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Distribution changes of woody plants in Western Iran as monitored by remote sensing and geographical information system: a case study of Zagros forest

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Abstract

The status of woody plants in dry-land systems is a fundamental determinant of key ecosystem processes. Monitoring of this status plays an important role in understanding the dynamics of woody plants in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. The present study determined the dynamism of the Zagros forests in Iran using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System techniques and statistical science. The results show that the density of trees varied from 10 to 53 % according to the physiographic and climatic conditions of semi-arid regions. The best and lowest correlation between vegetation indices and forest density were obtained for the global environmental monitoring index (GEMI; R 2 = 0.94) and soil adjust vegetation index (R 2 = 0.81), respectively. GEMI is used to monitor land use changes over a 10-year period. Results show that 2720 ha2 of forest have been destroyed by human interference and tillage on steep slopes during this period which also resulted in the loss of the fertile soil layer. GEMI determined the areas with a biomass of trees and could normally separate border regions with low biomass density of trees from regions without canopy cover. The results revealed that assessment of forest and vegetation cover in arid and semi-arid arduous forest regions using satellite digital numbers and ordinary sampling is subject to uncertainty. A stratified grouping procedure should be established to increase the accuracy of assessment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State University of Land Use Planning, Moscow, Russian Federation

    Mansour Karkon Varnosfaderani

  2. St.Petersburg State University, Petersburg, Russian Federation

    Rasoul Kharazmi

  3. Faculty of Natural Resource, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

    Aliakbar Nazari Samani & Mohammad Reza Rahdari

  4. Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran

    Seid Hamid Matinkhah

  5. Faculty of Water and Soil, Zabol University, Zabol, Iran

    Nasrollah Aslinezhad

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  1. Mansour Karkon Varnosfaderani
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  2. Rasoul Kharazmi
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  3. Aliakbar Nazari Samani
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  4. Mohammad Reza Rahdari
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  5. Seid Hamid Matinkhah
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Correspondence to Mohammad Reza Rahdari.

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Corresponding editor: Yu Lei

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Karkon Varnosfaderani, M., Kharazmi, R., Nazari Samani, A. et al. Distribution changes of woody plants in Western Iran as monitored by remote sensing and geographical information system: a case study of Zagros forest. J. For. Res. 28, 145–153 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-016-0295-1

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