Physical and chemical properties of soil in sacred groves and surrounding oak woodlands in Baneh County

Zagros oak forests have changed considerably because of irregular and diverse usage of local people. Sacred groves in northern Zagros forest have almost remained undisturbed, due to their social and religious values for local people. In this study, we attentively investigated and compared soil properties in these stands, as stands that show the less disturbed Zagros oak forests, with surrounding oak woodlands that have been pollarded and utilized for centuries as pastures. Five sacred groves and five adjacent pollarded (Galajar) stands were selected. Five composite soil samples were randomly taken by use of 2×2 m microplots from 0-15 cm soil depth. Paired independent t test was used to compare all five sacred groves individually with surrounding oak woodlands and also to compare all data from both areas altogether. The results showed that there are significant differences between all soil properties but calcium content. Soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, phosphorus, C:N ratio, potassium, electrical conductivity and sand decreased significantly in the pollarded area compared with sacred stands while clay and pH increased. The results also revealed that pollarding (Galazani, Galabori) and long-run exploitations of the conventional ownerships in these forests have significantly reduced soil quality and it will be less fertile if this process continues. High soil quality in the sacred groves indicates the importance of conservation in these stands to improve forest habitat quality in the northern Zagros forests. We conclude that, it is critically important to pay more attention to protecting sacred groves in Baneh County.