Comparison of plants species diversity in natural forest and afforestations   (Case study: Darabkola- Mazandaran)

Sagheb-talebi, Khosro; Rahmani, Ramin; Akbarzadeh, Mohammad

Comparison of plants species diversity in natural forest and afforestations (Case study: Darabkola- Mazandaran)

Document Type : Complete scientific research article

Authors

¹ Professor, Research Institute of Forest and Rangelands. Tehran, I.R. Iran.

² Professor, Gorgan University of Agricultural sciences and Natural Resources.

³ Members of scientific board, Agriculture & Natural Resources Research Center of Mazandaran.

Abstract

Biodiversity maintenance is a necessary requisites for sustainability of natural resources. Reforestation activities are one of the methods for rehabilitation of degraded forests in the Caspian region. Therefore evaluation of the planted species and comparing with the natural or degraded forests is very important. The objective of this study is comparison of plants species diversity within 20 years old plantations of of alder (Alnus subcordata C. A. Mey.), maple (Acer velutinum Bioss.), oak (Quercus castaneifolia C. A. Mey.), cypress (Cupressus sempervirens var. horizontalis) with an adjacent forest in Darabkola area (Mazandaran-Iran). For this purpose, one sample plot, each 1 ha; was selected in every plantation as well as in the natural stand. In each sample plot 10 microsample plots, each 100 m2; were selected random-systematically. All of the plants were recognized in sample plots and their coverage percent were implemented in for seasons. More over, various parameters of the stands and soils were measured in each sample plot. For determination of plants species diversity in these treatments, Shanon’s index and Simpson’s indices were used, while for determination of species richness and species equatibility, margalef’s and Heip’s indices were applied. The results of this research showed that alder plantation and the natural forest had the highest, where as the cypress plantation had the lowest plants species diversity , for other hardwoods were maple and oak reforestations respectively. The analysis of PCA showed that the parameters of rainfall, temperature, relative light intensity, crown canopy of plants in the upper story, the number and density plant species in the under story, play an important role in seasonal differences of plants species diversity on treatments.

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