Morphological characteristics and health of beech trees by diameter more than one meter (case study, Guilan province)

For investigation of morphological characters of health of beech trees by diameter more than one meter at breast height, 33 trees were selected in Guilan province, Sistan district. Studied morphological characters were crown shape, spiral growth, nodes, collar rot, red wood heart, trees height, trunk height, crown height and trunk decay. Results showed that collar rot had significant correlation with trunk decay in the trees (p<0.01). More than half of the studied trees had decay which consisted 0.24 to 47.9 percent of tree volume and causes decrease of quantitative values of trees. Since such large sized trees with high amount of decay can not produce qualitative wood, it is recommended not to mark or cut them and leave them as deadwood because of the other ecological values.