Journal of Natural Environment

Estimating of forest cover changes in topographic zones in Mazandaran Province

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Candidate, Forestry and Forest Economy. Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, I.R. Iran

2 Member of Scientific Board, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, I.R. Iran

Abstract

This study was done to investigation forest cover changes in the Mazandaran province in topographic zones. For doing that in the first matched topographic zones and land-use map. After that distribution of forest cover was investigated in plain, lowland, middle land and high land. Forest cover changes analyzed in a period of 132 years since the beginning of the destructive activities in the forest in 1880, 2003 in topographic zones. Estimating of natural area in the base year was done with Isothermal lines map (1:25000 scale) and Forest cover in 2003 with land- use map (1:100000 scale). In this research the natural area of forest in Mazandaran province was estimated 2042385 hectares. Also rate, changes area, average of annual changes area, Percentage of total changes and annual forest changes area estimted -0.005, 972165.3(ha), 7364.9 (ha), 47.6 % and 0.36 %. Results showed the most and less of forest cover changes is in the plain lands with 96.25% and middle land with 21.88 %. Acording to this study Before the widespread destruction of forests in the north of Iran in 1880, the forest area in Mazandaran province was 86.29 percent of total Mazandaran territory and in 2003 was changed to 45.22 percent

Keywords

-   Ahlerz, A., 1992, The Principles of Iran Geographical Sciences, Translate by Mohamad Taghi Rahnamaei, Sahab Geographic and Cartographic Publishing Institute.
-   Asadi Toei, A., 2002. The changes of forest in the north Iran, Keimeye Sabz, Department of Renglands & Forests, 51-55.
-   Bariyer, J., 1984. Economic of Iran, National Institute of Industrial Organization.
-   Bobek, H., 1993. Natural foreste & woody plants of Iran, Translate by Abbas Shahsavari, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, 80p.
-   Bruvoll, A., Fahn, T., & Strom, B., 2003. Quantifying central hypotheses on Environmental Kuznets Curves for a rich economy: a computable general equilibrium study, Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 50(2): 149–173.
-   De Planhol, X., 1986. Destruction of forest cover in Iran, Translate by Asghar Nazareyan, Journal of Geographical Research 3.3-23.
-   Department of Renglands & Forests, 1990. Preliminary Master Plan for the Northern Forest.
-   Department of Renglands & Forests, 1994, Statistics of Natural Resources.
-   Feghhi, J., 2012. Textbook of sustainable forest management, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran.
-   Foley, J.A., DeFries, P., Asner, C., Barford, G., Bonan, S.R., Carpenter, F.S., Chapin, M.T., Coe, G.C., Daily, H.K., Gibbs, J.H., Helkowski, T., Holloway, E.A., Howard, C.J., Kucharik, C., Monfreda, J.A., Patz, I.C., Prentice, N., Snyder, P.K., 2005. Global consequences of land use, Science, 309: 570–574.
-   Governor of Mazandaran, 2009. Statistical Yearbook of Mazandaran province, The first chapter: Climate & Land, 74p.
-   Hakimeyan, K., 1998. Historic territory of the forests in the north of Iran, Journal of Geographical Researches 36, 89-103.
-   Jalilova, G., Khadka, C., & Vacik, H., 2012. Developing criteria and indicators for evaluating sustainable forest management: A case study in Kyrgyzstan. Forest Policy and Economics 21,32–43.
-   Makhdoom, M., 2010. Fundamental of Land use Planning, University of Tehran Press, 289p.
-   Marvie Mohadjer, M., 2004. Silviculture, University of Tehran press, 387p.
-   Ministry of Agriculture, 2001. Isothermal lines map.
-   Moshtagh, M., 2000. Statistics of the forest areas in the north of Iran, Proceedings of the National Conference of northern forests and sustainable development, 247-260.
-   Mrosek, T., David Balsillie, D., & Schleifenbaum, P., 2006. Field testing of a criteria and indicators system for sustainable forest management at the local level. Case study results concerning the sustainability of the private forest Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve in Ontario, Canada. Forest Policy and Economics 8, 593– 609.
-   National committee of Sustainable Development, 2011. Report of Zagros Sustainable Development conference, 54pp.
-   Pielke, R.A., Marland, G., Betts, R.A., Chase,T.N., Eastman, J.L., Niles, J.L., Niyogi, D,D,S., Running, S.W., 2002. The influence of land-use change and lands capedynamics on the climate system: relevance to climate-change policy beyondthe radiative effect of greenhouse gases, Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond, 360: 1705–1719.
-   Pir Baveghar, M., 2002. Changes in forest area with topographic factors and man-made areas (case study: Forests of East Gilan), MSc thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran.136pp.
-   Reyazi, B., 1990. Degradation of renewable natural resources in Iran, Journal of Geographical Researches 18, 26-43.
-   Saeid, A., 2002. history of utilization forests in the north of Iran, Keimeye Sabz, Department of Renglands & Forests, 317-305.
-   Sarikhani, N., 2004. Forest Utilization, University of Tehran press, 728p.
-   Soares-Filho, B.S., Pennachin, C.L., Cerqueira, G., 2002. DINA- MICA – a stochastic cellular automata model designed to simulate the landscape dynamics in an Amazonian colonization frontier. Ecol. Model 154, 217–235.
-   Sobhani, H., 2002. Utilization and its rightful place in the forest, Keimeye Sabz, Department of Renglands & Forests, 330-323.
-   Sodhi, N.S., Pin, K, L., Brook, B.W., Ng, P.K.L., 2004. Southeast Asian biodiversity: an impending disaster, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 19: 654-660.
-   Stupak, I., Lattimore,B, D., Titus, C., Tattersall S., 2011. Criteria and indicators for sustainable forest fuel production and harvesting: A review of current standards for sustainable forest management, Biomass and Bioenergy,35(8): 3287-3308.
-   Watershed Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture, 2005. Land- use map.
Journal of Natural Environment
Volume 67, Issue 3 - Serial Number 3
February 2014
Pages 333-341