Woody species diversity and stand structure along protection gradient in Hyrcanian lowland forests, North of Iran
Paper Details
Woody species diversity and stand structure along protection gradient in Hyrcanian lowland forests, North of Iran
Abstract
In this research woody species diversity and stand structure were studied in three different protection levels in Hyrcanian lowland forests: restored forest, where the protection level is very high, managed forest, which allows selective harvest of trees, and open access forest, where human population have unrestricted access to forest resources. The results showed that the number of woody species was highest in the restored forest (21 species) and was the lowest in the open access forest (13 species). The Box trees (Buxus hyrcana) that are rare in the Hyrcanian lowland forests had a highest species importance value (SIV) in the restored forest, that were not observed in the managed and open access forests. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index for woody species was the highest in the managed forest (1.05) and was the lowest in the open access forest (0.81). The tree and seedling density was the highest in the restored forest (191 and 447 stem/ha) and was the lowest in the open access forest (121 and 86 stem/ha). The managed forest had the highest basal area value (17.9 m2/ha) while the open access forest had the lowest (12.5 m2/ha)
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