Background and Objective: Due to the natural forests degradation rate, increasing human population and increasing need to ecosystem services, forest development and afforestation process will be unavoidable. In this respect, before any implementation of afforestation pr
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Background and Objective: Due to the natural forests degradation rate, increasing human population and increasing need to ecosystem services, forest development and afforestation process will be unavoidable. In this respect, before any implementation of afforestation project, site selection of suitable areas and evaluation of ecological potential should be considered. This research has been done with the aim of evaluating the ecological potential of Arangeh watershed located in Alborz province and locating suitable areas for afforestation. Methods: According to the purpose of the study, in order to evaluate the ecological potential, effective environmental criteria including physical factors (physiography, climate and soil) and biological factors (vegetation) were identified. Then, area information was collected, including reports and data, as well as maps were produced. In the next step, by stacking and combining the information layers, homogeneous units were produced. Using Boolean logic, lands with absolute and permanent constraints were removed from the evaluation process and finally 108 unrestricted units were identified for evaluation. Then, the weights of the main indicators were determined using the AHP method (pairwise comparisons) and expert opinions. Qualitative values The main indices were converted to quantitative scale using the bipolar distance method and then the final value of each homogeneous unit was calculated by the SAW method. Results: In this study, land potentials for afforestation in three categories including: excellent (9/5 ha), good (1015/9 ha), and average (578/5 ha) were determined and finally an ecological potential map for the development of forest was produced. Discussion & conclusion: It can be concluded that, in 15% of the area, there is potential for afforestation, that ecological potential has relatively suitable conditions in these areas.
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