A preliminary study of fire-resistant trees in the forests of Guilan province (Case study: Noqlebar Forest, Watershed number 18 Reshterood)

Fire is an integral factor in many forest ecosystems and is strongly influenced by human activities. The first visible effect of forest fire is destroying the existing vegetation, which results in the forest stand being host to more resistant species. Different plant species, including trees, show different responses to natural disasters such as fire according to their characteristics. In this study the fire resistant tree species in the Noghlehbar Rostamabad forest of Roudbar in Guilan province was investigated, since the area has been heavily damaged by fire in 2010. The area contained Parrotia-Carpinetum forest community, accompanied by oak, beech, maple and elem. In this study was used a full calipering method to determine the amount of damages to the trunk and crown, and a random sampling was used to determine species regeneration. The statistical tests revealed a significant difference between species in terms of their fire resistance. In addition, Oak was shown to be of highest fire resistance, while the Iron tree was of lowest one. The Elem species was able to produce the highest rate of post-fire regeneration, and the highest growth rate was observed in the Oak tree seedlings.