| چکیده انگلیسی مقاله |
Background and objectives: The Hyrcanian forests have long been utilized for various purposes, including livestock grazing. Grazing activities contribute to soil compaction, reduced biodiversity, and impaired natural forest regeneration. These forests provide critical ecosystem services, such as climate mitigation, carbon storage, water resource protection, and soil erosion prevention. Despite evidence of grazing-induced degradation, herding persists in northern Iran’s forests. Consequently, the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization introduced policies for livestock exclusion, formalized as the Livestock System Transformation Plan in 1980. Subsequent after legislation of second Five-Year Development Plan further prioritized livestock exit and forest-dwellers mobilization to facilitate forest rehabilitation.
Materials and methods: This research deals with the impact of the implementation of livestock exit organization plan in forest areas of Chole-Poshte and Khoun in the 12th watershed. The studied herding settlement in this research include Choleh Pashte and Khoon, which are located in the 12th series of Dozdgeet. The forestry plan for this series is currently inactive. The inventory was conducted at distances of 50, 100, 150, and 200 meters from the center of each herding settlement in 1×1, 5×5, and 10×10 sample plots and in 8 geographical directions (north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, and northwest). That is, 64 sample plots were established in the two investigated sites. Each sample plot is a set of four sample plots that were considered to examine structural characteristics including regeneration, herbaceous cover, seedling growth stage, and tree stage, respectively. As a result, a total of 256 sample plots were deployed.
Results: Initial findings indicate that the evacuated herding settlements are not being reforested and that the Khoun settlement are still active. In the diameter class of more than 12.5 cm, there are 12 tree species in Khoun and 6 species in Chole-Poshte, and hornbeam is the most frequency with 119 and 67 trees, respectively. In the diameter class of 2.5 to 12.5 cm, species such as Beech, Maple, Hornbeam, Cherry Laurel, and Plum were identified. The highest regeneration frequency, less than 2.5 cm, is for hornbeam with 59 individuals. Comparing the frequency of species across different diameter classes was statistically significant at a probability level of 0.05. However, the health status of trees with diameters greater than 12.5 cm and the frequency of herbaceous vegetation were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: Based on the findings, the organization of livestock exit in this basin has not been done properly, the area of the liberated herding settlements has not been reforested, and some herders have returned to their settlements. However, due to the fertility of the area, the naturally evacuated site is recovering compared to still active evacuated site. That is, reducing the number of livestock can naturally reduce the destructive effects of grazing; As a result, the Natural Resources Organization should with investigation of evacuated herding settlements, implement the actual exit of livestock farmers, and implement reforestation of the liberated areas. |