Post-fire Sprouting Patterns of Oak Species in the Zagros Forests of Western Iran

Post-fire Sprouting Patterns of Oak Species in the Zagros Forests of Western Iran | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Post-fire Sprouting Patterns of Oak Species in the Zagros Forests of Western Iran Loghman Ghahramany, Shokri Azari, Ahmad Valipour This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6312630/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study examined post-fire sprouting patterns in three oak species ( Quercus brantii , Q. infectoria , and Q. libani ) in the Zagros forests of western Iran. It examined the number, type (root and stem sprouts), diameter, and height growth of sprouts over three post-fire intervals (2, 4, and 10 years), while analyzing differences among species and stump sizes. The results showed that root sprouts were the dominant regeneration mechanism, accounting for over 90% of post-fire sprouting and underscoring the importance of below-ground bud banks. Sprout density peaked two years after the fire and gradually declined thereafter, indicating a decrease in sprouting potential as the stands aged. Despite similar sprouting responses among species, likely due to shared physiological traits such as extensive root systems, variations in sprout density and growth were observed across different stands. A significant negative correlation was found between stump diameter and both sprout number and growth rates, with small to medium-sized stumps (5–35 cm) showing the highest sprouting potential. Rapid sprout growth occurred within the first two years post-fire, often surpassing mature tree growth rates, likely due to established root systems and enhanced nutrient availability. The study concluded that sprouting is vital for oak regeneration in fire-prone areas, especially where seed-based regeneration is limited. It supports coppice management strategies, including thinning and stump management, to encourage vigorous sprout growth. Recommendations include cutting burned trees (diameter > 5 cm) during the dormant season, restricting grazing for 4–5 years, and thinning sprouts to enhance post-fire regeneration and ensure the long-term sustainability of these valuable oak forests. Fire Oak Sprouting Zagros Forests Post-Fire Regeneration Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6312630","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":445876706,"identity":"e99620e4-4fe4-4308-8dc2-e5788af2af51","order_by":0,"name":"Loghman Ghahramany","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA9ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPgYGNgbGBijvAwODAZiRgEcLG7IWxhkka2HmgWnBB9gY2K89+Lnjnrxu+9lj0rZtNsYM7IcfMDzcg08LT7lh75liw21n8tKkc9vSzBh40gwYEp7h1ZImwduWwLjtQI4ZUMthGwaGHKBfDuDXIvm3LcF+2/k3ZtKWIC38bwhpYT8mDbQlcdsNoC2MbYfNGCQI2cLMwyYt25aQvO3GG2PLnnNpxmwSzwwO4NPCz97+TPJtW4LttvM5hjd+lNkY9vMnP3z4A48WYFzAY4JFAuJUBgZ8GoCA/QFc9wf8KkfBKBgFo2CkAgDBzUo38cWmuQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kurdistan","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Loghman","middleName":"","lastName":"Ghahramany","suffix":""},{"id":445876708,"identity":"61778749-c9dd-4273-8dcf-431a360a3cf6","order_by":1,"name":"Shokri Azari","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kurdistan","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shokri","middleName":"","lastName":"Azari","suffix":""},{"id":445876711,"identity":"30888fbe-50e0-4e61-970f-62e6cfbdc2ca","order_by":2,"name":"Ahmad Valipour","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kurdistan","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ahmad","middleName":"","lastName":"Valipour","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-03-26 13:08:10","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6312630/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6312630/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":82628529,"identity":"8bb70c77-08ba-4868-9c7f-f018faa729f2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-13 13:23:24","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":587747,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6312630/v1_covered_087b14aa-c503-47fe-9bc3-d93830ee7a96.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Post-fire Sprouting Patterns of Oak Species in the Zagros Forests of Western Iran","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Fire, Oak, Sprouting, Zagros Forests, Post-Fire Regeneration","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6312630/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6312630/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study examined post-fire sprouting patterns in three oak species (\u003cem\u003eQuercus brantii\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eQ. infectoria\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eQ. libani\u003c/em\u003e) in the Zagros forests of western Iran. It examined the number, type (root and stem sprouts), diameter, and height growth of sprouts over three post-fire intervals (2, 4, and 10 years), while analyzing differences among species and stump sizes. The results showed that root sprouts were the dominant regeneration mechanism, accounting for over 90% of post-fire sprouting and underscoring the importance of below-ground bud banks. Sprout density peaked two years after the fire and gradually declined thereafter, indicating a decrease in sprouting potential as the stands aged. Despite similar sprouting responses among species, likely due to shared physiological traits such as extensive root systems, variations in sprout density and growth were observed across different stands. A significant negative correlation was found between stump diameter and both sprout number and growth rates, with small to medium-sized stumps (5\u0026ndash;35 cm) showing the highest sprouting potential. 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