Effects of changing the fuel consumption pattern of forest dwellers on the quantitative and qualitative status of woody debris in Arasbaran forests

Woody debris as an important part of forest ecosystems plays a vital role in ecological performance. The quantitative and qualitative status of wood waste in forest areas is affected by various factors, one of the most important of which is the effects of human communities and the history of wood waste exploitation. So far, a study on the status of wood debris as an important and vital element in forest ecosystems and also the role of changing the pattern of fuel consumption as the most important factor affecting the status of wood waste, which is one of the most important sources of fuel needs in Arasbaran is counted, it has not been done. Since proper evaluation of the these programs can be helpful in the proper planning and management of forest resources, this study aims to investigate the effects of fossil fuel providing on the woody debris component as fuel wood in terms of the quantitative and qualitative charactristics in Arasbaran forests.

Two villages including Makidi and Kalasur were selected as using fossilfuel and fuelwood areas, respectively. In so doing, three one-hectare sample plots in the square form and a total of six hectares were implemented in each area. Some characteristics including species type, diameter, height, and decay class of woody debris (standing, fallen and stumped) were measured in each sample plot.

The results of Mann-Whitney test showed the amount of woody debris in the fossilfuel and fuelwood areas are significantly different (p < 0.05). The amount of density and volume of woody debris was estimated to be 418 numbers per hectare and 3.42 cubic meters per hectare in the no harvesting fuel wood area and 50 numbers per hectare and 0.22 cubic meters per hectare in the harvesting fuel wood area.

The results of this research indicate the success of the fuel consumption pattern changing of forest dwellers in preserving woody debris in Arasbaran forests.