Introduction to Forests and Rangelands Research Department
The Forests and Rangelands Research Department (FRRD) was established by the Kurdistan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center in 1970. There are currently four subdivisions of research within the department: forests and poplars, rangelands, botany, and medicinal plants. Under the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands of Iran, the FRRD implements research projects and education and extension programs related to Kurdistan's natural resources. We are focused on conducting high-impact, applied research to protect, conserve, and restore forests and rangelands, finding a balance between livestock and grazing capacity, developing the optimal rangeland exploitation system for each region, according to its social conditions, estimating forest volume and annual vegetation growth, evaluating changes in vegetation composition in order to increase the density of valuable rangeland species, determining the potential and actual economic value of rangelands in different ecological conditions, introducing suitable species for the restoration of degraded rangeland ecosystems, implementing the programs of sustainable forest and rangeland management, identifying and introducing new species and new records of plants from Iran, reducing and control damage to natural resources caused by pests, diseases, and weeds, domesticating aromatic and medicinal plants from Iran, preventing the extinction and destruction of plants and removing barriers to their reproduction, conserving plant genetic resources, increasing the wood production of different poplar species, and alleviating pressure on natural forests by creating jobs.
The following are ways to contact Dr. Maziar Haidari, head of the Forests and Rangelands Research Department:
Research stations and facilities
The Forests and Rangelands Research Department activities are mainly conducted at Zalleh, Garan Forest, and Reikhalan Research Stations (The below map shows their locations) as well as at HKS Herbarium, which are among the most important facilities and research stations of the Kurdistan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center. Following is a brief introduction to each of them separately.
Locations of the Forests and Rangelands Research Department research stations
Zalleh Research Station: This station occupies an area of 6.8 hectares and is situated at a height of 1400 meters above sea level in Sanandaj (at 35° 17' 39" N and 47° 0' 17" E). Zalleh Research Station is an ideal site for research on crop improvement, agronomy of medicinal plants, rangeland plants, and forest and fast-growing trees, as well as in the field of plant propagation and regeneration. The center has established a half-hectare collection of native and non-native medicinal plants at this station with the participation of the Kurdistan Agriculture Jahad Organization as of late 2020.
Zalleh Research Station in the Kurdistan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center
The office building of the Kurdistan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center within Zalleh Research Station
Zalleh Research Station in the Kurdistan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center
Plant collections and afforestation as part of research projects at Zalleh Research Station
Plant collections and afforestation as part of research projects at Zalleh Research Station
HKS Herbarium: As a centralized project, the HKS Herbarium began in 1988 by collecting and identifying plants native to Kurdistan province. Gerizeh Research Station in Sanandaj city is home to the herbarium (located at 35°, 16', 18" N and 47°, 1', 44" E). At present, it is one of the most comprehensive and active herbariums in Iran, registered internationally by the Index Herbariorum with the acronym HKS. Over the last three decades, more than 15,000 valuable plant specimens have been collected and identified in Kurdistan province by the department's members under the supervision of retired faculty member Hossein Maroofi. The collection consists of 115 families, 660 genera, and 2350 species, of which 24 are new species and 16 are new records from Iran.
Preserved plant specimens in cabinets at HKS Herbarium
HKS Herbarium cabinets for preserving plant specimens
Garan Forest Research Station: Established in 1971, it is located in the northeast of Marivan city in Kurdistan province. The Garan Forest Research Station is a 128-hectare facility located between heights of 1383 and 1649 meters above sea level (at 35° 32' 0" N and 46° 18' 4" E). It receives an average of 720 mm of precipitation per year. Research can be conducted here in numerous forest-related fields and the conservation of plant genetic diversity. Recently, the station has faced numerous problems, from the construction of water canals and transmission lines to the landfilling of Marivan city and damage by locals.
Garan Forest Research Station in the northwest of Kurdistan province
Natural forests and plantations as part of research projects at Garan Forest Research Station
Reikhalan Research Station: Located at 35° 27′ 56" N and 46° 10′ 32" E, these lands are situated within Marivan county in Kurdistan Province. Climate conditions make Reikhalan lands ideal for growing rainfed orchard crops, collecting native rainfed orchard species, developing medicinal plants, and establishing nurseries for native trees.
Reikhalan Research Station in the northwest of Kurdistan province
Planting fruit trees at Reikhalan Research Station
Reikhalan Research Station in the Marivan county of Kurdistan province
Laboratory: In the Zalleh Research Station, the Forests and Rangelands Research Department has established its laboratory in the center's office building. It is used for various tests, such as determine the moisture and carbon content of soil and plants, and distillation of medicinal plants.
Laboratory of the Forests and Rangelands Research Department