Challenges in Managing Hyrcanian Forests with the Selective Harvesting Across 10 years (Case study: Galandroud Forestry plan, Iran) | ||
| ECOPERSIA | ||
| Article 7, Volume 13, Issue 3 - Serial Number 53, 2025, Pages 323-340 PDF (3.95 M) | ||
| DOI: 10.22034/ECOPERSIA.13.3.323 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Davoud Kartoolinejad* 1; Zeinab Ahmadi Lashkenari2; Reza Naghdi3 | ||
| 1Associate Professor of Semnan University | ||
| 2Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources & Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Mazandaran, Nour, Iran. | ||
| 3Associate Professor, Natural Resources Faculty, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Aims: The primary objective of close-to-nature silvicultural practices is to utilize forest ecosystem services in a sustainable manner. These approaches promote continuous-cover forestry to maintain forest stock and regeneration while allowing for the sustainable exploitation of forest resources. While numerous studies indicate that selective cutting can conserve forest resources and enhance environmental stability and quality, other research warns that improper implementation may lead to adverse effects. This study examines the execution effects of the single-selection method in District 14 of the Galandroud Forestry Plan over a 10-year harvesting period. Materials & Methods: To assess and compare changes over ten years resulting from the implementation of selection logging, information, and inventory data from both the initial and revised plans were utilized. Data were collected using a systematic random sampling approach with circular plots (1000 m²). A total of 283 sample plots were surveyed at the beginning and end of the study period (2005-2015). The density, volume, and trunk quality of standing trees, as well as the abundance of regeneration per unit area, were calculated for each sampling plot. After calculating the silvicultural characteristics for all sampling plots, a t-test analysis was conducted to compare the beginning (2005) and the end (2015) of the period to investigate the impacts of forest management using the selection method. Findings: The results indicated significant decreases in tree standing volume, tree density, and Lorrey’s tree height, with reductions of 63.13 m3.ha-1 (25.3%), 22 trees per hectare (18.4%), and 4.2 meters (16.7%), respectively, after 10 years of management. Consequently, a total of 53,660.5 m³ of standing volume and 18,623.5 individual trees were lost across the 850 hectares of exploited forests. Tree density for trees with a diameter greater than 95 cm remained unchanged. In comparison, the standing volume of large trees (with a DBH greater than 105 cm) increased, likely due to changes in regulations and directives from the Forests Organization of Iran concerning the utilization of thick trees. The quality of standing timber in grades 1, 3, and 4 also declined across the studied area. Furthermore, regeneration abundance for 17 major woody species in the district decreased, with the total number of seedlings dropping from 5,106 to 2,448 individuals per hectare (a 52% reduction). Conclusion: According to the results of this research, all surveyed silvicultural and forest structural parameters in these forests indicate a state of forest destruction resulting from overharvesting and the incorrect implementation of the selective method. Overall, the failure of this forest management initiative—one of the oldest single-selection method projects in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran—was attributed to several factors, including administrative issues, exploitation rates exceeding the growth capacity of the forest stands, the recruitment of unqualified labor, the profiteering of project implementers, and a lack of proper supervision over the execution of the forest utilization plan. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Forest sustainability; silvicultural practice; single-tree selection; uneven-aged forests; Lorrey’s mean tree height | ||
| References | ||
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