The limited long-term impact of secondary forest roads on tree regeneration and stand composition

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 M.Sc. Graduated in Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran

2 Associate Prof., Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran

3 Corresponding author, Assistant Prof., Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Habitat edges, particularly forest road corridors, function as focal points for ecological dynamics. These linear disturbances alter microclimatic conditions through increased solar radiation, elevated temperatures, and enhanced wind exposure, thereby creating environmental filters that fundamentally reshape vegetation structure and community composition. This transformation manifests as the gradual replacement of shade-tolerant forest species with light-demanding herbaceous and pioneer species in proximity to edges. However, roads serve as the fundamental infrastructure for forest management, making their presence in forested landscapes an essential and unavoidable component of modern land use. This study aimed to investigate the effects of secondary forest roads on tree regeneration, species composition, stem density (stems/ha), and stand volume (m³/ha) in three parcels of Series 7 within Watershed 25 of the Shenroud district, Guilan Province, two decades after road construction.
Methodology: For this research, a forest road constructed in 2005 in three compartments of Series 7 in the Shenroud watershed was selected: compartment 754 (northern aspect), compartment 726 (southern aspect), and compartment 755 (western aspect). A transect sampling method was employed. Transects were established along three geographical aspects (north, south, and west), with three replicates per aspect, resulting in a total of 72 transects. Each transect measured 100 × 5 m and was positioned on both cut and fill slopes, across the three geographical aspects, and at four distances from the road (30, 60, 90, and 120 m). Within each transect, tree species and diameter at breast height (DBH) of all trees were recorded. To assess regeneration, ten systematic 2 × 1 m square microplots were sampled per transect, and regeneration frequency by species was documented. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to verify the normality of quantitative data. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to compare regeneration frequency under the influence of geographical aspect and distance from the road, and Duncan’s multiple range test was used for mean comparisons.
Results: The results indicated that tree species composition on both sides of the road did not significantly change with distance from 30 to 120 m from the road. Although mean stem density and volume per hectare decreased with increasing distance from the road, no statistically significant differences were observed across slopes, geographical aspects, or distances from the road. Regeneration analysis revealed that three tree species regenerated in the study area, all of which were present across the three geographical aspects. The highest regeneration frequency on both cut and fill slopes was observed for beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky). In the upstream area of the road, alder (Alnus subcordata C.A. Mey.) regeneration frequency was higher than that of hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.), whereas in the downstream area, alder frequency was lower than that of hornbeam. Comparison of regeneration variables showed that regeneration abundance increased with increasing distance from the road on both the cut and fill slopes, reaching a maximum at 90 m, but decreased at a distance of 120 m, and a statistically significant difference in regeneration frequency was observed between cut and fill slopes.
Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that secondary forest roads in the study area have not exerted a significant large-scale impact on adjacent ecosystems in terms of species composition and regeneration rates after two decades, except for regeneration rates between cut and fill slopes, where significant differences were observed. From a forest management point of view, the obtained results, which indicate limited negative effects of such roads, make it possible to allocate financial resources to more critical areas and provide a good example for forest road design and construction with minimal ecological disturbance in the future. As a result, rather than undertaking comprehensive and expensive road-management activities in similar situations, continued and targeted monitoring should be emphasized to support adaptive and compatible management in Hyrcanian forests.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

- Avon, C., Dumas, Y. and Bergès, L., 2013. Management practices increase the impact of roads on plant communities in forests. Biological Conservation, 159: 24-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.10.008
- Bazyari, M., Jalilvand, H., Kooch, Y. and Hosseini, S.A., 2014. Ecological effects of forest roads on biodiversity and floristic composition (case study; Leeresar, Galanderood, Makarood). Journal of Plant Research, 27(1): 41-51 (In Persian with English summary).
- Benítez-López, A., Alkemade, R. and Verweij, P.A., 2010. The impacts of roads and other infrastructure on mammal and bird populations: A meta-analysis. Biological Conservation, 143(6): 1307-1316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2010.02.009
- Berenji Tehrani, F., Majnounian, B., Abdi, E. and Zahedi Amiri, Gh., 2015. Impacts of forest road on plant species diversity in a Hyrcanian forest, Iran. Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering, 36(1): 63-71.
- Bowering, M., Lemay, V. and Marshall, P., 2006. Effects of forest roads on the growth of adjacent lodgepole pine trees. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 36(4): 919-929. https://doi.org/10.1139/x05-300
- Darvishsefat, A.A., Ahmadi, A., Makhdoom, M.F. and Abolghasemi, S., 2009. Routing using GIS with consideration of environmental principles (Case study: Parchin Road). Iranian Journal of Natural Resources, 60(1): 203-211 (In Persian with English summary).
- Delgado, J.D., Arroyo, N.L., Arévalo, J.R. and Fernández-Palacios, J.M., 2007. Edge effects of roads on temperature, light, canopy cover, and canopy height in laurel and pine forests (Tenerife, Canary Islands). Landscape and Urban Planning, 81(4): 328-340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2007.01.005
- Deljouei, A., Abdi, E., Hasanvand, M., Sadeghi, S.M.M. and Kaybondori, S., 2017a. Zone effect of secondary forest roads on flora, life forms, and chorology of plants. Journal of Forest Research and Development, 3(1): 77-89 (In Persian with English summary).
- Deljouei, A., Sadeghi, S.M.M., Abdi, E. and Hasanvand, M., 2017b. Impact of forest roads on flora, life forms, and chorology of plants in Hornbeam-beech Kheyrud forest. Iranian Journal of Forest and Range Protection Research, 15(2): 115-130 (In Persian with English summary). https://doi.org/10.22092/ijfrpr.2018.115702
- Demir, M., Makineci, E. and Yilmaz, E., 2007. Investigation of timber harvesting impacts on herbaceous cover, forest floor and surface soil properties on skid road in an oak (Quercus petrea L.) stand. Building and Environment, 42(3): 1194-1199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2005.11.008
- Dickinson, M.B., Whigham, D.F. and Hermann, S.M., 2000. Tree regeneration in felling and natural treefall disturbances in a semideciduous tropical forest in Mexico. Forest Ecology and Management, 134(1-3): 137-151. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(99)00252-2
- Dillon, G., 1998. Effects of road edges on vegetation structure and composition in Rocky Mountain conifer forests. M.A. thesis, Department of Geography and Recreation, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA, 72p.
- Forman, R.T.T., Sperling, D., Bissonette, J.A., Clevenger, A.P., Cutshall, C.D., Dale, V.H., Fahrig, L., France, R., Goldman, C.R., Heanue, K., Jones, A.J., Swanson, F.J., Turrentine, T. and Winter, T.C., 2002. Road Ecology: Science and Solutions. Island Press, Washington, DC, 481p.
- Grubb, P.J., Lee, W.G., Kollmann, J. and Wilson, J.B., 1996. Interaction of irradiance and soil nutrient supply on growth of seedlings of ten European tall-shrub species and Fagus sylvatica. Journal of Ecology, 84(6): 827-840. https://doi.org/10.2307/2960555
- Hansen, M.J. and Clevenger, A.P., 2005. The influence of disturbance and habitat on the presence of non-native plant species along transport corridors. Biological Conservation, 125(2): 249-259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2005.03.024
- Haskell, D.G., 2000. Effects of forest roads on macroinvertebrate soil fauna of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Conservation Biology, 14(1): 57-63. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2000.99232.x
- Karami-Rad, S., Abdi, E., Majnounian, B., Etemad, V. and Sohrabi, H., 2016. Effect of forest road on herbaceous diversity and tree regeneration. Journal of Forest and Wood Products, 69(1): 29-40 (In Persian with English summary).
- Karim, M.N. and Mallik, A.U., 2008. Roadside revegetation by native plants: I. Roadside microhabitats, floristic zonation and species traits. Ecological Engineering, 32(3): 222-237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2007.11.003
- Keybondori, S., Abdi, E., Deljouei, A., Lázaro-Lobo, A., Ervin, G.N., Shakeri, Z., Etemad, V. and Borz, S.A., 2023. Effect of forest roadside on vegetation characteristics in the Hyrcanian temperate forest. European Journal of Forest Research, 142(2): 455-473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-023-01535-2
- Magagnotti, N., Spinelli, R., Güldner, O. and Erler, J., 2012. Site impact after motor-manual and mechanised thinning in Mediterranean pine plantations. Biosystems Engineering, 113(2): 140-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2012.07.001
- McCay, S.T., Cardelús, C.L. and Neatrour, A.M., 2013. Rate of litter decay and litter macroinvertebrates in limed and unlimed forests of the Adirondack Mountains, USA. Forest Ecology and Management, 304: 254-260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.05.010
- Naghdi, R., Pourbabaei, H., Heidari, M. and Noori, M., 2014. The effects of forest road on vegetation and some physical and chemical properties of soil, case study: Shafarood Forests, District No.2. Iranian Forests Ecology, 2(3): 49-64 (In Persian with English summary).
- Najafi, A., Hosseini, S.M., Ezzati, S., Torabi, M.A. and Fakhari, M., 2011. Comparison of regeneration and biodiversity of trees on cut and fill edges of forest road (Case study: Chamestan and Lavige Forests, Noor). Journal of Wood and Forest Science and Technology, 17(4): 139-152 (In Persian with English summary).
- Nilsson, M.C. and Wardle, D.A., 2005. Understory vegetation as a forest ecosystem driver: Evidence from the northern Swedish boreal forest. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 3(8): 421-428. https://doi.org/10.1890/1540-9295(2005)003[0421:UVAAFE]2.0.CO;2
- Odum, E.P., 1971. Fundamentals of Ecology, Third Edition. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 574p.
- Picchio, R., Spina, R., Maesano, M., Carbone, F., Lo Monaco, A. and Marchi, E., 2011. Stumpage value in the short wood system for the conversion into high forest of a oak coppice. Forestry Studies in China, 13(4): 252-262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11632-013-0411-7
- Picchio, R., Tavankar, F., Venanzi, R., Lo Monaco, A. and Nikooy, M., 2018. Study of forest road effect on tree community and stand structure in three Italian and Iranian temperate forests. Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering, 39(1): 57-70.
- Pourbabaei, H., Naghdi, R., Haidari, M. and Noori, M., 2016. Investigation on the regeneration and vegetation composition in the edge of forest roads. Journal of Forest and Wood Products, 69(1): 87-96 (In Persian with English summary).
- Sefidi, K. and Jahdi, R., 2023. Impact of anthropogenic disturbance on the size diversity of trees in Arasbaran forests (Case study: Hatam-Meshasi Forest Reserve in Meshgin-Shahr County, Iran). Iranian Journal of Forest and Poplar Research, 31(3): 241-256. (In Persian with English summary). https://doi.org/10.22092/ijfpr.2023.362923.2110
- Turski, M., Beker, C. and Czerniak, A., 2023. The impact of road investments on the forest environment—case study: The impact of asphalt roads on the health condition and growth of trees. Sustainability, 15(2): 1307. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021307
- Walker, L.R. and del Moral, R., 2003. Primary Succession and Ecosystem Rehabilitation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 442p. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511615078
- Watkins, R.Z., Chen, J., Pickens, J. and Brosofske, K.D., 2003. Effects of forest roads on understory plants in a managed hardwood landscape. Conservation Biology, 17(2): 411-419. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2003.01285.x
- Yousefi Babadi, T., Fallah, A., Lotfalian, M. and Afaridan, M., 2015. Effect of forest roads on quantitative characteristics of adjacent tree stands (Case study: Series 5, Section 2, Neka Forest-Zalem Rud). Proceedings of the International Conference on Environmental Science Engineering and Technologies. Tehran, 5-6 May 2015: 11p (In Persian).
- Zaraei Gholbaghi, M., Nikooy, M., Turkman, J. and Karamian Omrani, L., 2016. Evaluation the skid trail effect on annual ring width fluctuations in Beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) and Alder (Alnus subcordata C. A. Mey.) trees (District Nav No. 1, Asalem forests, Guilan). Iranian Journal of Forest and Poplar Research, 24(1): 1-8 (In Persian with English summary).
- Zielińska, K.M., Kiedrzyński, M., Grzyl, A. and Rewicz, A., 2016. Forest roadsides harbour less competitive habitats for a relict mountain plant (Pulsatilla vernalis) in lowlands. Scientific Reports, 6: 31913. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep31913
 
 

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics