Sad Injili Forest Reserve: The highest elevation range of Parrotia persica C.A. Meyer nesting in the Hyrcanian forests

Document Type : Over looking Iranian Nature

Authors

1 PhD student in Forest Biology, Department of Forest Science and Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Iran

2 Associate Professor of Forest Biology, Department of Forest Science and Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Iran

3 Master's student in Forest Biology, Department of Forest Science and Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Iran

4 Master's student in Forest Biology, Department of Forest Science and Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Iran

10.22092/irn.2025.367844.1620

Abstract

Iran is recognized as a land of high biodiversity in Southwest Asia. The northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains host a wide variety of ecosystems and microclimates, with the Hyrcanian forests forming one of the most significant vegetation covers in this region. Parrotia persica C.A. Meyer, a semi-endemic and relict species in the Hyrcanian forests of northern Iran, is absent from the forests of Arasbaran and Europe. The distribution of ironwood (Parrotia persica) typically ranges from lowland areas up to 1200 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.) and occasionally up to 1400 m.a.s.l. However, in the Kojur region (Poul city) of Mazandaran Province, a pure stand of old ironwood trees has been recorded at altitudes between 1600–1650 m.a.s.l., known as the Sad Injili Reserve. This site represents the highest known altitudinal range for Parrotia in the Hyrcanian forests, underscoring the urgent need for its conservation. Despite its ecological uniqueness, this habitat has not been granted effective protection and remains under severe pressure from livestock grazing, tourism impacts, and habitat degradation. The present study highlights the importance of conserving this rare ecological site, which marks the upper limit of Parrotia’s ecological niche in the Hyrcanian region. It is hoped that the Forestry Office, as well as national parks and forest reserves, will take immediate and effective action to ensure the protection and preservation of this valuable natural heritage.

Keywords

References

Akhani, H., Djamali, M., Ghorbanalizadeh, A. and Ramezani, E., 2010. Plant biodiversity of Hyrcanian relict forests, N Iran: an overview of the flora, vegetation, palaeoecology and conservation. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 42(1): 231-285.
Akhani, H., Mahdavi, P., Noroozi, J. and Zarrinpour, V., 2013. Vegetation patterns of the Irano-Turanian steppe along a 3000 m altitudinal gradient in the Alborz Mountains of Northern Iran. Folia Geobotanica, 48(4): 229-255. DOI: 10.1007/s12224-012-9147-8
Jowkar, H., Ostrowski, S., Tahbaz, M. and Zahler, P., 2016. The conservation of biodiversity in Iran: threats, challenges and hopes. Iranian Studies, 49(6): 1065-1077. DOI: 10.1080/00210862.2016.1241602
Ludovicy, S., Noroozi, J., Semenchuk, P., Moser, D., Wessely, J., Talebi, A. and Dullinger, S., 2022. Protected area network insufficiently represents climatic niches of endemic plants in a Global Biodiversity Hotspot. Biological Conservation, 275(1): 109-121. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109768
Noroozi, J., Akhani, H. and Breckle, S. W., 2008. Biodiversity and phytogeography of the alpine flora of Iran. Biodiversity and Conservation, 17(1): 493-521. DOI: 10.1007/s10531-007-9246-7
Noroozi, J., Moser, D. and Essl, F., 2016. Diversity, distribution, ecology and description rates of alpine endemic plant species from Iranian mountains. Alpine botany, 126(1): 1-9. DOI: 10.1007/s00035-015-0160-4
Noroozi, J., Talebi, A. and Doostmohammadi, M., 2020. The Alborz Mountain Range. Plant Biogeography and Vegetation of High Mountains of Central and South-West Asia. Springer Nature, Berlin, 368p.
Noroozi, J., Talebi, A., Doostmohammadi, M., Manafzadeh, S., Asgarpour, Z. and Schneeweiss, G.M., 2019. Endemic diversity and distribution of the Iranian vascular flora across phytogeographical regions, biodiversity hotspots and areas of endemism. Scientific reports, 9(1): 129-141. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49417-1
Parsakhoo, A. and Jalilvand, H., 2009. Effects of iron wood (Parrotia persica C.A. Meyer) leaf litter on forest soil nutrients content. American-Eurasian Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Science, 5(2): 244-249.
Sefidi, K., Copenheaver, C. A., Kakavand, M. and Behjou, F.K., 2015. Structural diversity within mature forests in northern Iran: a case study from a relic population of Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica C.A. Meyer). Forest Science, 61(2): 258-265. DOI: 10.5849/forsci.13-096
Sharafzadeh, S. and Alizadeh, O., 2012. Some medicinal plants cultivated in Iran. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science, 2(1): 134-137.
Zazanashvili, N., Gagnidze, R. and Nakhutsrishvili, G., 2000. Main types of vegetation zonation on the mountains of the Caucasus. Acta Phytogeographica Suecica, 85(2): 7-16.
 
Iran Nature
Volume 10, Issue 1 - Serial Number 50
May and June 2025
Pages 73-78

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics