Ecological assessment of conifers and broad-leaved plantations in Neka, Eastern of Mazandaran (Case Study: Ghoremarez Area)

Document Type : Complete scientific research article

Authors

Abstract

Background and objectives: Applying of plant and animal diversity as well as natural regeneration are the common methods of assessing the ecological potential of forest stands. The objective of this study was ecological assessment in 20 years old plantations of Chestnut leaved Oak (Quercus castaneifolia C. A. Mey.), Velvet Maple (Acer velutinum Bioss.) and Brutia Pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) in term of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of trees, natural regeneration, plant and soil invertebrates. The study area is located in District 2 of Neka’s lowland forests, east of Mazandaran province.
Materials and methods: Nine sample plots with 1500 m2 were selected in each plantation. In each sample plot, 3 micro-sample plots, each 49 m2 were selected random-systematically including 27 micro-sample plots for each plantation and overall 81 micro-sample plots in 3 plantations. Study of quantitatively and qualitatively survey of trees (diameter at breast height, height and quality of tree) was performed by a fully inventory in three plantations including 6088 trees. Also all of the plants were recognized in 81 micro-sample plots and their coverage percent were estimated. Diversity indices were calculated by Simpson and Shannon-Wiener indices. Also, richness and evenness were obtained by Margelov and Menhinick indices. Mean analysis of quantitative characteristics was performed by the analysis of one-way variance.
Results: Analysis of the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of trees indicated that Brutia Pine plantation with the least density had the highest quantitative and qualitative results followed by Velvet maple and Chestnut leaved oak, respectively. Also the mean number of regeneration per square was higher in the Brutia Pine followed by Velvet maple and Chestnut leaved oak plantation. Shannon-Wiener index indicated that the plant diversity was higher in the Brutia Pine plantation, whereas the lowest Shannon-Wiener index was calculated in the Velvet maple plantation. On the other hand Shannon-wiener and Simpson indeces indicated that the soil invertebrates was higher in the Velvet maple plantation, whereas the least index of Shannon-Wiener and Simpson were calculated in the Chestnut leaved oak plantation.
Conclusion: In general, one can conclude that the quantitative and qualitative characteristics as well as plant diversity and natural regeneration in the Brutia Pine plantation are higher than that of other two plantations. We should emphasize that this result might be affected by less density in the Brutia pine plantation, where the trees had more growth space and the forest ground receives more light which advances to higher plant diversity. This research emphasizes the use of conifers compatible species in degraded areas as well as thinning operations in plantations. Otherwise, increasing the growth of trees per unit area can lead to reduce the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of trees as well as plant diversity and natural regeneration.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

1. Bassiri, A. 2009. Statistical designs in agricultural sciences. Shiraz Univ. Press, 368p. (In
Persian)
2. Bradford, M.A., Tordof, G.M., Egger, T., Jones, H., and Newington, J.E. 2002. Microbiota,
fauna, and mesh size interaction in litter decomposition.Oikos. 99: 2. 317-323.
3. Callaham, M.A., Richter, D.D., Coleman, D.C., and Hofmockel, M. 2006. Long term landuse
effects on soil invertebrate communities in southern piedmont soils, USA. European Journal
of Soil Biology. 42: 2. 150-156.
4. Cusack, D., and Montagnini, F. 2004. The role of native species plantations in recovery of
understory woody diversity in degraded pasturelands of Costa Rica. Forest Ecology and
management. 188: 5. 1-15.
5. Duncan, R.S., and Chapman, C.A. 2003. Consequences of plantation harvest during tropical
forest restoration in Uganda. Forest Ecology and management. 173: 8. 235-250.
6. Eslami, R., Jahanaray, A.R., Habibi Bibalani, GH., and Hasani, M. 2013. Effect of thinning
operations on maple (Acer velutinum) plantations (Case study: Mazandaran wood and paper
company′s forest management project). Iranian Journal of forest and paper research. 21: 1.
76-85. (In Persian)
7. Forest Management plan, 2000. District 2 Neka forests (Series1). Published by Natural
resources general office of Sari, Forest and rangelands organization of Iran. 79p. (In Persian)
8. Golizadeh, M.N., Mohammadnezhad Kiasari, Sh., and Hemmati, A. 2016. Adapted conifer
species in north of Iran. Research institute of forest and rangelands, Iran, 368p. (In Persian)
9. Gorji bahri, Y. 2005. Results of Loblolly pine (Pinus teada L.) and Caucasian alder (Alnus
subcurdata C.A.Mey.) silvicultural operations in the Caspian low land regions of Iran.
Pajouhesh and Sazandegi, 63(1): 2-9 (In Persian)
10. Haggar, J., Wightman K., and Fisher, R. 1997. The potential of plantations to foster woody
regeneration within a deforested landscape in lowland Costa Rica. Forest ecology and
Management. 99: 2. 55-64.
11. Hassani, M., and Amani, M. 2005. The results of eight years of thinning on Maple (Acer
velutinum) forestation (Case study: The Imamzadeh Abodulla of Amol). Iranian journal of
forest and poplar research. 12(3): 339-370. (In Persian)
12. Jamshidi, Z., Abrari Vajari, K., Sohrabi, A., and Veiskarami, Gh. 2016. Flora and plant
species diversity in coniferous and deciduous plantations (Case study: plantation of Remela,
Lorestan). Iranian journal of forest and poplar research. 24(2): 249-259. (In Persian)
13. Jenkins, M.A., and Parker, G.R. 1998. Composition and diversity of woody vegetation in
silvicultural openings of southern Indiana forests. Forest ecology and management. 109: 3.
57-74.
14. Mohammadnezhad Kiasari, Sh., Sagheb-Talebi, Kh., Rahmani, R., and Amozad, M. 2013.
Investigation on soil invertebrates diversity at natural forests and refforestations of hardwood
and softwood in sari area. Journal of natural resources, science and technology. 6(2): 55-69.
(In Persian)
15. Mohammadnezhad Kiasari, Sh. 2015. Investigation on adaptation of the world important
hardwoods and softwoods in the north of Iran (Neka forests: Kohsarkandeh). Final report of
project, Mazandaran agricultural and natural resources research center. 58p. (In Persian)
16. Murphy, M., Balser, T., Buchmann, N., Hahn, V., and Catherine, P. 2008. Linking tree
biodiversity to belowground process in a young tropical plantation: impacts on soil co2 flux.
Forest Ecology and Management. 255: 7. 2577-2588.
17. Oatenand, D.K., and Larsen, K.W. 2008. Stand characteristics of three forest types within
the dry interior forests of British Columbia, Canada: Implications for biodiversity. Forest
Ecology and Management. 256: 1-2. 114-120.
18. Poormajidian, M.R., and Tabari, M. 2005. The effect of thinning on Atlas Cedar in North of
Iran. Iranian Journal of Natural Resources. 58(2): 325-332. (In Persian)
19. Rahmani, R., and Mayvan, H.Z. 2004. Diversity and assemblage structure of soil
invertebrates in Beech, Hornbeam and Oak– Hornbeam forest types. Iranian Journal of
Natural Resources. 56: 4. 425-437. (In Persian)
20. Rahmani, R., and Mohammadnezhad Kiasari, Sh. 2003. Relation between millipedes
abundance and litter nutritional elements composition in afforested and disturbed sites (Case
study: Darabkola-Mazandaran). Iranian Journal of Natural Resources. 56: 3. 201-212. (In
Persian)
21. Rouhi-Moghaddam, E., Hosseini, S.M., Ebrahimi, E., Rahmani, R., and Tabari, M. 2007.
The regeneration structure and biodiversity of trees and shrub species in understorey of pure
plantations of oak and mixed with hornbeam in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran. Pakistan
Journal of Biological Sciences. 10: 8. 1281-1276.
22. Sagheb-Talebi, Kh., Sajedi, T., and Pourhashemi, M. 2014. Forest of Iran. A Treasure from
the Past, a Hope for the Future. Springer, 152p.
23. Stankova, T.V., and Diéguez-Aranda, U. 2017. A two-component dynamic stand model of
natural thinning. Forest ecology and management. 385: 264-280.
24. Sun, A., Onda, Y., Otsuki, K., Kato, H., and gomi, T. 2017. The effect of script on forest
floor evaporation in a Japanese cypress plantation. Agriculture and Forest Meteorology. 15:
48-57.
25. Tabari, M., Saeidi, H.R., Alavi-Panah, K., Basiri, R., and Poormadjidian, M.R. 2007.
Growth and survival response of potted Cupressus sempervirens seedlings to different soils.
Pakistan Journal of Biology Sciences. 10: 8. 1309-1312.
26. Wipfli, C.M., Meritt, R.W., and Wipfli, M.S. 2005. Headwater riparian invertebrate
communities associated with red alder and conifer wood and leaf litter in southeastern.
Northest Scientific Association. 79: 3. 218-224.
Journal of Wood and Forest Science and Technology
Volume 24, Issue 4
March 2018
Pages 173-184

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics