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Structure of pollarded oak forest in relation to aspect in Northern Zagros, Iran

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Abstract

We analyzed the structure of pollarded oak forest and biometric indices of pollarded oak species in relation to aspect in northern Zagros forests, western Iran. A number of 319 circular plots (0.1 ha) were established using a systematic random method over the study area. In each plot, for all trees (diameter at breast height ≥5 cm) diameter was measured and tree species was recorded. Total height, trunk height, and major and minor diameter axis of the crown of two trees in each plot (nearest tree to the center of the plot and the largest tree in term of diameter) were measured. As the dispersion of slope and altitude classes in the study area were identical, the effect of these factors was assumed to be constant. To evaluate the effect of aspect on biometric indices of oak trees a comparison was used for each oak species separately. The results indicated that the forest species composition differed statistically significant in main aspects except for easterly and westerly aspects (P < 0.01). The diameter of similar oak trees was significantly different except for Lebanon oak in northerly and southerly and Gall oak in easterly and westerly aspects (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference between the total height and crown area of similar oak species in different aspects. Differences in diameter, height, and crown area distributions showed a significant difference in main aspects. The basal area and tree density in northerly and southerly aspects were significantly different (P < 0.05).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Center for Research and Development of Northern Zagros Forestry, Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

    L. Ghahramany, H. Ghazanfari & A. Valipour

  2. Department of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    P. Fatehi

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  1. L. Ghahramany
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  2. H. Ghazanfari
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  3. P. Fatehi
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  4. A. Valipour
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Correspondence to L. Ghahramany.

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Ghahramany, L., Ghazanfari, H., Fatehi, P. et al. Structure of pollarded oak forest in relation to aspect in Northern Zagros, Iran. Agroforest Syst 92, 1567–1577 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-017-0102-9

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