Sustainability of wild pistachio (Pistacia atlantica Desf.) in Zagros forests, Iran

Abstract

Wild pistachio (Pistacia atlantica Desf.) is the most economically important tree species in many rural areas in the west of Iran. The species produces resin used for a wide variety of traditional uses. Because the resin can be harvested non-destructively, the trees are maintained until mortality occurs from natural causes. The result is that natural, managed stands include a variety of age classes. In recent years, a lack of smaller size classes has been observed in the Qalajeh forest, which is located in the Zagros Mountain region of western Iran.We established a series of plots in an area typical of Qalajeh forest to characterize the diameter distribution of the wild pistachio component. We confirmed a deficit of stems 30 cm dbh, de Liocourt's equation closely fit the diameter distribution (r2 = 0.93), translating to a q-factor of 1.34. We used this curve to estimate the deficit number of stems in diameter classes

Citation

Pourreza, Morteza; Shaw, John D.; Zangeneh, Hoshang. 2008. Sustainability of wild pistachio (Pistacia atlantica Desf.) in Zagros forests, Iran. Forest Ecology and Management. 255(11): 3667-3671.