Investigation on snow damage on plantations in Sourdar- Vatashan region (Chamestan, Mazandran)

This research has been carried out in twenty-years-old plantations with species of Cupressus sempervirens, Acer velutinum, Populus deltoides and Alnus glutinosa, located in Sourdar- Vatashan forestry plan which have been damaged due to the heavy snowfall in February 2008. The study aimed at evaluating and comparing of the damage intensity in studied species and determining the correlation between effective factors with damage rate. Damage rate was evaluated using 30 circle sample plots with an area of 314m² in a systematic-random grid (125m×125m) in 48 ha area. Results showed that damage rate was 84% in Cypress stand, 6/18% in Poplar and 18.28% in Alder, while Maple stand remained intact. There is significant relationship between damage percentage and diameter at breast height (