Investigation of competition and structural characteristics of Fagus orientalis, Carpinus betulus and Quercus castanaefulia in different stratums (Case Study: Asalem Forests)

In order to investigate the structural characteristics (mingling, spatial distribution pattern and dominance) and competition (DBH and Height) of beech, hornbeam and Oak species in different stratums of forest, 10 plots with areas of 1 hectare were collected randomly, in the protected regions of Asalem forests. In each plot some information such as azimuth and distance of the trees relative to the source, diameter at breast height and maximum height of trees were measured. Then, the dominant heights of the stands were identified and classified into three stratums: upper, middle and lower. According to the results, beech showed little Mingling in all stands, while the results related to Oak revealed high Mingling and hornbeam had more Mingling than the average amount of Mingling, that the highest value was observed in the upper stratum. Regarding the spatial distribution pattern, the mean of all three species indicated a little clustered distribution patterns, but beech and hornbeam tend to showed a regular distribution pattern in the upper stratum. Also, from the lower stratum to the upper stratum, the dominance increased and the competition decreased. The results of Oak showed the highest dominance and the lowest competition compare to the other species. By describing the results in different stratums, more information about characteristics and structural changes of species were reached. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to these features in management planning and implementation activities such as forest utilization and silviculture so that the intervention is designed to minimize changes in forest structure