FOREST RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Year:2017 | Volume:3 | Issue:1 |Papers Count:7

The aim was to investigate the relationship between macro fauna biodiversity with quality or decay grade of beech logs deadwood and some environmental factors in the East Hyrcanian forests. 108 fallen beech deadwoods have been selected for this purpose that have appropriate frequency in four decay classes, three diameter classes from 10 to 100 cm and three classes of altitude above sea level from 250 to 900 m. The macro fauna samples were collected in the field under dead wood skin and inside wood with a knife and hand sorting. The total macro fauna observed belonging to 7 classes, 10 orders and 27 families. The results showed that two orders Coleoptera and Geophilomorpha, two families Lumbricidae and Arionidae and two genusJulus and Octotemnus had the highest and lowest macro fauna frequency respectively. Richness and diversity of macro fauna have decreased with increasing altitude above sea level. Dominance indices were decreased with increasing the dead wood quality (decay stage class) while richness and diversity were increased. Slope and elevation, were introduced as the most important environmental factors that controlled macro fauna biodiversity of fallen beech dead wood.

One of problems in managing of uneven-age forests is logging damages to residual trees and reducing stand quality and quantity in years after logging operation. In this research, trend of bole decay and economic loses by it, following logging damages, were analyzed at a 10 year period in a mixed beech forest in Guilan province. Volume of decayed section on trees bole was measured by Smalian formula, and volume of standing trees bole was estimated by local tree volume tables via plots of 0.1 ha area and systematic sampling design at the start and end of period. Results showed that volume of decayed bole were increased from 0.48 m3/ha at the start of period to 1.71 m3/ha at the end of period (P<0.01). Ratio of decayed-bole volume to standing tree volume were increased from 0.24% at the start of period to 0.81% at the end of period (P<0.01). The volume trend of decay was estimated 0.123 m3/ha/yr and the economic trend of decay was estimated 1.25 mil. Rial/ha/yr. The decay volume at the end of period was more than the start of period in the all tree species (P<0.01). The volume trend of decay was increased by increasing of trees DBH. In order to reduction of trees-bole decay, logging damages should be reduced, that this issue needs to careful and principles planning of each logging stage, education and reeducation of logging personnel, and continuous assessment of logging damages.

Successful afforestation in destroyed forest areas and forest development requires high quality seedling production in nursery which can grow in adverse conditions, establish and be a dominant over competition with other species. One of the most important activities in nursery which has great effect on seedling quality is thinning. This research was conducted in North of Iran, Mazandaran province, nursery No.1 of Nekachoob company (chalmardy Nursery) to evaluate effects of thinning on quality and quantity of seedling characteristics of Acer insigne and Fraxinus excelsior in different thinning spaces (5, 10, 15, 20 cm and control) using CRB design. The results showed that thinning had significantly effect on leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, root dry weight, biomass. Thinning 20 cm treatment had the greatest impact on the examined factors in both species that increased with increasing distance in thinning. According to the results, the best space for Acer insigne was 15 cm thinning treatment and 20 cm for Fraxinus excelsior. The results of this study could be used for nursery.

Conocarpus with the scientific nameConocarpus erectus L. is an ornamental shrub that in this study the effect of the treatments: the cuttings type (Hardwood, Semi-hardwood and Herbaceous), cutting time (March 11, April 9) and Naphthalene Acetic Acid (with/without hormone) on survival and growth cuttings of Conocarpus erectus L. were studied. This study by using a factorial design based on completely randomized design with 4 replication and 30 cuttings per treatment in Behbahan municipality’s greenhouse was conducted. The results showed that cuttings planted in April 9 had the highest of vegetative traits such as: shoot wet and dry weight, root length, shoot length and number of leaf but survival percent and root diameter has the highest in cuttings planted in March 11. Hardwood cuttings had the highest number of leaf, shoot length, root length, shoot wet and dry weight. Soft wood cuttings had the highest survival percent and number of roots. Hormone-free cuttings had the highest survival percent, shoot length, shoot dry weight. The best result was observed in softwood cuttings without hormone that planted in March 11.

In reforestation programs knowledge of seed morphological and germination characteristics of tree species is necessary. This paper aims to investigate the effects of seed source altitude of Fraxinus rotundifoliasubsp. Rotundifolia on morphological properties, viability and germination traits of it seeds.Thus, the seeds of three natural habitats in Boyer-Ahmad were collected and then, cultivated in a completely randomized design with three replications. Results indicated that the effects of altitude of seed source on the morphological traits, viability and germination traits were meaningful. In Sepidar, Vezg and Mahparviz habitats, the one thousand grain weight of ash seeds were given as 66.9, 59.4 and 59.1 g respectively. Viability of ash seeds in three mentioned habitats was estimated as 95, 90 and 82.3%. The most and least seed germination amounts given as 50.8 and 31.6% were related to Sepidar and Mahparviz seed origins, respectively. Correlation results have demonstrated that the altitude of seed source has a negative relationship with more morphological traits, viability, and emergence percent, whereas it is of a positive and meaningful relationship with mean of time emergence. Generally, research findings put emphasis on the necessity of considering the altitude of seed source and some traits including one thousand grain weight and viability in the forestation programs.

In this study two species of Cupressus arizonica and Cedrus deodara were planted in 2001 with spacing of 3´3m in the cold and montane steppes of Roudehen region, located in 40 km of east of Tehran. The elevation of the area is 1900 m.a.s.l. on south-west aspect and moderate slopes with 10 to 30% inclination on alkaline soils with sandy texture and hard pan in lower layers. Randomized-systematic sampling was done in circular 1000 m2 plots with a network of 100´100 m. Quantitative and qualitative characteristics of all trees in the sample plots were studied. Results indicate that diameter at breast height of Cypress trees varied between 2 and 18 cm while that of Cedar trees varied between 3 and 12cm.Height of Cypress trees were measured between 1.5 and 9 m, whereas that of Cedar trees were between 1.5 and 5.6 m. The differences of mean diameter and height of Cypress trees within different plots were statistically significant. The survival rate of trees was calculated 74% for Cedar trees and 76% to 99% for Cypress trees in different plots. Most of the trees were vital and had single stem, straight trunk with symmetric crown. Frequency of semi-vital individuals among Cedar trees was higher. Adaptation and survival of trees are more important than wood production in plantations of dry and semi-dry steppic regions.

This study aims to determine zone effect of secondary forest roads on flora, life form and chorology of beech-hornbeam stand in Kheyroud forest of Nowshahr.36 transects with the length of 100 m (number of 18 transects on each of up and down slope) from road edge in to the forest interior were selected, also number of eight plots with the size of 1´2 m at the distances of zero (road edge), five, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 and 100 m were established. Edge effect of roads on the frequency of the plants was appeared up to five meter because after this interval, Fagaceae and Betulacese families were dominant and Rosaceae, Cyperiaceae, Aceraceae and Poaceae were as a light tolerant family so the presence of them decreased.Edge effect of roads were apparent up to five meter, because after this distance Chamaephytes did not exist and life form of the study site changed from Phanerophytes to Hemicryptophytes. Roads of the study site had an effect on chorology up to five meter. After this distance semi cosmopolitan and cosmopolitan decreased and percentage of Pluriregional and Europe-Siberian increased.