javad eshaghi-rad

It is essential to investigate the depth, strength, and main mechanisms of edge effects and recreational activities to preserve species diversity in forest ecosystems. This study aimed to evaluate edge effects and recreation on woody and herb species composition, richness, and diversity in Hyrcanian broad-leaved forests.

Two treatments (control and recreational regions) were determined in the Noor forest park, Mazandaran Province, to achieve research objectives. Five transects from the edge to the forest interior were established in each region. Measurements of herb and tree layers were collected at -5 (out of the forest stand), 0 (forest edge), 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 300 m along each transect. In total, 45 sample points were assigned to each treatment. To collect data on tree and shrub canopy cover, two rectangular sample plots of 200 m2 (20 × 10 m) were laid out perpendicular to the transect on the left and right sides at each point. The count, diameter at breast height (> 5 cm), height, and canopy cover percentage were the variables measured in the identified tree and shrub species. For sampling herbaceous species, 10 one-m2 (1×1 m) subplots, with five subplots on each of the right and left sides spaced one m apart, were determined at each sampling point. The type and abundance of herbaceous species were recorded. Using a light sensor device (model Lycor 250), the amount of light entering the forest floor at a height of > 1 m above the ground surface was recorded at each sampling point. The species richness and diversity of tree and herbaceous strata in the sample plots were evaluated using the total number of species present in each sample plot, the rarefaction method, Shannon-Wiener species evenness, and species diversity indices. The SHE method was used to determine the contribution of species richness and evenness to the measurement of species diversity. After calculating species diversity indices, GLM analysis and the Tukey test were used to compare means between treatments. The magnitude of edge influence (MEI) and DEI for all were calculated for species diversity indices and environmental variables. DEI for each variable was calculated using the randomization test of edge influence (RTEI). Data were analyzed with R software version 4.3.1.

The light near the edge was more than the interior in the study areas, and the edge positively affected the amount of light. Based on the results of the Rarefaction method and overlap of confidence intervals of the curves related to the study areas, no species richness differentiation was observed between the control and recreational areas. However, the non-overlap of the tree diagrams reveals the highest and the lowest tree species richness in the recreational and control areas, respectively. DEI values of light were -5, 0, 10, and 50 m in the control forest and -5 and 0 in the recreational area. The number of trees per hectare in distances from 10 to 150 m and the volume and basal area per hectare at a distance of 10 m were higher in the control area than in the recreational area. In general, a positive effect of the edge was observed on the species diversity indices of herb and tree layers. The results for the comparison of species diversity indices between the control and recreational areas  showed that species richness and diversity of the herb layer were higher in the distances of 10-300 m of recreational areas than in the control area. In the tree layer, higher species richness was recorded in edges of 10-200 m of the control area than in the recreational area. For the evenness index, DEI values were 10 and 0 m in recreational and control areas, respectively. Moreover, DEI values of herb species richness and diversity were 0 and -5 m in control forests.

Based on the results, the forest edge is considered an essential part of the forest landscape structure that significantly affects the structure, functions, and species diversity. Regarding the tourism and recreation industry as one of the largest industries in the world and its increasing importance, it is necessary to understand and improve the knowledge about its effects and the severity of its impact (due to the construction of roads) on different variables for better management and biodiversity conservation.

As complex and dynamic ecosystems, forests are influenced by natural and human-induced changes. These changes can directly affect the structure of plant communities and biodiversity. Gaps are one of the key factors in this context, arising from tree dieback, natural tree fall, or tree harvesting. Gaps serve as spaces for light and precipitation to reach the understory, playing a significant role in tree regeneration and changes in the diversity of understory species. This research aims to address the following questions:Does management affect the physical and chemical properties of soil and the diversity indices of herbaceous plants in gaps of varying sizes?Is there a difference in the trends of changes in the diversity of herbaceous plants and the physical and chemical properties of soil within gaps of different sizes in managed stands using selective logging compared to control stands in the provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan?

This study was conducted in the beech forests of Mazandaran Province (Kelardasht region) and Gilan Province (Shafaroud region). Two control plots and two managed plots using selective logging were selected in each region. In both the managed and control stands, three gaps were randomly identified across four size classes: small (less than 200 square meters), medium (200 to 500 square meters), large (500 to 1000 square meters), and very large (more than 1000 square meters). The type of species and the percentage of herbaceous cover were determined in five four-square-meter subplots at the edges and center of each gap. Soil samples were collected from a depth of 0 to 25 centimeters from the five subplots in each gap, and a composite sample was taken for analysis. Soil characteristics, including texture (using the hydrometer method), pH (using an electric pH meter), total nitrogen (using the Kjeldahl method), organic carbon (using the Walkley-Black method), available phosphorus (using the Olsen method), and exchangeable potassium (using flame photometry), were measured. The species richness index (number of species in the sample plot), Simpson diversity index, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, and Shannon-Wiener evenness index for each sample were calculated using PC-ORD version 5 software. The means of richness and diversity indices and soil characteristics for the managed and control stands were compared using independent t-tests. Additionally, the means of these variables in gaps of different sizes were compared using Tukey's test. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 18.

A total of 32 herbaceous species were identified in the Kelardasht region and 66 species in the Shafaroud region. The results indicated that, overall, with the increase in gap size, the diversity indices showed no significant changes in both the managed and unmanaged sections of Mazandaran Province. However, in Gilan Province, a different trend in the changes of these variables was observed with increasing gap sizes. The size of the gap and the type of management had a significant impact on the diversity of herbaceous species, with greater diversity found in larger gaps. In this study, the soil characteristics between regeneration gaps in both managed and unmanaged stands in Gilan and Mazandaran provinces did not show significant differences.

This study demonstrated that the size of gaps and forest management do not significantly affect soil characteristics in the studied areas; however, they do influence the diversity indices of herbaceous plants in Gilan Province. Therefore, the ecological conditions of the region and the type of management are key factors in the biodiversity of gaps. The results of this study can contribute to improving forest management and preserving biodiversity in various regions.

Understanding the site and soil demands of the species of Carpinus is of special priority due to the necessity of applying management according to the site conditions and preserving its biodiversity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the site and soil demands of Carpinus as the dominant species and to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of its mature and young stands. In this study, 5 circular samples were randomly taken in the four main directions at 700-1000 m, 1000-1500 m, and 1500-2000 m. Soil physical and chemical factors including bulk density, soil pH, EC, CaCO3, organic carbon, soil texture, total soil nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, porosity, saturation percentage and C/N ratio were measured. In each sample plot, all the trees with a diameter of breast height (DBH) of more than 6 cm were measured and their origin and quality were recorded. In the altitude class of 700-1000 m, in the eastern, southern and western slopes, no mature stands were identified. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the average DBH of the trees and the average diameter of the crown of bordering trees in different height classes (α=5%). The most tress with quality grade a (good quality) were observed in the north direction and the least in the southern slopes. The most important soil demands of the suitable site of Carpinus stands were including loam to sandy loam soil texture, high soil carbon, neutral to weak acidic soil pH, available content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrients and the C/N ratio of the soil about 10. The amount of soil organic carbon and nitrogen in upper altitude layers (<1500) was higher compared to low altitude levels. The highest average regeneration is in the western slope and the lowest is related to the southern slope. According to the surveys conducted in different altitude classes, the largest DBH in the northern slope is related to the altitude class of 700-1000 m. Also, the largest DBH in the eastern and southern slopes belonged to the altitude class of 1000-1500 m and in the western slope to the altitude class of 1500-2000 m. Furthermore, the highest average number of regenerations was observed in the altitude class of 1500-2000m. It can be concluded that Carpinus in the sites of the northern slopes with an altitude of 700-1000 m, in soils rich in organic matter with loam to sandy loam texture and with high availability of soil phosphorus and potassium has a higher growth and productivity potential.

The importance of canopy gaps in the natural forests as a part of the development processes of the stand is not hidden for ecologists. According to the gap size, different changes will be made in the microclimate of the region, which will ultimately cause the preservation and dynamics of the structure of these stands. In close to nature silviculture, while recognizing natural disturbance regimes, efforts are made to use them as a model in sustainable forest management. The purpose of applying management based on imitation is to preserve, sustain and promote species diversity. Mimicking natural disturbances has shown different effects in managed forests. In some cases, more suitable conditions have been created for the growth of seedlings and the increase of species diversity. But in some cases, management actions were either ineffective or caused negative effects. Therefore, optimal management strategies should be based on a deep assessment of forest stands, which will provide useful data in this research.

In this research, in order to determine the possible changes due to the implementation of management, the indices of diversity of herbaceous species in the gaps of a single-selection managed and a control (non-managed) beech forest were compared in district one of Livan and Banafshtape forestry projects in Golestan province. For this purpose, after identifying and measuring the surface of all gaps, in each forest, they were classified into three groups: small (less than 200 m2), medium (200 to 500 m2) and large (more than 500 m2) and Three replicates from each group were randomly analyzed. The type and percentage of cover of all herbaceous plant species were recorded in five sample plots (one in the center and the others in the four main geographical directions of each gap). Harvesting of herbaceous species of the forest floor was done using the modified Braun-Blanquet scale. To evaluate the richness of plant species in the studied habitats, the number of plant species in each sample plot was used. Biodiversity was investigated and compared in the surveyed plots using Simpson and Shannon-Weiner diversity indices and for uniformity, Paylo's evenness index was used. The comparison of the average indices between the two compartments was done using independent t and Mann-Whitney tests, and in the gaps with different sizes, Tukey and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed. The cluster analysis method was used to group the gaps with different sizes.

In this research, 25 herbaceous species were identified in the two investigated areas. 17 and 21 herbaceous species were identified in the gaps of the managed and unmanaged plots, respectively. Some herbaceous species were present in only one of the gap size classes, but others were identified in all three gap size classes. The results showed that there is not a significant difference between the indicators of richness (7.2±0.7 vs. 8.3±0.6), evenness (0.6±0.05 vs. 0.5±0.04), Shannon (1.1±0.1 vs. 1.1±0.09) and Simpson (0.5±0.06 vs. 0.5±0.05) between the managed and unmanaged compartments, respectively. Also, the cluster analysis showed that in terms of herbaceous cover, the gaps of the managed area cannot be separated from the unmanaged area. It is interesting to note that the species richness in the managed stand with small gap size (less than 500 m2) was significantly lower than other gaps in this stand. There was no significant difference between the other investigated indicators between the different sizes of the gaps in the managed and unmanaged compartments.

The harvesting of forest trees in the form of management can change the environmental conditions such as light and temperature in the created microclimate by creating gaps that are larger or smaller than the natural size and thus cause a change in the diversity of plant species. Although the results of some researchers showed that forest management can increase the diversity of tree species compared to unmanaged forests, but in the upcoming research, the management based on the single selection method after a period of 10 years had a significant effect on the composition and there was no diversity of herbaceous cover in the created gaps. Of course, it is necessary to remember that the type of forest management can affect biodiversity on a regional scale without causing a change on a local scale. Also, the effect of forest management on plant diversity depends on biotic and abiotic conditions and forest management approaches. The results of some studies have shown that the abundance of herbaceous species in the forest floor depends on the abundance of tree species. Therefore, in a pure forest where the number of tree species is less than in a mixed forest, the low abundance of floor covering species is not far from expected. In any case, the accurate evaluation of the effects of applied management requires more studies of the floristic and soil characteristics of the gaps in different periods of time after the implementation of cuttings.

Euproctis chrysorrhoea L. is the key pests of Arasbaran forests and has very high distribution. This research was conducted in order to investigating species diversity and richness of the arthropods related to wintering larvae of pest in eight regions of Ahar and Horand in East Azarbaijan in 2019. Number of 20 oak trees were selected in each area and 10 nests of wintering larvae were collected from each tree and transferred to the laboratory. Isolation of arthropods inside larval nests was done in the laboratory and species richness indices, Shannon and Simpson diversity of them at different elevation classes were also calculated. In this research, the number of seven species of arthropods on the overwintering larvae of E. chrysorrhoea were collected and identified as follows: Brachymeria intermedia Nees, Monodontomerus aerus Walker, Pimpla turionellae L., Meteorus obsoletus Wesmael, Telenemus sp., Tachina praeceps Meigen and Thomisas sp. The highest number of arthropods (six species) was observed in Niagh area in Horand. The highest frequency was belong to Telenemus sp. Diversity and species richness of arthropods of E. chrysorrhoea was less in different regions of Ahar than Horand. So that the highest and lowest values of Shannon's diversity index with values of 2.56 and 1.04, as well as the highest and lowest values of Simpson index with values of 0.76 and 0.31, respectively, were recorded in Niagh in Horand and Goravan in Ahar. Results showed that the height above sea level did not affect diversity indices of arthropods related to wintering larvae.

The variations in the number of six parameters of the landscape metrics in Arasbaran forests were explored in this study. Landsat 8 images from August 2015 were utilized for this purpose. For both protected and non-protected regions, forest and non-forest land use maps (kappa coefficient 0.9) were created, and necessary values were estimated using this map. According to the results, forest covers 34.98% of the protected area and 48.33% of the non-protected area, based on the index of the ratio of the area of the forest class to the surface of the land. In terms of the index of the larger patch of forest class, it was discovered that the largest patch of forest covers 22.0207% of the land in the protected region, while 41.3870% of the area in the unprotected area. In addition, the value of the index of the average area of a patch of the forest class in the non-protected area (8.4947 hectares) is more than twice that of the protected area (18.2241 hectares), and the value of both indicators patch density and edge density in the protected area is higher than in the non-protected area. According to the findings, the presence of processes of forest surface fragmentation is more visible in the protected area than in the non-protected region.

Parasitoid wasps are one of the natural enemies and major causes of mortality of Oak gall wasps (Cynipidae). This study was conducted during 2018-2019 in Rabat and Vavan regions (Sardasht –West-Azerbaijan) in order to identify the sexual generation of oak gall wasp’s species on the Persian oak Quercus brantii and their natural enemies. The galls were reared to collect gall wasps and parasitoids in laboratory. Then, Species diversity, evenness and species richness (with Rarefaction method) were calculated with Ecological Mothology 3.0 software. 14 parasitoid wasps belonged to six families of Hymenoptera were identified. Bootaniomyia dorsalis had the highest frequency among collected parasitoid wasps from Rabat and Vavan in two years. The mean of diversity and evenness indexes in 2018 and 2019 in two studied regions showed that the mean of diversity between Rabat and Vavan had a significant difference in both years. The Shannon diversity index in Rabat was more than Vavan. The highest richness of parasitoids was recorded in Rabat in 2019.

Oak gall wasps among food chains in the Zagros forest ecosystem are highly dependent on these trees. The gall wasps of the Cynipinae subfamily with 1380 species create the most attractive herbaceous plant galls with a very complex structure in the world. In this study, the distribution and diversity of oak gall wasps species, the samplings of oak gall wasps species based on the sexual and asexual generations were carried out in May and October of the year 2019, respectively. The collected gall wasps from Ghasem-rash, Shalmash, and Kani-rash regions were transferred to the laboratory by paper envelopes. 50 galls of each type were collected separately and placed in breeding containers that were closed with a net and could be properly ventilated. Shannon and Simpson diversity and uniformity indices as well as species richness were also calculated. In this study, 22 species of gall wasps, belonging to the genera Andricus, Chilaspis, Cynips, and Neuroterus (5 species of sexual offspring in spring and 17 species of asexual offspring in summer-autumn) were identified. The number of 18, 14, and 15 oak gall wasps species were collected from Ghasem-rash, Shalmash, and Kani-rash, respectively. Neuroterus numismalis was the most abundant in all regions. The highest species richness of the oak gall wasps species was recorded in Ghasem-rash. The calculated indices of species diversity and uniformity were the same in all regions and did not have significant differences.

Pests are one of the most dangerous factors in the development and cultivation of Poplar. These trees are severely reduced in terms of quantity and quality of the wood products and suffer severe damage due to the damage of harmful insects. This study was conducted to collect and identify important poplar pests in three plantations located in Urmia, Salmas and Khoy and their demographic changes by sampling Poplar pests using methods such as light trap, net trap and direct capture. In each plantation, 30 trees were sampled and the species richness of the poplar pests was calculated by the rarefaction method and their species diversity was calculated using Shannon and Simpson diversity indices. The important identified pests were: dusky clearwing (Paranthrene tabaniformis Rott.), Chaitophorus populi L., puss moth (Cerura vinula L.), Amorpha populi (L.), poplar spiral gall aphid (Pemphigus spirothecae Pass.), Melanophila picta (Pall.), Monosteria unicostata (Muls.& Rey), poplar woolly aphid (Phloemyzus passerini Sign.), Melasoma populi (L.), Capnodis miliaris (Klug.), and poplar minnow moth (Lithocolletis populifoliella Tr.). The values of diversity and evenness indices calculated in all three regions did not have a significant difference at the level of 5%, which showed the climate did not affect these indices. The poplar minnow moth was considered to be the most destructive pest of the poplar cultivations in West Azerbaijan and its activity on various poplar colonies was significant.

Due to the increasing demand for tourism activities in forest areas, it is necessary to develop forest-based tourism based on proper planning and in accordance with the needs of tourists and the natural capacities of these areas. Therefore, in this study, the effective components of the development of forest-based tourism were identified and prioritized. In this research, to identify the effective factors on the development of tourism in proportion to the forest areas, the documentary method and the questionnaire were used to prioritize them using the TOPSIS method. The panel of experts in the study included university professors, tourism graduates, experts in the Cultural Heritage, Arts and Tourism Organization, and Natural Resources administration. According to the results, the components of ((review of concentrated tourism areas based on carrying capacity)) with a weight of 0.947, ((Development of the tourism value chain in tourism destinations)) with a weight of 0.933 and ((improving the transportation network)) with a weight of 0.893 are the first to third priorities. The most important component known in the present study was ((review of concentrated tourism areas based on carrying capacity)) which showed that any development including value chain development, infrastructure, and economic and social development of forest tourism areas without considering the carrying capacity is not appropriate. The final result showed that considering the environmental aspect for the development of forest-based tourism has critical importance.

In order to introduce and application of DEI (Distance of Edge Influence) and MEI (Magnitude of Edge Influence) indices to determine the distance of edge effect and intensity of the edge effect on herbaceous species and soil chemical properties, Three forest fragments (under 10 hectares) from oak forests of Kermanshah province were selected with similar conditions in terms of slope, direction and altitude. In each fragment three transects were established from the edge to the forest interior. Measurements of vegetation and soil variables were collected at 0 (edge), 25, 50, 100, 150 m along each transect. The results showed that MEI index values ​​were positive for soil variables (except nitrogen, organic carbon and pH). The values ​​of this index were also positive for species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity and Evenness. DEI index value ​​was 25 m for soil variables except pH and 50 m for diversity indices. The influence of edge on species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity and Evenness was significant. Soil variables (except phosphorus) did not show significant differences at different distances from edge. Also, changes in species richness and soil chemical properties were observed in 0-50 m from edge. Totally, in sparse oak forests, fragmentation and edge effect had influence on species richness and soil chemical properties.

Nowadays, the application of clustering methods is widely increased, although choosing the right method due to the existence of different method and effective factors is difficult. The present study aimed to compare the results of widely used clustering algorithms and to determine the most effective methods according to the different evaluators and evaluate the effective distance measurement method for clustering algorithms. The data of Hyrcanian beech forests were examined in an area protected by the department of natural resources of Nowshahr. Random-systematic sampling method with regular grid of 100×200 m was used for determining the center of sample plots; 100-m2 (10×10 m) sample plots had been used to check the shrub species and 400-m2 (20×20 m) to check the herbaceous species. A total of 120 sample plots were measured. The abundance and coverage of tree, shrub and herbaceous species were estimated based on Braun-Blanquette scale. Three distance methods of measuring distance Bray Curtis, Hellinger and Manhattan were used and five clustering methods (Average method clustering methods, Ward method, flexible beta method with beta values ​​of -0.1, -0.25, -0.4) with six evaluation indicators (silhouette evaluation criterion, PARATNA criterion, Indval criterion, ISAMIC criterion, MRPP criterion and Phi correlation coefficient) were examined. Different clustering algorithms were arranged from best to worst for each dataset. The comparison analysis revealed that Ward’s and flexible-beta with beta value of -0.1 had the best performance. The present findings illustrated that Hellinger distance measurement method is better in homogeneous data than other distance measurement methods.

The purpose of this study was to compare the quantitative regeneration status of gaps with different areas in managed and unmanaged forests at different elevations. 72 gaps in three size classes and 18 control plots under canopy cover were randomly selected. The results showed that up to an elevation of 1400 m, there was no significant differences between the average relative abundance of seedlings among the gaps and also between gaps and under canopy cover in both managed and unmanaged stands. However, with increasing elevation, the relative abundance of Fagus orientalis Lipsky increased in unmanaged stands in small gaps. Also, the relative abundance of Fagus orientalis Lipsky at elevation of 1000-1200 and 1400-1600 m in small gaps showed a significant difference between unmanaged and managed stands. While the relative abundance of Fagus orientalis Lipsky at an elevation of 1200-1400 m in medium size gaps showed none-significant difference between the two stands. The results of this study showed that the elevation is one of the most important and influential factor on the establishment of regeneration and growth of seedlings in canopy gaps.

This research was carried out with the aim of investigating the effect of mass density on woody and herb diversity in oak stands in Sardasht forests of West Azerbaijan province. For this purpose, the effect of density on the diversity and richness of tree and grass cover in three populations with Sparse, Completely sparse and relatively dense populated densities was investigated. 30 square plots were arranged in a randomized manner in the forests of the region, The distance between the sample units was 100 meters and the distance between the transects was 200 meters. Types and characteristics of tree species and shrubs were recorded in each sample. The frequency and species of herbaceous species were recorded in 5 micro particles with a dimension of 1.5 × 1.5 m in each sample. The correlation between stand density, richness and diversity indices of herbaceous species and tree species diversity was investigated by Pearson method. Tokay test was used to compare the mean of richness and species diversity between thinness, thinness and fairly massive densities. The results showed that 117 species of plants (5 tree species and 112 grass species) are present in the region. Correlation between grassland characteristics and tree specification showed that the Shannon uniformity index is correlated with the number of spikes, mean diameter and cross-section, and the Simpson species diversity and Margalof species richness with the average diameter and cross-sectional area is correlated. Also there was no significant difference between the diversity and richness of herbaceous and tree species in different densities.

Vegetation classification is an essential tool to describe, understand, predict and manage ecosystems. The aim of this study was to compare different types of hierarchical clustering. Three forest patches with similar slope and altitude gradients located on the southern slopes of Chahar Zebar forests, Kermanshah province, were selected. Vegetation sampling in each patch was conducted at 0, 25, 50, 100 and 150-meter distances along three transects that were 200 m apart. Cluster analysis was used for the classification of samples. Amongst the applied methods, Gower’s distance (or similarity) initially computes distances between pairs of variables over data sets and then merges those distances with the nearest neighbor, complete neighbor, average neighbor, and Ward’s method. The optimal number and quality of clusters were evaluated with silhouette criteria. In addition, the Cophenetic correlation coefficient was computed for evaluating the correlation between the dendrogram and the distance matrix. Results showed that two was the optimal number of clustering for oak stands. Moreover, the Cophenetic correlation coefficient between the distance matrix and the nearest neighbor and average method was higher than that returned between complete neighbor and Ward’s method. Based on silhouette criteria, the nearest neighbor and average methods were associated with higher cluster quality compared with two other methods. However, the mean value of the silhouette index was low for the second cluster of the nearest neighbor method. Considering the disadvantages of the nearest neighbor, the average method is suggested for clustering categorical data.

This research was carried out for investigating the effect of stand density on the richness and diversity of spring gallwasps species in Quercus branti stands in Sardasht forest (West Azarbaijan province). The effect of density on the diversity and richness of gallwasps was investigated in three populations with completely sparse, sparse, and relatively dense stands. A total of 30 samples with an area of 400 m2 were arranged to record the quantities of woody species and the type and frequency of gallwasps species. In each sample, the frequency and types of herbaceous species were recorded in 5 subsample (1.5×1.5 m). The results showed that there were eight gallwasps from the Cynipidae family in Sardasht forest. The Shannon evenness index of gallwasps was significantly correlated with the number of coppice, the mean diameter and the mean basal area. The Simpson species index of gallwasps was in correlation with the mean basal area. Furthermore, we found a significant correlation between Shannon species diversity, Shannon evenness, and Simpson species diversity of the herbaceous species and Shannon species diversity, Shannon evenness, Simpson species diversity and Margalef species richness of gallwasps.

In order to evaluate the applied management function on forest habitats, soil properties will provide useful information. In the present study, the effect of conservation based management on soil properties of Arasbaran forest habitats has been investigated. At first, the protected (Dizmar) and non-protected area of Arasbaran is divided into two altitude classes of 1000-1500 and 1500-2000 m.a.s.l. In each region, 22 soil samples (11 soil samples per elevation class) and totally 44 soil samples were taken at 0-30 cm depths of Northern aspect of these forests in the summer of 2016. Two-way ANOVA tests were carried out to evaluate the effects of 46-year conservation management treatment on the soil properties. The results showed that conservation management has significant effect on acidity (6.5%), Electrical Conductivity (EC) (1.45 ds/m), saturation moisture (77.5%), organic carbon (8.31%), clay (31.77%), sand (40%), N (0.84%), K (2475.86 ppm) and soil water content (17.42%). The mean of all these parameters except the sand are higher in protected region than the non-protected region. Also, the results indicate that in the Arasbaran area, the treatment of altitude from the sea level had significant effect on the bulk density and soil water content of the area, so that the mean bulk density in the low altitude is higher, whereas the mean soil water content is higher in upon altitude. The results of this research confirm the significant effect of conservation management approach on the soil quality indices of forest stands in the Arasbaran area.

This study was performed in order to investigate the effect of deleting rare species and common species in compartment No.317 (managed forest) and No.318 (control forest) of Jamand district of Golband forest in Mazandaran (Noshahr). For this purpose, random-systematic sampling method with regular grid of 100×200 m was used to locate samples. The plot size was 400 m2 considering to tree and shrub species and in the center of each main plot, one 100 m2 subplot was set up for herb species. Estimate of percent cover of each plant species recorded using of Braun-Blanquet scale. DCA and NMDS ordination used and the results were compared by Procrust analysis.The results illustrated that deleting the rare species data had a little effect on output of ordination, although excluding of common species can change significantly output of ordination, and correlation between the raw data and removed common species is low. Generally, it can be concluded that the removal of rare species without losing too much information is a way to prevent probable errors but common species which have so much information should be retained.

in Southern slopes of Kermanshah forests. Three patches of oak forests stretched over the southern aspects of oak forests were selected with similar conditions of slope and altitude. Vegetation sampling in each patch was conducted at 0, 25, 50, 100 and 150 meter by using of 3 transects located in the 200m distances. The results show that in the study area there are 115 plant species which belong to 91genera and 25 families. The results show that in this area there are 115 plant species which belong to 91genera and 25 families: The Asteraceae and Fabaceae families (20 species, 17.39%) is the richest families and 9 families such as Fagaceae and Podophyllaceae (1 species, 0.87%) include the least of plant species in region. Most plants in the area belong to Therophytes based on Rankaier’s life forms with (69 species, 60%) and phytogeographically belong to the Iranians Turanian area (74 species, 64.35%). 15 species (13.04%) were only observed at the edges and 5 species(4.35%) were just recorded within forest.

This study was carried out in three regions including the undisturbed, moderately disturbed, and highly disturbed of Yaghub-abad, Shoy, and Sadbar in Oak forests of Baneh County in order to investigate the effect of human made destruction on flora and plant species diversity. Three forest patches with similar physiographic conditions of each treatment were selected and three 1000 m2 plots (transect method and the 100m distance interval) were taken in each patch to record the floristic information. At the plot center, in a 400 m2 plot, type and abundance of tree and shrub species type were estimated. Also abundance of understory species in 5 micro plots with 1.5×1.5 m dimensions were recorded in this sample. . Species richness, Simpson and Shannon diversity and Shannon evenness indices were calculated to each sample. The results showed that there were 195 plant species which 47, 25, 15 species were exclusively observed in less disturbed, moderate disturbed and severe disturbed respectively. The results revealed that Asteraceae family is dominant in the area and in terms of Raunkiaer life forms, hemicryptophytes are dominant and considering chorotypes, vegetative region of Iran and Turan (Iranian-Turan) was mainly observable. This study also showed that the highest species richness and species diversity of Shannon-wiener belongs to the less disturbed region and the lowest ones calculated for sever disturbed region.

This study aimed to investigate the association between the three types of Oak named Quercus brantii Lindl., Quercus libani Oliv. and Quercus infectoria Oliv. with physiographic factors altitude, slope and aspect in the northern Zagros forest (case study: Sardasht forest, Rabat) and area of approximately 25000 hectares, and ranges in altitude from 1000 to 2200 meters above sea level. Transect sampling method with a fixed length of 50 meters were counted. Calculation of community between Oak species in the region and in different physiographic classes per species was done by calculating the Phi coefficient. As well as to determine the correlation between the species Chi-square test and Kendall’s correlation coefficient were used. Results of Phi coefficient between species indicated negative association between Quercus brantii Lindl. with Quercus libani Oliv. and Quercus infectoria Oliv. in all altitude, aspect and slope classes while Quercus libani Oliv. and Quercus infectoria Oliv. in most classes of altitude, aspect and slope there was a positive association. In the entire region, as well as physiographic classes there was negative association between Quercus brantii Lindl. With Quercus libani Oliv. and Quercus infectoria Oliv. and positive association between Quercus libani Oliv. and Quercus infectoria Oliv. Also, according to the results of the chi-square and Kendall's correlation coefficient between Quercus brantii Lindl. with Quercus libani Oliv. and negative correlation was found indicating a negative association between these species in physiographic classes and in the region.

This study aimed at investigating a range of widely-used approaches for indirect ordination analysis of vegetation. To this aim, a black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold.) plantation (9.2 ha) located at Urmia airport was studied. Nine plots of 100 m2 each were randomly set up in 50×50 m sampling grid, in which vegetation was recorded. In addition, three plots of 100 m2 with 50 meters interval were set up along transect in an adjacent meadow site as control area. We evaluated three ordination techniques (Principal Component Analysis, Detrended Correspondence Analysis, Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling) with varying values of gradient length, Kaiser-Guttman, Broken stick, 70% of variance, eigenvalues > 0.4, final stress in NMDS ordination and Procrustean analysis. Result showed that all three ordinations are able to illustrate length of environmental gradient, though Procrustean analysis of all three datasets revealed significant differences in correlation between ordination methods. DCA had eigenvalues > 4.0, and the covered Kaiser-Guttman criterion with an axis. Moreover, final stress was

This study was performed in order to investigate the changes in vegetation and soil properties in compartment No.317 (managed forest) and No.318 (control forest) of Jamand district of Golband forest in Mazandaran (Noshahr). For this purpose, random-systematic sampling method with regular grid of 100×200 m was used to locate samples. The plot size was 400 m2 considering to tree and shrub species and in the center of each main plot, one 100 m2 subplot was set up for herb species. Estimate of percent cover of each plant species recorded by using of Braun-Blanquet scale. In center each of 100 m2 plots, 3 profiles in two depths (0-10 and 10-30 cm) were dug and soil samples were analyzed for physico-chemical properties of soil including pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorous, exchangeable potassium, bulk density, sand, silt and clay percent. Cluster analysis was used for classification of samples and CCA analysis was applied to determine the relationships between vegetation data and environmental variables. The results of t-student test showed that difference of averages of the measured soil variables were not significant in both compartments. Also based on the results cluster and CCA analysis found that vegetation was similar in two compartments and was not separable in distinct groups. Therefore, implementation of single-tree selection method after two periods hadn’t significant effect on vegetation composition as well as soil properties in managed forest in comparison with control forest.

Given the influence of number of species on the results of vegetation ordination, this study aims to evaluate how the removal of rare species will impact the results of Principle Component Analysis (PCA) in beech communities in the Hyrcanian Forests of northern Ian. Using random-systematic sampling method with 100*200 m network dimension, 26 sample plots were equally established in managed and control compartments. Percentage cover of each plant species was recorded using Braun-Blanquet scale. PCA was applied to determine the relationship between vegetation and environmental variables. Data were analyzed using Procrustan analysis in the R software. The results showed that the removal of rare species with less than 10% abundance in each sample plot will increases the variance but decrease the Eigen value and that there is a high correlation between the raw datasets and rare species removal. But no significant difference was seen for rare species having less than 5% abundance in each sample plot. It might therefore be concluded that the elimination of rare species with

The aim of this research is to study the influence of forest fragmentation on plant species composition and distribution in the northern aspects of Kermanshah oak forests. Three patches of oak forests with similar physiographic conditions were selected and vegetation data were sampled at 0, 25, 50, 100 and 150-meter intervals along three transects which was located in a distance of 200 m apart from each other. Cluster Analysis and Deterended Correspondence Analysis were used to categorize and investigate the trend of vegetation variation in different patches. Also, Indicator Species Analysis accompanied with Monte Carlo test was used to determine the characteristic species in the area. In this study, 113 plant species belonging to 97 genera and 27 families were identified., Asteraceae family with 21 species (18.58 percent) showed the highest number of plant species Two categories of sample plots, i.e. forest-edge (zero and 25 m) and inside-forest (50, 100 and 150 m) were separated And it was recognizes that the distance from the patch edge was the most important factor on distribution the distribution of these groups. Characteristic species of the first group are: Aegilops umbellulat, Alyssum menicoides, Anthemis hyalina, Calendula persica, Echinops kermanshahanicus, Euphorbia macroclada, Gundelia tournefortii, Lens orientalis, Onobrychis lunata, Picnomon acarna, Sysymbrium damascenum, Tragopogon longrostris, Verbascum pseudo-digitalis, Vicia assyriaca, V. narbonensis and for the second group: Alyssum marginatum, Anagalis arvensis, Galium aparine, Geranium tuberosum, Phlomis persica, Scandix pectin-veneris, Stipa barbata, Taeniatherum crinitum, Ziziphora capitata, Crataegus azaralous, and Quercus branttii.