A Multi-Criteria Evaluation approach to Delineation of Suitable Areas for Planting Trees (Case Study: Juglans regia in Gharnaveh Watershed of Golestan Province)

For the successful tree establishment, an evaluation of land suitability is necessary. In this paper, we demonstrate how to implement fuzzy classification of land suitability in a GIS environment for afforestation with Juglans regia in Gharnaveh Watershed of Golestan Province in Iran. Juglans regia is one of the most important agro-forestry species in many rural parts of Iran. Relevant criteria for Juglans regia and suitability levels were defined using literature review and expert knowledge and layers were prepared and incorporated into a GIS database. We also defined the fuzzy membership functions for the criteria and assigned some important weights through expert knowledge and Analytical Hierarchy Process. This information was used as input to the weighted linear combination of MCE method. Our results indicate that a low percentage of area is classed as very highly suitable comprising some 645 ha or 11% of area for afforestation with Juglans regia. Results of the study also indicate the usefulness of fuzzy modeling of land suitability which provides some information for optimum land-use planning.