Responses of canopy hydrometorological parameters to oak dieback in the Mediterranean sparse forest, Iran

Sadeghi, Seyed Mohammad Moein; Panahandeh, Touba; Van Stan, John T.; Babapour, Shojaat; Friesen, Jan

doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109784

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Within the Zagros forests, a multitude of oak species thrive, distinguished by the morphology of their leaves and acorns. Researchers have classified the oak trees of the Zagros forests as Quercus , further categorized into two genus: Quercus and Cerris 49 – 52 . However, the presence of desiccated Iranian oak trees affected by oak decline disease has raised concerns about forest fires in the region.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire protection priorities in the oak forests of Iran with an emphasis on vertebrate habitat preservation

Sayahnia,

Ommi,

Khoshnamvand

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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This study examines the impact of fire incidents on wildlife and habitats in the western oak forests of Iran (Zagros region). These forests are globally recognized for their exceptional biodiversity but are frequently threatened by wildfires. To achieve this, the study uses the space–time scan statistics permutation (STSSP) model to identify areas with a higher frequency of fires. The study also analyzes the effects of fires on the Zagros forests from 2000 to 2021 using remote-sensing MODIS data. Also, to understand the elements at risk of fire, burned areas were assessed based on the richness of vertebrate species, determined by the distribution of 88 vertebrate species. The results show that the annual fire rate in the Zagros forests is 76.2 (fire occurrences per year), calculated using the Poisson distribution. Findings show the highest fire rates are found in the northwest and a part of the south of the Zagros. The northwest of the Zagros also has the largest number of single fires and clusters, indicating a wide spatial distribution of fire in these regions. On the other side, it was unexpectedly found that these regions have the richest number of species and higher habitat value. The results demonstrate a significant correlation between the value of the habitat and the extent of burned areas (p < 0.05). The study also reveals that the greatest impact of fires is on small vertebrates. The overlap of frequent fire spots with the richest regions of Zagros oak forests in terms of vertebrate diversity emphasizes the need for strategic forest risk reduction planning, especially in these priority zones.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%