احمد ولی پور

Zagros oak forests, western Iran, are managed for soil conservation, water quality, NWFPs and non-market ecosystem services. Large parts of these forests are subject to traditional landuse practices supported by very old traditional ecological knowledge, called Galazani. Since Galazani management system is little understood, this study aimed to recognize it’s components, objectives, silvicultural treatments and management interventions. We performed face to face interviews and participation in practices. Galazani performs to provide winter fodder for livestock, mainly Marxoz goat. Forest territories are pollarded in a unique way, known as crown-coppicing. The trees will cut for fuelwood once they do not provide high amounts of fodder. Forest dwellers manipulate trees to obtain uttermost fodder using a set of techniques. They are also structuring their territories to guarantee sustained yield via tree spacing and regulate annual allowable pollarding areas. The forest territories are also used as pasture for summer grazing. The traditional silvopastoralism is vital to meet daily needs. The Galazani creates a social institution which have been encouraged people to protect forests, traditions and special species goat; Marxoz. Traditional ecological knowledge mostly serves to economic features than silvicultural aspects which need to be considered in forest management plans. Regeneration failure and inappropriate age structure are main weaknesses arised from the Galazani system.