Delineation of Suitable Areas for Acer Monspessulanum Using a Multi-Criteria Evaluation Approach and Landuse/Cover Mapping (Case Study: Golestan Province in the North of Iran)

Abstract

Acer monspessulanum plays a key role in determining the function of forest ecosystems in the semi-arid lands. Therefore, assessment of Acer monspessulanum habitat is important to understand the ecosystem functioning in these regions and for applied purposes, such as reforestation management and land evaluation. Reforestation planning, evaluation and implementation are important in areas where abiotic, biotic and anthropogenic disturbances have changed forest areas. This paper presents a model to assess Acer monspessulanum habitat in a semi-arid region. The model is based on geographic information system (GIS) and fuzzy logic, comprising nine variables. MCE modeling provides a tool for evaluating land suitability. In this article, we provide a framework to use MCE model for reforestation. Specifi cally, we present a case study using MCE simulation model of reforestation in Gharnaveh watershed of Golestan Province in the north of Iran. The AHP method was applied to identify the priority weight of each factor. Nine spatial layers with their corresponding weights were linearly combined to prepare the suitability map. The map was classifi ed as high, medium and low suitable land for the reforestation.
According to the results, in the study area there are approximately 542, 4508 and 1056 ha with high, medium and low suitability respectively.
We conclude that in this particular case active reforestation is the most effective method to quickly restore forest cover. Our research suggests that MCE model are valuable tools in the land suitability evaluation for reforestation decision making process.