altitude, slope and tree age with the red heartwood of Beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) were investigated. Transect sampling method was used to collect the data. The results showed that in the 476 sampled trees, 132 trees were suffering the phenomenon of red hearts with deferent shape and size. The results indicate that the tree with red heartwoods in Shafa-roud forest area, with 95% confidence intervals were 27.7 ± 4.6 percent. The mean values (Ki) of the red heartwood were significantly different in three altitude forest areas. The relationship between altitude variations and red heartwood were significantly different. The relationship between slope variations and red heartwood were not significant (ˆr = 0.271, p- value = 0.097). The results of this study indicate that the frequency of the red heartwood was increased in older stands and was extended when the stands become older than 150 years. The ratio of red heartwood in older and young stands was 2.74.