Green Global
Foundation   Journal
...an emerging window for scientific research and publication across the globe

THE QUERY OF SUITABLE AREAS FOR REAFFORESTATION OF Cupressus sempervirens var. Horizantalis ENDANGERED SPECIES BY USING GIS IN NORTHERN FORESTS OF IRAN (Pages : 14 - 18)

Cupressus sempervirens var. Horizantalis is a Mediterranean species and one of the native conifers of Hyrcanian forests which has been able to survive in the northern forests of Iran since the tertiary geological period until today, in spite of the adverse natural conditions and the human activities. The purpose of this research is to position this species according to its ecological characteristics in 88 watershed of Golestan Province in north of Iran. To achieve this goal, Multi Criteria and Fuzzy Logic Evaluation methods were applied. In Multi Criteria Evaluation (MCE) method, analytic hierarchy was used to prioritize the environmental factors affecting the maximum growth of this species. During this process, first the required effective natural factors were assessed and prioritized among 10 parameters. At the end, the ultimate map of appropriate areas for planting C. sempervirens var. Horizantalis was prepared according to MCE and fuzzy logic models. The task was carried out separately by combining the layers acquired from each model. According to findings of the study, from the total 30554 ha area of the studied region, based on Multi Criteria Evaluation and Fuzzy Logic methods, about 6647 and 1126 ha of the lands were estimated potential, respectively for planting C. sempervirens var. Horizantalis species. Considering the carried out evaluation, Fuzzy logic method was identified to be more accurate and correct and to have higher capabilities in terms of query for the dynamic ecological parameters, compared to multi criteria evaluation method. Download