The physical structure of pistachio (Pistacia atlantica Desf.) and economic value of its turpentine in the Zagros region, Western Iran

The ecosystem value, wild pistachio species importance, and the product of raw turpentine in terms of creating employment, villager’s income and supplying raw materials for chemical, pharmaceutical, food industries and exporting it to European countries is a main interest to the government. This study aimed to investigate the ecosystem characteristics of pistachio species and the economic value of its gum in the direction of production rise in the Zagros in the Gilan-e Gharb forests that are located in Kermanshah province. The studied forest stands with 700, 2100, 700, and 1000 hectares area, respectively, are located in Kamareh, Cheshmeh Sefid, Bapir, and Balaleh in Gilan-e Gharb in a mountainous and forested area. The desired area was determined using the available maps after field visiting. Then, for griding, the study area in 10,000-scale maps, was identified. Sampling by the regular random method was performed. In addition, the area of the sample plots is 4000 m2, have been surveyed. The results showed that the mean diameter at breast height in Kamareh, Bapir, Cheshmeh Sangi, and Balaleh areas equal 31.9, 35.5, 39.3, and 30.2 cm, respectively. Furthermore, the mean number of exploitable pistachio trees in the Kamareh, Bapir, Cheshmeh Sefid, and Balaleh areas is 30.15, 58.3, 44.45, and 32.25, respectively. The profit amount for the wild pistachio gum exploitation includes 821700000, 1623000000, 1740500000, and 2116000000 Rials in the Kamareh, Bapir, Cheshmeh Sefid, and Balaleh, respectively. Protecting valuable wild pistachio trees in the Gilan-e Gharb region's forest ecosystem and properly extracting their sap is a step towards empowering local communities and enhancing production.