Development of the Dead Trees Structural Legacy in the Dynamics Process of Pure Beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) Stands (Case study: Gorazbon District of Kheyrud Forest)

Deadwoods are the structural legacies components of natural stands that play a drastic function in understanding the developmental stages.

Therefore, the attending study emphasizes quantifying the deadwood statues in determining various dynamic steps in the forests of northern Iran. Compartment 326 was considered the Gorazbon district in the Kheyrud forest for this point. The 25 one-hectare sample plots were selected and their deadwood by the 100% sampling method. Standing deadwood (snag) with a diameter of more than 7.5 cm, which dried as a stem or trunk with a height of more than 1.3 m, was measured. The significance was assessed after the Kolmogorov-Smirnov normalization test through the ANOVA test for traits such as dead trees ' height, standing deadwood size, length of fallen deadwood, their frequency in diameter classes, and appearance.  

The mean abundance of beeches deadwood per hectare in the disturbance and legacy creation, pre-forest, canopy closure, mature forest, and old forest developmental stages are 23.2%, 16.85%, 7.6%, 16.6%, and 35.8%, respectively. The highest deadwood volume is related to the disturbance and legacy creation stage, and the least includes the canopy closure (162.75 and 7.45 m3. ha-1, respectively). Furthermore, the maximum mean deadwood volume in decay classifications 1, 2, 3, and 4 includes 69.35 m3. ha-1 for disturbance and legacy creation, 60.08 m3. ha-1 on disturbance and legacy creation, 25 m3. ha-1 on the old-growth, and 17.9 m3. ha-1 for old-growth, respectively. The ANOVA results revealed that the mean differences are significant in factors such as deadwood, their standing type (snag), falling type volume, and their appearance.

The deadwood frequency understanding at each development stage and perspectives provided optimal management of forest ecosystems and appropriate management interventions such as silviculture treatment, forest harvesting, and forest restoration.