A comparison on the quantitative and qualitative morphological characteristics of beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) in a pure and mixed stand (Gorazbon district, North of Iran)

Abstract

Morphological characteristics are important variables applied in forest inventory practices. This paper investigates such variables as diameter at breast height, basal area, height, crown length and width, volume, trunk length and ratio and slenderness coefficient as well as stem branching behavior on 289 stems in a pure stand and 259 stems in a mixed stand with uneven-aged structure in Gorazbon district, North of Iran. Results show no difference between two stands except for height and trunk length which is significantly higher for pure stand while there is no significant difference (α= 0.05) for all concerned variable for beech trees between the two stands.

Keywords

• beech
• Morphological characteristics
• pure stand
• mixed stand
• uneven-aged structure
• Hyrcanian forests