Composition and Structure of Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis) Communities in the Dibeen Forest Reserve, Jordan

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The amount of forest cover in Jordan is estimated at about one percent of the country's land area. Land-use pressures and altered disturbance regimes have generated concern for the conservation of forests. In this context, Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) is a valuable forest type diminished from its historic extent. Accordingly, to gather information for conservation planning, we used systematic vegetation sampling to evaluate the composition and structure of Aleppo pine communities at the Dibeen Forest Reserve in Jordan. Permanent plot centers were established on a 200-m grid, and 72 of the grid points were selected randomly for an initial sampling of the reserve. An inventory of all live and dead trees was taken on circular plots. Due to their conservation value and growing pattern, the plot size for live Aleppo pine was enlarged to capture additional diameter samples. Relative species abundance, as determined by basal area estimates, ranged from < 1 m2/ha for five of seven tree species c...