Structural dynamics of deciduous mixed stands in the Hyrcanian forests, northern Iran

Authors

  • Mohsen Javanmiri POUR Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Kermanshah (IR)
  • Vahid ETEMAD University of Tehran, Faculty of Natural Resources, Department of Forestry and Forest Economics, Karaj (IR)
  • Ion Catalin PETRITAN Transilvania University of Brașov, Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Department of Forest Engineering, Forest Management Planning, and Terrestrial Measurements, Brasov (RO)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha52413879

Keywords:

Hyrcanian forests, mixed stands, old growth, structural component

Abstract

Forest structure as an effect of forest dynamics can be used to characterize biophysical processes, biodiversity and ecosystem functions. This study examines the structural components of old-growth forest stands located in the Caspian forests, north of Iran. We measured forest-related attributes in five plots located in the Kheyrud Forest, Mazandaran Province, Iran in 2004 and 2014, respectively. The mean stand density was of 338.6 tree ha-1, the mean volume was of 389.2 m3 ha-1, and the volume of deadwood accounted for 34.1 m3 ha-1. The mean stocking volume per hectare was for beech: 3.95; hornbeam: 7.00; oak: 1.39; maple: 0.60 and other species: 2.55 m3 ha-1. Meanwhile, the mean volume of the felled trees, other cuttings, snags and logs were 31.3, 1.1, 12.6, and 21.5 m3 ha-1, respectively. The mean abundance of gap size on small (<200 m2), intermediate (200-500 m2), and large (>500 m2) classes were calculated as 53.5, 37.9, and 14.1%, respectively. No significant difference in size gap distribution was detected over 10 years, neither any gap size class. The coarse woody debris (CWD) percentage from total deadwood volume varied from 67% to 93%, whereas the fine woody debris (FWD) amount was estimated ranged between 7 and 33%. No significant differences between 2004 and 2014 was found for CWD and FWD. Comparison of spatial pattern results of tree species in 2004 and 2014 implies that there were no significant changes in the mingling index, uniform angle index, or diameter differentiation at species and stand levels, except oak and maple species that showed a significant change in diameter growing. In other words, despite the harvesting of the trees, spatial pattern indices have not changed significantly. These results indicate the performance of ecological forestry programs by foresters in the Hyrcanian Forest stands and their increasing consideration to the ecological principles of the forest. The results are useful in the sense that they characterize the stand structure components which are fundamental to performing silvicultural treatments based on the emulation of natural forest structural dynamics.

References

Ahlström M (2016). Stand development and growth in uneven-aged Norway spruce and multi-layered Scots pine forests in Boreal Sweden. Umeã.

Alijani V, Feghhi J, Marvi Mohadjer MR (2012). Investigation on the beech and oak spatial structure in a mixed forest (Case study: Gorazbon district, Kheirud forest). Journal of Wood and Forest Science and Technology 19:175-188. https://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.23222077.1391.19.3.11.6

Amiri M, Rahmani R, Sagh-Ebtalebi KH, Habashi H (2015). Structural characteristics of dead wood in a natural untouched of Fagus orientalis mixed stand forest. Journal of Wood and Forest Science and Technology 22:185-205. https://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.23222077.1394.22.1.12.4

Aticie E, Colak AH, Rotherham ID (2008). Coarse dead wood volume of managed oriental beech (Fagus orientalis) stands in Turkey. Forest System 17:216-227. https://doi.org/10.5424/srf/2008173-01036

Auffret AG, Plue J, Cousins SAO (2015). The spatial and temporal components of functional connectivity in fragmented landscapes. Ambio 44:51-59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0588-6

Avery T (2003). Burkhart, H. Forest measurements. Fifth edition. Mc Graw-Hill, New York.

Bílek L, Vacek S, Vacek Z, Remeš J, Král J, Bulušek D, Gallo J (2016). How close to nature is close-to-nature pine silviculture? Journal of Forest Science 62:24-34. https://doi.org/10.17221/98/2015-JFS

Bolton N, D´Amato A (2011). Regeneration response to gap size and coarse woody debris within natural disturbance-based silvicultural system in northern Minnesota, USA. Forest Ecology Management 262:1215-1222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2011.06.019.

Boncina A (2011). History, current status and future prospects of uneven-aged forest management in the Dinaric region: an overview. Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research 84:467–478. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpr023

Bravo-Oviedo A, Hans Pretzsch H, del Río M (2018). Dynamics, Silviculture and Management of Mixed Forests. Springer Cham. Pp 420.

Brkaw N, Lent R (1999). Vertical structure in maintaining biodiversity in forest ecosystems. In: Hunter ML (Eds). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge pp 373-399.

Bruchánik R TCP/HUN/3003 (2006) (A). Support to the design and development of innovative forest management schemes. Close-to-nature Silviculture. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Technical Co-Operation Programme.

Burrascano S, Lombardi F, Marketti M (2008). Old-growth Forest structure and deadwood: Are they indicators of plant species composition? A case study from central Italy. Plant Biology 142:313-323. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263500802150613

Chen JM, Cihlar J (1995). Quantifying the effect of canopy architecture on optical measurements of leaf area index using two gap size analysis methods. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 33:777-787. https://doi.org/10.1109/36.387593

Christensen M, Hahn K, Mountford EP, Odor P, Standovar T, Rozenbergar D ... Vrska T (2005). Dead wood in European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest reserves. Forest Ecology and Management 210:267-282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2005.02.032.

Dale M (2000). Spatial pattern analysis in plant ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Diaci J, Adamic T, Rozman A (2012). Gap recruitment and partitioning in an old-growth beech forest of the Dinaric Mountains: Influences of light regime, herb competition and browsing. Forest Ecology and Management 285:20-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2012.08.010.

Feoli E, Oorlci L (2012). Computer assisted vegetation analysis. Springer Netherlands.

Ferlich L (2002). Forest dynamics and disturbance regimes studies from temperate evergreen–deciduous forests. Cambridge University Press, pp 278.

Fischer A, Marshall P, Camp A (2013). Disturbances in deciduous temperate forest ecosystems of the northern hemisphere: their effects on both recent and future forest development. Biodiverse Conservation 22:1863-1893. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-013-0525-1

Fukasawa Y, Katsumata S, Mori AS, Osono T, Takeda H (2014). Accumulation and decay dynamics of coarse woody debris in an old-growth subalpine coniferous forest in Japan. Ecological Research 29:257-269. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-013-1120-3.

Franklin JF, Spies TA, Pelt RV, Carey AB, Thornburgh DA, Berg DR, … Chen J (2002). Disturbances and structural development of natural forest ecosystems with silvicultural implications, using Douglas-fir forests as an example. Forest Ecology and Management 155:399-423. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(01)00575-8

Füldner K (1995). Strukturbeschreibung von Buchen-Edellaubholz-Mischwäldern [Describing forest structures in mixed Beech-ash-Maple-sycamore stands]. Cuvillier Verlag, Göttingen.

Habashi H, Hosseini SM, Mohammadi J, Rahmani R (2007). Stand structure and spatial patterns of trees in mixed Hyrcanian Beech forests of Iran. Pakistan Journal of Biology Science 15:55-64. https://doi.org/10.3923/pjbs.2007.1205.1212

Hanewinkel M, Kuhn T, Bugmann H, Lanz A, Brang P (2014). Vulnerability of uneven-aged forests to storm damage. Forestry 87:525-534. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpu008

Hassani M., Amani, M. (2010). Investigation on structure of oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) stand at optimal stage in Sangdeh forest. Iranian Journal of Forest and Poplar Research, 18(2), 176-163.

Hatami N, Moayeri M, Heidari H (2013). Volume increment determination of forest stand types in the district one of Dr. Bahramnia forest management plan. Iranian Forest Ecology 1:53-69. http://ifej.sanru.ac.ir/article-1-116-en.html.

Heiri C, Wolf A, Rohrer L, Bugmann H (2009). Forty years of natural dynamics in Swiss beech forests: structure, composition and the influence of former management. Ecological Application 19:1920-1934. https://doi.org/10.1890/08-0516.1

Hui GY, Albert M, Gadow KV (1998). DasUmgebungsmaß als parameter zur nachbildung von bestandesstrukturen. Forstwissenschaftliches Centralblatt vereinigt mit Tharandter forstliches Jahrbuch 1(117):258-266. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02832980

Hunter M, Keller M, Victoria D, Morton DC (2013). Tree height and tropical forest biomass estimation. Biogeosceicnse 10:8385-8399. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-8385-2013

Husch, B. Beer, T. Kershaw, J. (2003). Forest mensuration. Fourth edition, Wiley, New York.

Iovino, F. (2011). Classic silviculture, local knowledge and systemic silviculture. Italian Journal of Forest Mountain Environment. 66:197-202. https://doi.org/10.4129/ifm.2011.3.03.

Javanmiri Pour M, Marvi Mohadjer MR, Etemad V, Jourgholami M (2019). The structural variation in managed mixed stands in the old growth forest, northern Iran. Journal of Forestry Research 30:1859-1871. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-018-0736-0

Javanmiri Pour M, Etemad V (2022). 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). Iranian Journal of Forest Ecology 10:73-87. https://doi.org/10.52547/ifej.10.20.73.

Jaworski A, Kolodziej ZB (2002). Structure and dynamics of stands of primeval character in selected areas of the Bieszczady National Park. Journal of Forest Science 48:185-201. https://doi.org/10.17221/11874-JFS

Keren S, Motta R, Govedar Z, Lucic R, Medarevic M, Diaci J (2014). Comparative structural dynamics of the Janj mixed old-growth mountain forest in Bosnia and Herzegovina: are conifers in a long-term decline? Forests 5:243-1266. https://doi.org/10.3390/f5061243.

Kern Ch, D´Amato A, Strong T (2013). Diversifying composition and structure of managed, late successional forests with harvest gaps: What is the optimal gap size? Forest Ecology and Management 304,110-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.04.029.

Kint V, Lust N, Ferris R, Olsthoorn AFM (2000). Quantification of forest stand structure applied to Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). Forest Systems 1:147-163. https://doi.org/10.5424/681

Korpel S (1995). Die Urwalder der westkarpaton. Gustav Fisher, Stuttgart.

Kölbel M (1999). Totholz in Naturwaldreservaten und Urwäldern. LWF aktuel. In: Totes Holz -lebendiger Wald. pp 18: 2-5.

Kucbel S, Jaloviar P, Saniga M, Vencurik J, Klimas V (2009). Canopy gaps in an old-growth fir-beech forest remnant of Western Carpathians. European Journal of Forest Research 129:249-259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-009-0322-2

Kucbel S, Saniga M, Jaloviar P, Vencurik J (2012). Stand structure and temporal variability in old-growth Beech-dominated forests of the northwestern Carpathians: A 40-years perspective. Forest Ecology and Management 264: 125-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2011.10.011.

Lu D, Wang G, Yu L, Zhang T, Zhu J (2018). Seedling survival within forest gaps: The effects of gap size, within-gap position and forest type on species of contrasting shade-tolerance in Northeast China. Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research 91(4):470-479. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpy007

Lutz JA, Larson AJ, Swanson ME, Freund JA (2012). Ecological importance of large-diameter trees in a temperate mixed-conifer forest. PLos One 7:1-15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0036131

Malone BP, McBratney AB, Minasny B, Laslett GM (2009). Mapping continuous depth functions of soil carbon storage and available water capacity. Geoderma 154:138-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2009.10.007.

Manabe T, Nishimura N, Miura M, Yamamoto S (2000). Population structure and spatial patterns for trees in temperate old-growth evergreen broad-leaved forests in Japan. Plant Ecology 151:181-197. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026512404110

Marinsek A, Diaci J (2011). A comparison of structural characteristics and ecological factors between forest reserves and management silver fir- Norway spruce forest in Slovenia. Ekológia (Bratislava) 30:51-66. https://doi.org/10.4149/ekol_2011_01_51

Mayer P, Schmidt M (2011). Accumulation of dead wood in abandoned Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests in northwestern Germany. Forest Ecology and Management 261:342-352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.08.037.

McCarthy JW, Weetman G (2006). Age and size structure of gap-dynamic, old-growth boreal forest stands in Newfoundland. Silva Fennica 40:209-230. https://doi.org/10.14214/SF.339.

McElhinny C, Gibbons P, Brack C, Bauhus J (2005). Forest and woodland stand structural complexity: Its definition and measurement. Forest Ecology and Management 218:1-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2005.08.034

Moridi M, Sefidi K, Etemad V (2015). Stand characteristics of mixed oriental Beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) stands in the stem exclusion phase, northern Iran. European Journal of Forest Research 134:693-703. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-015-0883-1

Motta R, Berretti R, Lingua E, Piussi P (2006). Course woody debris, forest structure and regeneration in the Valbona Forest Reserve, Paneveggio, Italian Alps. Forest Ecology and Management 235:155-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2006.08.007.

Motta R, Garbarino M, Berretti R, Meloni F, Nosenzo A, Vacchiano G (2015). Development of old-growth characteristics in uneven-aged forests of the Italian Alps. European Journal of Forest Research 134:19-31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-014-0830-6

Moussaoui L, Leduc A, Fenton N, Lafleur B, Bergeron Y (2019). Changes in forest structure along a chronosequence in the black spruce boreal forest: Identifying structures to be reproduced through silvicultural practices. Ecological Indicator 97:89-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.09.059.

Nagel TA, Firm D, Pisek R, Mihelic T, Hladnik D, de Groot M, Rozenbergar D (2017). Evaluating the influence of integrative forest management on old-growth habitat structures in a temperate forest region. Biological Conservation 216:101-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.10.008.

Newton A (2007). Forest ecology and conservation. Oxford.

Newton PF (1997). Stand density management diagrams: review of their development and utility in stand-level management planning. Forest Ecology and Management 98:251-265. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(97)00086-8.

Noletm P, Kneeshaw D, Messier C, Béland M (2017). Comparing the effects of even- and uneven-aged silviculture on ecological diversity and processes: a review. Ecological Evolution 8:1217-1226. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3737

Nouri Z, Zobeiri F, Feghhi J, Mohadjer MR (2015). The nearest neighbor indices in the structure study of undisturbed beech forest stands in Kheiroud forest. Application Ecology 4:11-20. http://ijae.iut.ac.ir/article-1-668-en.html.

O’Hara K (2016). What is close-to-nature silviculture in a changing world? Forestry 89:1-6. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpv043

Oliver C, Larson B (1996). Forest stand dynamics. John Wiely & Sons, New York.

Pommerening A (1997). Eine Analyse neuer Ansätze zur Bestandesinventur in strukturreichen Wäldern. (An analysis of new approaches towards stand inventory in structure-rich forests.) Cuvillier Verlag Göttingen.

Pommerening A (2002). Approaches to quantifying forest structures. Forestry 75:305-324. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/75.3.305.

Pretzsch H (2010). Forest dynamics, growth and yield. From Measurement to Model. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Pretzsch H, Biber P, Schütze G, Uhl E, Rötzer Th (2014). Forest stand growth dynamics in Central Europe have accelerated since 1870. Nature Communication 5:1-10. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5967

Pretzsch H, Bieber P, Schütze G, Kemmerer J, Uhl E (2018). Wood density reduced while wood volume growth accelerated in Central European forests since 1870. Forest Ecology and Management 429:589-616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2018.07.045

Roessiger J, Ficko A, Clasen Ch, Griess VC, Knoke Th (2016). Variability in growth of trees in uneven-aged stands displays the need for optimizing diversified harvest diameters. European Journal of Forest Research 135: 283-295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-015-0935-6

Röhle H, Huber W (1985). Untersuchungen zur Methode der Ablotung von Kronenradien und der Berechnung von Kronengrundflächen. Forstarchiv 56:238-243.

Rugani R, Vallortigara G, Regolin L (2013). Numerical abstraction in young domestic chicks (Gallus gallus). PLoS One 8:1-6. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0065262

Runkle J (1982). Guidelines and sample protocol for sampling forest gap. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-283, USDA forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland.

Sagheb Talebi Kh, Sajedi T, Pourhashemi M (2016). Forests of Iran. A Treasure from the Past, a Hope for the Future. Springer Dordrecht, pp 152.

Saniga M, Balanda M, Kucbel S, Pittner J (2014). Four decades of forest succession in the oak-dominated forest reserves in Slovakia. iForest 7:324-332. https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor0996-007

Saniga M, Schütz JPh (2001). Dynamics of changes in dead wood share in selected beech virgin forests in Slovakia within their development cycle. Journal of Forest Science 47:557-565. https://doi.org/10.17221/11920-JFS

Sapkota IP, Tigabu M, Oden PC (2009). Spatial distribution, advanced regeneration and stand structure of Nepalese Sal (Shorea robusta) forests subject to disturbances of different intensities. Forest Ecology and Management 257:1966-1975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2009.02.008.

Schütz J, Ph. Saniga M, Diaci J, Vrška T (2016). Comparing close-to nature silviculture with processes in pristine forests: lessons from Central Europe. Annals of Forest Science 73:911-921. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-016-0579-9

Sefidi K, Esfandiary Darabad F, Azaryan M (2016). Effect of topography on tree species composition and volume of coarse woody debris in an oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) old growth forest, northern Iran. iForest 9:658-665. https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor1080-008

Sefidi K, Etemad V (2014). The amount and quality of dead trees in a mixed Beech forest with different management histories in northern Iran. Biodiversitas 15:162-168. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d150207.

Sefidi K, Etemad V (2015). Dead wood characteristics influencing macrofungi species abundance and diversity in Caspian natural Beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) forests. Forest System 24:1-9. https://doi.org/10.5424/fs/2015242-06039

Sefidi K, Marvi Mohajer MR, Mosandel R, Copenheaver CA (2011). Canopy gaps and regeneration in old-growth Oriental Beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) stands, northern Iran. Forest Ecology and Management 262:1094-1099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2011.06.008.

Sefidi K, Marvi-Mohajer MR (2010). Characteristics of coarse woody debris in successional stages of natural beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) forests of Northern Iran. Journal of Forest Science 56:7-17. https://doi.org/10.17221/113/2008-JFS

Smalian HL (1837). Beitrag zur Holzmeßkunst. Verlag Löffler, Stralsund.

Spies T, Ripple W, Bradshaw G (1994). Dynamics and pattern of a managed coniferous forest landscape in Oregon. Ecological Applications 4:555-568. https://doi.org/10.2307/1941957.

StatSoft Inc. (2007). STATISTICA (data analysis software system). Version, 8.0. www.statsoft.com

Stiers M, Annighöfer P, Seidel D, Willim K, Neudam L, Ammer Ch (2020). Quantifying the target state of forest stands managed with the continuous cover approach – revisiting Möller’s “Dauerwald” concept after 100 years. Trees, Forests and People 1(2020):100004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2020.100004.

Szwagrzyk J, Czerwczak M (1993). Spatial patterns of trees in natural forests of East-Central Europe. Journal of Vegetation Science 4(4):469-476. https://doi.org/10.2307/3236074

Travaglini D, Chirici G (2006). Deadwood assessment. ForestBIOTA project Forest Biodiversity Test-phase Assessments. Accademia Italiana di Scienze Forestali.

Trifković S, Yamamoto H (2008). Indexing of spatial patterns of trees using a mean of angles. Forestry Research 13:117-121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-007-0055-3.

Vidal M, Renato C (2006). Effects of forest structure components on the occurrence, group size and density of groups of bare-face tamarin (Saguinus bicolor) in Central Amazonia. Acta Amazonica 36:237-248. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0044-59672006000200014.

Von Oheimb G, Westphal Ch, Tempel H, Hardtle W (2005). Structural pattern of a near- natural beech forest (Fagus sylvatica) (Serrahn, North-east Germany). Forest Ecology and Management 212:253-263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2005.03.033.

Wirth Ch, Gleixner G, Heimann M (2009). Old-growth forests function, fate and value. Springer‐Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, pp 512.

Zhao Z, Hui G, Hu Y, Wang H, Zhang G, von Gadow K (2014). Testing the significance of different tree spatial distribution patterns based on the uniform angle index. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 44:1419-1425. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2014-0192.

Zobeiri M (2000). Forest inventory (measurement of tree and forest). University of Tehran press, Iran, pp 401.

Zolfeghari E, Marvi Mohajer MR, Namiranian M (2007). Impact of dead trees on natural regeneration in forest stands (Chelir district, Kheiroudkenar, Nowshahr). Iranian Journal of Forest and Poplar Research 15(3):240-234.

Downloads

Published

2024-12-12

How to Cite

POUR, M. J., ETEMAD, V., & PETRITAN, I. C. (2024). Structural dynamics of deciduous mixed stands in the Hyrcanian forests, northern Iran. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 52(4), 13879. https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha52413879

Issue

Section

Research Articles
CITATION
DOI: 10.15835/nbha52413879

Most read articles by the same author(s)