The aim of this study was to assessing the effects of forest logging on vegetation characteristics in forest of Shafaroud, Guilan. For this purpose, two similar regions (harvested and control regions) were selected at 9 Seri number of Shafaroud forest of Gulian province. In each region, the characteristics of vegetation were manifest, using 25 plots. Also, soil samples were taken in center of each plot for elements analysis. The vegetation sampling was done twice (one and five years after logging) at harvested region. The result showed that the control region had higher diversity and richness than harvested one. But the species dominance was low in control region. The Jaccard similarity index showed that the control and 5 years after logging have the most vegetation similarity. Also, the results demonstrate that the plant species aggregation tend to be in regions with high amount of N, P, organic matter and soil porosity.

27 percentage of Gilan province (North of Iran) with approximately 150 thousand hectares is under cover of Shafaroud Forest Company which is utilized in form of 73 forestry plans. Regarding to ecological futures of the region, promising species and the Shafaroud's potential, three species containing Poplar, Alder and Loblolly-pine were investigated to determine optimal product and target markets. Finally they were categorized for future investments on forestry plans and sustainable forest management. For these purposes, after review of previous studies and some interviews with experts, effective factors on determining optimal product and target markets divided into 6 main categories and 49 subcategories. Sorting of categories and subcategories was conducted by Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and according to experts comments. The result showed that Loblolly-pine (0.470), Alder (0.299) and Poplar (0.230) had more importance, respectively and accordingly they propose for wood farming and forestry plans in this order. Among main categories, pulp and paper, furniture, wood products, building, accessories and tools, and transportation were sorted according to their relative weight. In case of subcategories, tissue was the most important product and furniture (both office and home furniture) took place in next ranks.

In the Shafaroud forest, logging operation is generally performed by using selective cutting methods. Chainsaw and cable skidder are two main forest machines for harvesting of this forest. However, forest harvesting operations result in serious residual stand damage during felling, winching and skidding operations in this forest. Residual stand damage resulting from selective cutting was assessed on Avardim district in the Shafaroud forest in the north of Iran. Logging operation was performed by chainsaw and cable skidder. To gain benefit of directional felling, Landing and skid trail was planned prior to felling. Study area was cruised using 14 random sampling plots centered on transect lines uniformly distributed throughout the harvested area. Study results indicate majority of the injuries that occurred belong to the skidding and winching stage and the bole portion of tree (> 1m). Beech trees were injured more than trees of other species, and the mean area of injury was 290.3 cm2. Investigation on felling error showed that 40% of felled trees were at an angle of about 45-70 degrees with skidding direction, therefore felling crew could not lead the felled trees toward the skid trails. Increase felling error made the remaining trees more susceptible to injuries. This research indicated that preliminary planning of skid trail prior to felling is not a sufficient measure to minimize residual stand damage but proper training of crew is essential to insure a good performance of the operation. Felling crew should be not only trained and experienced workers but also aware of the value of residual crop trees, and the importance of minimizing stand damage if uneven-aged stand management practices are to be successful

The functional effects of each of the components of a Watershed can be seen and evaluated in the intensity of its erosion and produced sediments. Usually, in any basin, as a result of the eroded materials in the basin due to natural sedimentary traps, the amount of erosion is more than that of the sediment. Therefore it is necessary to detemine the relationship between sedimentation coefficient and physical parameters of any basin so as to be able to execute the required plans and management policies. So, by recognizing the effective factors in basins sedimentation coefficient, the appropirate strategy of sediments control can be formulated with more precision. In this study, to determine the coefficient of sedimetion, Shafaroud basin was divided into six subbasins on the basis of the topographic map (1:5000) and the amounts of soil erosion and sedimentation class were computed using MPSIAC model. According to the above method, the annual sedimentation amount was computed as m3/km2 855/50. Besides, the annual volume of the sediments entering into the dam from the total area of the basin amounts to m3 0.16. To calculate the turbidity coefficient in Shafaroud Basin, thespecific sediment value of t/y/km2 556/3 and the specific debi value of lit/s/km2 296/3 were used and so the coefficient was obtained as kg/m3 0.06.Results indicated that there was a negative ralationship between the area of the basin and the sedimentation coefficient (r=-0.98). The correlation between the gradient and the erosion coefficient was positive (r=0.86). Average amount of the sedimentation coefficient in this area was %77. The applied method has been measured and campared with other methods of erosion evaluation.

This research was done in forests under the Shafaroud Forest Company in Guilan province of I. R. Iran during 2006 to 2010، using questionnaires and incident report forms. Results showed that incidence of accidents increased from 2006 to 2008 (45. 29 cases per thousand) and decreased from 2009 to 2010 (25. 71 cases per thousand). The Lowest and the highest values of the accident coefficient were 11 (2010) and 20 (2008) cases per million، respectively. The percentage of accident incident locations at central، Shafaroud، Shanderman، lowlands and Asalem sites were 46، 27، 13، 7 and 7، respectively. The greatest job accidents at forest logging units، related to drivers، chainsaw worker، and chokeman، at support service units related to welder and mechanic، and at restoration and development units related to forest guard. Results showed that main causes of the events are due to striking different things (43%)، accidents (22%)، falling (12%)، falling from high object (10%)، high extent stress and action (9%) and other factors (4%). Some of the organs are subject to more risks than the others، including hand، eye، face، back، spinal column and leg (41، 21، 19، 18 and 15 cases، respectively). Application of personal protective equipments as main safety effort and standard machinery and working equipments in order to prevent accidents، can reduce injuries and provide safe conditions for workers.

In order to study the effect of elevation on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the humid forests of Guilan Shafaroud، series 17، 16 and 7 were selected that fall in to three height classes; class 1 (less than 500 m)، class 2 (500 – 1000 m) and class 3 (1000 – 1600 m). In height class 1، 2 and 3 sample plots were determined as 4، 15 and 20 respectively and each sample plot was 0. 1 ha and characteristics of species، total height، crown symmetry، crown diameter، canopy cover، and diameter at breast height، regeneration status of the species and percent of species mixture in each site were calculated. The results showed that there are maximum density of lime in the elevation range of 600 - 1000 m from Height above sea level and extends to the northern and eastern slopes. Also، symmetry of the crown، regeneration status and canopy cover survey of trees showed that broad and symmetrical crowns ranged from 400 - 800 m، utmost regeneration density belong to height class 1، 2 and the height class 2 with %85 have maximum canopy cover. The distribution of trees in diameter classes revealed that forest under study has irregular uneven-aged structure and the irregularity of the curve also shows the ravages during different stages of growth. The overall، habitat of class 1 in Shafaroud forests، determine the most suitable habitat for lime trees.

The diameter and height of trees are essential variables for biomass prediction, carbon storage, and forest stand development. Compared with height, measuring the diameter of trees more convenient and is associated with lower cost and error. In this study, nonlinear models were used to estimate height of lime trees in the Shafaroud forests of Guilan. Lime (Tilia begonifolia Stev.) trees are distributed from low to high altitude of 1800 m in Shafaroud forests and have an important role in preserving its natural composition and stand structure. A systematic random sampling method within a 200 × 200-meter network was applied for data collection. Data were collected from 48 circular sample plots with 1000 m2 at altitudes from 500 to 950 m (parcels no. 29 and 30 in 16th compartment) as well as from 50-500 m (parcels no. 14 and 18 in 17th compartment). Modeling was performed with 12 commonly used nonlinear models and multilayer perceptron neural networks with the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, which has the advantage to accommodate the complex nonlinear relationships between input and output data. Performance criteria including root mean square error (RMSE), adjusted R2, AIC, and MAD were used to compare the results. Results showed the highest performances of Burkhart-Strub (1974) in mid-altitude and Stoffels-Van Soeset (1953) models in low-altitude forests, while artificial neural network (ANN) returned the highest accuracy and performance in both sites. It decreased the RMSE by 5.54% in sub-mountain and 7.35% in low-land forests compared to the best applied nonlinear models. Although the suggested nonlinear models were accurate enough for the study site, the ANN method is preferred for its higher accuracy.

Reliable estimates of runoff are required as a part of the information sets that help watershed managers make informed decisions on water resources planning and management. This study was carried out in Shafaroud watershed located in the north of Iran. In order to achieve the best runoff simulation in the study area, first rainfall data of four stations during 1998 to 2011 were collected and combined with other maps of the study area, such as Digital Elevation Model (DEM), land use and soil as input data in the form ofSoil and Water Assessment Tools (SWAT) model. After running the model, the Sequential Uncertainty Fitting (SUFI-2) algorithm in SWAT calibration and uncertainty program (SWAT-CUP) were used to evaluate the data uncertainty and the most accurate simulation. The first three years (1998-2000) of rainfall data for warm-up and the next 7 years (2001-2007) for the calibration and final 4 years (2008-2011) were used for the validation period. Finally, with multiple simulations, the uncertainty of the parameters was assessed with P-factor, R-factor, and NS coefficients. The results of validation period ( =0.85, NS=0.74) confirmed the potential of SUFI-2 algorithm of SWAT-CUP program for simulating runoff data in the study area.

The aim of this study was to assess the relative efficiency of the Iranian forest management plans using the non-parametric method – Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) as a well-known and robust technique for measuring the relative efficiency of organizations. The relative efficiency of forest management plans was calculated using the most frequency DEA models such as global technical efficiency (CCR), local pure technical efficiency (BCC) and Scale Efficiency (SE) on 12 units in Guilan Province, Iran. According to the results of CCR and BCC models, the efficiency averaged 0.83 and 0.93, respectively. The results of SE discussed a worrying aspect of these units efficiency; namely, there were only 3 efficient forest management plans (Shafaroud, Nav and Fiyab). However, the Scale Efficiency Index (SEI) brings out some interesting points; there were approximately 58% (7 units out of 12) under Increasing Returns to Scale (IRS). Therefore, the managers of forest management plans should focus more on the plans under IRS, so that they will have the opportunity to become more efficient through growth, otherwise managers will not be able to promote their overall productivity.

This research was carried out in an unmanaged (934) and a managed (923) comportments of the Shafaroud region of northern old- growth beech forests of Iran. Gap characteristics such as gap area, gap fraction, gap frequency per hectare, DBH of gapmakers, frequency of gapmakers per gap and decay class of gapmakers were measured. Results showed that gap fraction of managed and unmanaged gaps were 13.5% and 9.06%, respectively. There were significant differences in frequency distributions of gap areas, DBH and gapmaker per gap between two study sites. Spatial pattern of gaps was random for both areas in 25m radius and beyond this distance aggregate pattern was determined. Based on this research, decrease of number of gap per hectare and increase of dead wood frequency and volume should be implemented in the next management practices.