Evaluation of visual surveys to estimate acorn production of Gall oak (Quercus infectoria Olivier) in Baneh

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 Assistant professor, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands

2 Senior Expert, Faculty of Natural Resources, Khatamolanbia Technology University of Behbahan

3 Assistant professor, Botany Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands

Abstract

This research was conducted for the first time in Iran on Northern Zagros Forests close to Halou village located 40 km far west of Baneh City at Kurdistan province. 120 sample trees of Gall oak (Quercus infectoria) were selected, using stratified random sampling method and their seed amount was measured, using different methods of visual surveys (Whitehead, Christisen-Kearby and Modified Graves), then the achieved data were correlated with the crown counting data. Stem diameter at breast height and big and small diameters of crown of the trees were measured. In early September, just prior to acorn fall, each tree was surveyed; using the visual survey methods and its acorn density (acorns number/m2 crown area) was calculated, using crown counting method. The results showed that 24 of the sampled trees had no acorn and average acorn density was 7.2 Overall, weak acorn production of Q. infectoria was observed, based on the estimated visual survey indexes and the best visual estimation method was Whitehead (r2=0.87). Finally, usefulness of the visual survey methods was confirmed due to their simple application, acceptable accuracy and low labor costs.

Keywords

References

- Anonymous, 2004. Natural resources of Iran (yesterday, today, tomorrow). Publication of Forests, Rangelands and Watershed Management Organization, Tehran, 151 p.
- Auchmoody, L.R., Smith, H.C. and Walters, R.S., 1993. Acorn production in northern red oak stands in northwestern Pennsylvania. USDA Forest Service, Research Paper NE-680, 5 p.
- Beck D.E., 1977. Twelve-year acorn yield in southern Appalachian oaks. USDA Forest Service, Research Note SE-244, 8 p.
- Beck, D.E., 1993. Acorns and oak regeneration. USDA Forest Service, General Technical Report SE-84, 9 p.
- Bihamta, M.R. and Zare Chahouki, M.A., 2008. Principles of statistics for the natural resources science. University of Tehran Press, Tehran, 300 p.
- Christisen, D.M. and Kearby, W.H., 1984. Mast measurement and production in Missouri (with special references to acorns). Missouri Department of Conservation Terrestrial, Series 13, 34 p.
- DeGraaf, R.M., Yamasaki, M., Leak, W.B. and Lanier, J.W., 1992. New England wildlife: management of forested habitats. USDA Forest Service, General Technical Report NE-144, 271 p.
- Dey, D.C., 1995. Acorn production in red oak. Ontario Forest Research Institute, Forest Research Information Paper, No: 127, 22 p.
- Djavanchir Khoei, K., 1969. The new classification of genus Quercus. Bulletin of Faculty of Forestry, University of Tehran, 17: 113-121.
- Edwards, J.W., Guynn, D.C. Jr. and Loeb, S.C., 1993. Seasonal mast availability for wildlife in the Piedmont Region of Georgia. USDA Forest Service, Research Paper SE-287, 13 p.
- Fearer, T.M., Norman, G.W., Pack S.J.C., Bittner, S. and Healy, W.M., 2008. Influence of physiographic and climatic factors on spatial patterns of acorn production in Maryland and Virginia, USA. Journal of Biogeography, 35: 2012-2025.
- Garrison, B.A., Wachs, R.L., Jones, J.S. and Triggs, M.L., 1998. Visual counts of acorns of California black oak (Quercus kelloggii) as an indicator of mast production. Western Journal of Applied Forestry, 13: 27-31.
- Gea-Izquierdo, G., Cañellas, I. and Montero, G., 2006. Acorn production in Spanish holm oak woodlands. Investigación agraria. Sistemas y recursos forestales. 15 (3): 339-354.
- Graves, W.C., 1980. Annual oak mast yield from visual estimates. Proceeding of the Symposium on the Ecology, Management and Utilization of California Oaks, USDA Forest Service, General Technical Report, PSW-44: 270-274.
- Greenberg, C.H., 2000. Individual variation in acorn production by five species of southern Appalachian oaks. Forest Ecology and Management, 132: 199-210
- Gysel, L.W., 1956. Measurement of acorn crops. Forest Science, 2 (1): 305-313.
- Gysel, L.W., 1957. Acorn production on good, medium, and poor oak sites in southern Michigan. Journal of Forestry, 55: 570-574.
- Healy, W.M., Lewis, A.M. and Boose, E.F., 1999. Variation of red oak acorn production. Forest Ecology and Management, 116 (1-3): 1-11.
- Johnson, P.S., 1994. How to manage oak forests for acorn production. USDA Forest Service, Technical Brief, TB-NC-1, 4 p.
- Koenig, W.D. and Knops, J.M.H., 2002. The behavioral ecology of masting in oaks. In: McShea, W.J. and Healy, W.M., (Eds.). Oak forest ecosystems. The Johns Hopkins University Press: 129-148.
- Koenig, W.D., Knops, J.M.H., Carmen, W.J., Stanback, M.T. and Mumme, R.L., 1994. Estimating acorn crops using visual surveys. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 24: 2105-2112.
- Koenig, W.D., Krakauer, A.H., Monahan, W.B., Haydock, J., Knops, J.M.H. and Carmen, W.J., 2009. Mast-producing trees and the geographical ecology of western scrub-jays. Ecography, 32: 561-570.
- Liebhold, A., Sork, V., Peltonen, M., Koenig, W., Bjørnstad, O.N., Westfall, R., Elkinton, J. and Knops, J.M.H., 2004. Within-population spatial synchrony in mast seeding of North American oaks. Oikos, 104: 156-164.
- Masaka, K. and Sato, H., 2002. Acorn production by Kashiwa oak in a coastal forest under fluctuating weather conditions. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 32: 9-15.
- McShea, W.J. and Healy, W.M., 2003. Oak Forest Ecosystems: Ecology and Management for Wildlife. The John Hopkins University Press, 448 p.
- Panahi, P., Jamzad, Z. and Pourhashemi, M., 2008. Acorn production of Zagros forests oaks and their qualitative characteristics in Zagros section of National Botanical Garden of Iran. Journal of Forest and Wood Products (Iranian Journal of Natural Resources), 62 (1): 45-57.
- Perry, R.W. and Thill, R.E., 1999. Estimating mast production: an evaluation of visual surveys and comparison with seed traps using white oaks. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry, 23: 164-169.
- Peter, D. and Harrington, C., 2002. Site and tree factors in Oregon white oak acorn production in western Washington and Oregon. Northwest Science, 76 (3): 189-201.
- Pourhashemi, M., Zande Basiri, M. and Panahi, P., 2011. Estimation of acorn production of gall oak (Quercus infectoria Olivier) in Baneh forests by Koenig visual method. Iranian Journal of Forest and Poplar Researchs, 19 (2): 194-205.
- Rose, A.K., Greenberg, C.H. and Fearer, T.M., 2012. Acron production prediction models for five common oak species of the eastern United States. The journal of Wildlife Management, 76 (4): 750-758.
- Sagheb Talebi, Kh., Sajedi, T. and Yazdian, F., 2004. Forests of Iran. Publication of Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran, 56 p.
- Sharp, W.M., 1958. Evaluating mast yields in the oaks. The Pennsylvania State University, College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station, University Park, Bulletin 635, 22 p.
- Wentworth, J.M., Johnson, A.S. and Hale, P.E., 1990. Influence of acorn use on nutritional status and reproduction of deer in the southern Appalachians. Proceeding of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 44: 142-154.
- Whitehead, J.R., 1969. Oak mast yields on wildlife management areas in Tennessee. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Nashville, TN, 11 p.
- Yazdanfar, H., 2006. Study of relation between dimensions of Quercus libani trees and their acorn production. M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, 68 p.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics