Investigating the Crown Structure and Carbon Storage of Beech Trees (Fagus orientalis L.) in an Unmanaged-Temperate Hyrcanian Region (Case Study: Alandan Forest, Mazandaran)

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
H. Balabandi 1
K. Abrari vajari 2
N. Shaabanian 3
1 phD candidate,lorerstan uni
2 Associate, Lorestan university
3 Associate Prof., Kurdistan university
10.22034/ecopersia.11.2.153
Abstract
Aims: Assessing tree crown traits are the important character in forest which can be considered for the management of silvicultural practices. The main purpose of this study was to investigate tree crown traits and carbon storage as well as to determine the interactions among them for Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis L.) in an unmanaged and temperate forest in Hyrcanain region, northern Iran.

Materials & methods: Data were collected from 90 one-stemmed and healthy beech trees in unlogged forest in Hyrcanian forest and crown dimensions were measured.

Findings:The study revealed significant difference between crown tree traits as well as carbon storage in terms of height and DBH classes. Correlation analysis indicated that some tree traits correlated significantly with the crown productivity, crown length, crown width and crown ratio for beech trees (P< 0.05, P< 0.01). There was a strong positive correlation between the carbon storage and most beech tree traits in research site (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: In general, the main tree crown size disparities and significant interactions among features of beech trees in unlogged forest suggest the ability of these trees to modify the morphological traits within stand. It is essential to consider these variables of beech trees in the future forest management in Hyrcanian temperate region.

Keywords
Beech
Carbon storage
Crown size
unlogged forest

Subjects

1. Wang W., Ge F., Hou Z., Meng J. Predicting crown width and length using nonlinear mixed-effects models: a test of competition measures using Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.). Ann. For. Sci. 2021:78:1-7.
2. Thorpe HC., Astrup R., Trowbridge A., Coates KD. Competition and tree crowns: A neighborhood analysis of three boreal tree species. For. Ecol. Manage. 2010;259(8):1586-96.
3. Pretzsch H. Trees grow modulated by the ecological memory of their past growth. Consequences for monitoring, modelling, and silvicultural treatment. For. Ecol. Manage. 2021;487:118982.
4. Dean TJ., Cao QV., Roberts SD., Evans DL. Measuring heights to crown base and crown median with LiDAR in a mature, even-aged loblolly pine stand. For. Ecol. Manage. 2009;257(1):126-33.
5. Crecente-Campo F., Marshall P., LeMay V., Diéguez-Aranda U. A crown profile model for Pinus rad iata D. Don in northwestern Spain. For. Ecol. Manage. 2009;257(12):2370-9.
6. Mandre M., Tuju KL., Pärn H., Pikk J., Paasrand K., Kört M. Variation in the morphological structure of the crown of Norway spruce in North Estonian alkalised soil. For. Ecol. Manage. 2012;15;278:9-16.
7. Di Salvatore U., Marchi M., Cantiani P. Single-tree crown shape and crown volume models for Pinus nigra JF Arnold in central Italy. Ann. For. Sci. 2021;78:1-0.
8. Štefančík I. Crown development of beech crop trees under different thinning regimes. J. For. Sci. 2017;63(4):173-81.
9. Seidel D., Schall P., Gille M., Ammer C. Relationship between tree growth and physical dimensions of Fagus sylvatica crowns assessed from terrestrial laser scanning. IForest. 2015;8(6):735.
10. Juchheim J., Annighöfer P., Ammer C., Calders K., Raumonen P., Seidel D. How management intensity and neighborhood composition affect the structure of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) trees. Trees. 2017;31:1723-35.
11. Abrari Vajari K. Influence of interspecies competition on beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) trees and some features of stand in mixed broad-leaved forest. Environ. Monit. Assess. 2018;190:1-7.
12. Pretzsch H, Ahmed S, Jacobs M, Schmied G, Hilmers T. Linking crown structure with tree ring pattern: methodological considerations and proof of concept. Trees. 2022;36(4):1349-67.
13. Bhatti S, Ahmad SR, Asif M, Farooqi IU. Estimation of aboveground carbon stock using Sentinel-2A data and Random Forest algorithm in scrub forests of the Salt Range, Pakistan. For. 2023;96(1):104-20.
14. Mildrexler DJ., Berner LT., Law BE., Birdsey RA., Moomaw WR. Large trees dominate carbon storage in forests east of the cascade crest in the United States Pacific Northwest. Front. For. Glob. Change. 2020:127.
15. Zhang H., Zhuang S., Sun B., Ji H., Li C., Zhou S. Estimation of biomass and carbon storage of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel ex Houz.) in southern China using a diameter–age bivariate distribution model. For: Int. J. For. Res. 2014;87(5):674-82.
16. Kasper J., Weigel R., Walentowski H., Gröning A., Petritan AM., Leuschner C. Climate warming-induced replacement of mesic beech by thermophilic oak forests will reduce the carbon storage potential in aboveground biomass and soil. Ann. For. Sci. 2021;78:1-34.
17. Malek S., Miglietta F., Gobakken T., Næsset E., Gianelle D., Dalponte M. Prediction of stem diameter and biomass at individual tree crown level with advanced machine learning techniques. IForest. 2019;12(3):323.
18. Gao Y., Cheng J., Ma Z., Zhao Y., Su J. Carbon storage in biomass, litter, and soil of different plantations in a semiarid temperate region of northwest China. Ann. For. Sci. 2014;71:427-35.
19. Cotillas M., Espelta JM., Sánchez-Costa E., Sabaté S. Aboveground and belowground biomass allocation patterns in two Mediterranean oaks with contrasting leaf habit: an insight into carbon stock in young oak coppices. Eur. J. For. Res. 2016;135:243-52.
20. Forestry plans of Tajan-Talar, Watershed No. 70, Jahade-Sazandegi, Organization of Forests and Ranglands, 2001.Natural Resources of Mazandaran.Iran.
21. Promis A., Schindler D., Reif A., Cruz G. Solar radiation transmission in and around canopy gaps in an uneven-aged Nothofagus betuloides forest. Int. J. Biometeorol. 2009;53:355-67.
22. Pretzsch H., Biber P., Uhl E., Dahlhausen J., R¨otzer T., Caldentey J., Koike T., Van Con T., Chavanne A., Seifert, T., Du Toit B. Crown size and growing space requirement of common tree species in urban centres, parks, and forests. Urban. For. Urban. Green. 2015;14(3): 466-479.
23. Zobeiry M. Forest inventory (Measurement of tree and stand). University of Tehran, Faculty of Natural Resources, Tehran University Publication. 1994;401.
24. Måren IE., Sharma LN. Seeing the wood for the trees: Carbon storage and conservation in temperate forests of the Himalayas. For. Ecol. Manage. 2021;487:119010.
25. Yang XD., Yan ER., Chang SX., Da LJ., Wang XH. Tree architecture varies with forest succession in evergreen broad-leaved forests in Eastern China. Trees. 2015;29:43-57.
26. Xu Y., Du C., Huang G., Li Z., Xu X., Zheng J., Wu C. Morphological characteristics of tree crowns of Cunninghamia lanceolata var. Luotian. J. For. Res. 2020;31:837-56.
27. Fichtner A., Sturm K., Rickert C., Von Oheimb G., Härdtle W. Crown size-growth relationships of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) are driven by the interplay of disturbance intensity and inter-specific competition. For. Ecol. Manage. 2013;302:178-84.
28. Aakala T., Fraver S., D’Amato AW., Palik BJ. Influence of competition and age on tree growth in structurally complex old-growth forests in northern Minnesota, USA. For. Ecol. Manage. 2013;308:128-35.
29. Hemery GE, Savill PS, Pryor SN. Applications of the crown diameter–stem diameter relationship for different species of broadleaved trees. For. Ecol. Manage. 2005;215(1-3):285-94.
30. Delagrange S., Messier C., Lechowicz MJ., Dizengremel P. Physiological, morphological and allocational plasticity in understory deciduous trees: importance of plant size and light availability. Tree. Physiol . 2004;24(7):775-84.
31. Mensah S., Noulekoun F., Ago EE. Aboveground tree carbon stocks in West African semi-arid ecosystems: Dominance patterns, size class allocation and structural drivers. Glob. Ecol. Conserv. 2020;24:e01331.
32. Saimun MS., Karim MR., Sultana F., Arfin-Khan MA. Multiple drivers of tree and soil carbon stock in the tropical forest ecosystems of Bangladesh. Trees. For. People. 2021;5:100108.