Forests of Iran
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Iran's forests are part of Iran's natural resources. Most of the country's forests are located in the northern regions, on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. These forests have a temperate humid climate and are extended from the east of Ardabil province to North Khorasan province.[1][clarification needed] They also spread and cover the three provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan. The Alborz mountain range, which is the highest mountain range in the Middle East, stands like a wall against the moisture of the Caspian Sea and prevents the moisture coming into the central regions of Iran; therefore, these clouds are forced to rain in the northern areas of the country leaving the central areas dry and barren.[2]
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There are 3,400,000 hectares of forests on the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains and the coastal provinces of the Caspian Sea. Other parts of the country have forests up to three million hectares. Of these forests, only 1.3 million hectares can be used for industrial exploitation, the rest of the forests are not exploited due to lack of proper maintenance or natural damage. According to the records, Iran had many and varied forests from ancient times to the beginning of the eighteenth century. During the Achaemenid period, the expanse of forests in Iran with the current borders reached more than 16 million hectares. Deforestation in Iran began after the Mongol invasion and reached its highest point in the last three centuries. During the Qajar dynasty, about 130,000 tons of charcoal were produced and exported abroad by cutting down the forest trees.[3]