Suitability analysis for plantation development (Case study: Sanandaj)

Abstract

Along with the increasing public interest for recreational activities in the natural environment, the total urban green area per capita has been reduced during the recent years, resulted in an aerially-dense concentration of urban forest park users. Therefore, this study aims at conducting a suitability analysis for establishing plantation sites in a 10km buffer around the city of Sanandaj (48145 ha) in Kurdistan, western Iran. Here, a set of relevant factors including the ecology, socio-economy and tourism were studies to identify potential plantation sites. The criteria were spatially mapped following the data analysis. Questionnaires were used for evaluating each geographical map, and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was applied for pair wise comparison of the variables. Convenient weights were consequently assigned to each map based on the relevance of variables for establishing plantations. The final suitability map was derived by overlaying the maps of various factors in the Geographic Information System (GIS). The final map was evaluated and classified into five groups based on the finally-assigned values. The results included the regions with highest priorities which turn out to be more suitable for plantation establishment.

Keywords

• Sanandaj
• forest park
• urban green space
• land capability
• Site selection
• AHP