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Box C 14
Sustainable management of Hyrcanian forests
M.R. Marvi Mohadjer, J. Feghhi
Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj Iran
The northern forests of Iran (Hyrcanian forests) are classified as temperate deciduous broadleaved for- ests. These forests are located on the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains and extend from near the shores of the Caspian Sea at –26 m a.s.l. to 2500 m a.s.l. According to the statistics of the Ira- nian Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization, the Hyrcanian forests cover an area about 1.9 million ha. About 1 million ha have a for- est management plan (Marvi Mohadjer 2013).
The tree composition of these forests is similar to broadleaved European forests, and includes spe- cies such as oriental beech (Fagus orientalis), horn- beam (Carpinus betulus), oak (Quercus castaneifo- lia), linden (Tilia begonifolia), alder (Alnus glutinosa, Alnus subcordata), and maple (Acer velutinum, Acer orientalis) (fig. 2). The species diversity of these forests is very high, with about 50 species of trees, 80 species of shrubs, and more than 100 species of herbaceous plants. Although, the tree species com- position is similar, there are of course differences, and there are many endemic species including:
ironwood (Parrotia persica), Caspian poplar (Popu- lus caspica), chestnut-leaved oak (Quercus castanei- folia), Hyrcanian box tree (Buxus hyrcana).
The Hyrcanian forests were formed during the Tertiary period, and owing to their geographical location below 40 °N degrees (36–38 °N), the glacial periods of the late Tertiary and early Quaternary did not damage these forests; the glaciers were above 3000 m a.s.l. in the northern Alborz. There- fore, the Hyrcanian forests can be considered as ancient forests that have high genetic value and biodiversity.
In short, the Hyrcanian forests are valuable as ancient natural forests with an uneven-aged struc- ture, and high diversity. So far the genetic diversity of the forests has been relatively unexplored, and they can be said to be among the rare forests of the Northern Hemisphere.
The industrial exploitation of these forests dates back about 100 years. This period can be divided into wood harvesting without a forest management plan (1900–1950) and wood harvest- ing with a forest management plan (1950–2010). In the harvesting period without a plan, mostly Hyrca- nian box tree, Persian walnut (Juglans regia), and oak species were exploited, and their timber was exported to European countries. During the period with a plan, the silvicultural method used was the shelterwood system. In about 1990, Iranian forest experts concluded that the shelterwood system was not suitable for Hyrcanian natural and uneven-aged forests, and the decision to use a system in which cutting and regeneration are not confined to par- ticular areas but are distributed throughout a stand; the cuttings consist of the removal of single trees or small groups of trees; the practice leads to the development of uneven-aged stands with a more varied species composition (selection system) was taken for all parts of the Hyrcanian forests that had a forest management plan.
The implementation of close-to-nature silvicul- ture took about 20 years. In 2016, owing to the increasing environmental importance of these for- ests because of their ancient nature, high biodiver- sity, naturalness, and because there was a problem with overgrazing by livestock in these forests, the Iranian Parliament implemented a 10-year ban on wood harvesting in the Hyrcanian forests.
The purpose of the ban is to protect the valua- ble parts of these forests with the help of interna- tional institutions such as the United Nations Edu- cational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In 2019, the Hyrcanian forests were des- ignated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (UNESCO Fig. 1. Hyrcanian Forests (Google Earth Image).
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How to balance forestry and biodiversity conservation – A view across Europe
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Fig. 2. (a) Chestnut-leaved oak (Quercus castaneifolia) with a diameter at breast height of over 1.5 m. (Photo:
Georg von Graefe). (b) Chestnut-leaved oak (Quercus castaneifolia) stand. (Photo: Jahangir Feghhi). (c) Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis) stand. (Photo: Jahangir Feghhi). (d) Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis) with a diameter at breast height of over 1 m. (Photo: Vahid Etemad). (e) Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis) stand.
Photo: Vahid Etemad).
a
c
b
d
e
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How to balance forestry and biodiversity conservation – A view across Europe 2019). For the areas were harvesting is allowed,
integrated management of the protection and exploitation of various functions of these forests, such as water and soil conservation, landscaping, ecotourism, water production, use of medicinal plants, and biodiversity conservation will be imple- mented by the Iranian Forests, Range and Water- shed Management Organization.
The most important actions to be taken in this 10-year period are summarised as follows:
1. Creating the management work units based on catchment areas;
2. Solving the problem of grazing in the forest;
3. Protecting valuable parts of these forests, especially in terms of biodiversity;
4. The independence of the country’s wood indus- try from the wood production of these forests by the wood import;
5. Preparation of suitable ecotourism plans;
6. Emphasis on the use of non-wood products and services of these forests (e.g. production of fresh water, medicinal plants);
7. Development of agroforestry on suitable non-forest land;
8. Development of wood production on suitable non-forest land;
Determining of Forest functions
Watershed Level (Spatial Forest
Planning)
Determining and planning of executive activities Determining the set of indicators for
control and assessment of executive activities
Determining the Operational – Executive objectives
Determining the set of criteria and indicators for monitoring and assessment of the sustainability of forest functions Determining the
Strategic objectives for forest functions
Prioritising and locating the forest functions
Success Control Executive Control
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
District Level (Forest Management
Planning)
Fig. 3. Conceptual model of Sustainable Hyrcanian Forest Management (SHFM).
511 Box C 14 9. Preparation of sustainable forest management
plans based on forest ecological capability with participation of all stakeholders and at the watershed level (fig. 3);
10. Sustainability control of forest functions using appropriate criteria and indicators (fig. 3).
References
Feghhi, J., 2018: Integrated forest management unit plan- ning, PhD Course document, Dept. of Forestry and For- est Economics, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran. 100 p.
Marvi Mohadjer, M.R., 2013: Silviculture and forest tend- ing, University of Tehran Press, Tehran. 418 p.
Sagheb Talebi, Kh. et al., 2014: Forests of Iran: A Treasure from the Past, a Hope for the Future, Springer Press, Dordrecht Heidelberg- 151 p.
UNESCO, 2019: Hyrcanian Forests: World Heritage List.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/
1584 (accessed 8 September 2020).
