Application of two-step clustering methods to investigate effects of oak forests conservative management of Ilam city on soil properties

Identify and explore the changes caused by various methods of management and degradation on natural resources might help managers to identify the influence of land use change, degradation and management and be ready to deal with them. Three Oak forest sites were selected, including five and 20 year conservative managed and non-managed or highly disturbed sites in Ilam city, at west of I.R. Iran. Systematic-random sampling method (100 Í 200 m.) was applied to collect data from 50 plots of 100 m2 area within each site. Three soil samples were made at 0–30 cm depth from center of each sampling plot, using soil auger. The samples were mixed to obtain one composite sample for laboratory analysis. Two-step cluster method was used to identify the most effective factors related to each cluster of sample plots, based on their importance and direction of effects. In other words, to identify effects of the short and long term conservation management methods in comparison to the degraded sites on chemical and physical soil properties. Results showed that lower amount of organic matter and ammonium nitrogen and higher amount of bulk density and EC are the most important and common indicators of the unmanaged or degraded sites. The most common and important indicators of the 5-year protected sites were lower amount of organic matter and total nitrogen and higher level of ammonium nitrogen, Whereas in the 20-year protected site were higher amounts of ammonium nitrogen, clay, available phosphorus, total nitrogen and organic matter and lower amount of lime. Overall, the results of this study showed that organic matter, bulk density and nitrogen are the appropriate indicators for assessment of effects of management on west oak forest ecosystems of Iran.

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