NATURAL REGENERATION OF Juniperus excelsa IN RELATION TO STAND CHARACTERISTICS IN NORTHWEST OF IRA..

Juniper excelsa stands are found across much of Iran and are ecologically significant. One of the issues in these stands is J. excelsa's limited natural regeneration. Natural regeneration of J. excelsa was studied in the northwest of Iran in relation to stand parameters (tree density, canopy cover, and tree species diversity). The study region yielded a total of 28 woody species belonging to 14 groups. The total tree density was 74.8 stem ha-1. J. excelsa had a density of 32.7 stem ha-1, accounting for 43.7 percent of the overall tree density. The J. excelsa had the maximum basal area (0.37 m2ha-1, 33%) and species significance value (0.37 m2ha-1, 33%). (85.1). The total regeneration density was 60.5 stem ha-1, with 11.3 stem ha-1 for J. excelsa (18.7 percent ). The Shannon – Wiener index was used to classify stand tree species variety into three categories: low (H' 0.5), medium (0.5 H' 1), and high (H' > 1). In the low, medium, and high tree species diversity classes, the mean juniper regeneration densities were 3.7, 8.1, and 20.4 stem ha-1, respectively. The results showed that increasing stand tree density, stand canopy cover, and stand tree species variety boosted J. excelsa regeneration density (P = 0.01). The goal of forest management should be to improve tree density and diversity in these areas.

Please see the link :- https://www.ikprress.org/index.php/JOGEE/article/view/272