Effects of range reclamation projects on forage production, condition and trend in Khezel rangeladns, Nahvand region

Various management practices have been used to enhance rangeland condition and trends. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of range reclamation plans on forage supply, range condition and trend in Khezel rangelands -Nahavand region in 2014. Forage supply, condition and trend changes of eight management units (samaneh orfi) under range management plans and four management units without such a plan were studied and compared using T-test analysis. Vegetation characteristics in each site were measured in 30 quadrates with one square meters plots along 50 meters transect parallel to the dominant slope. According to the results, all treated rangelands showed considerable positive changes in range condition but the measured characteristics in Goornasib and Sertezen sites did not differ significantly because no treatment applied. Forage supply of sites with range management plans increased significantly compared to control sites (p 0.05) except Abolfath and Faresban sites. The forage production varied considerably between the sites. The maximum and minimum productions in the sites were observed in Siah-Dare with 560 kg/ha and Dolat-Abad with 240 Kg/ha respectively. Positive trends were observed in all the treated sites. This study indicated that implementing range management plans can enhance forage production, range condition and trend therfore it can conserve rangeland sustainability in the long term.