Soil Stabilizing Characteristics of Rangelands Vegetation in Northwest Iran (Misho Rangelands Protected Location of Shabestar)

Roots of plants stable soils on slope and provide resistance against the forces that improve slope instability. In northwest of Iran (East Azarbayjan state), rangelands were changed to agricultural land use; this vegetation is unsuitable vegetation on slope to stable them. Restoration of rangelands vegetation effects, largely to improve slope health, is focussed on replacing agricultural plants with rangelands species, but little is known about their slope stabilizing characteristics. We studied 4 rangelands plant species to determine these characteristics. Data available for 2-and 3-year-old shrub plants indicate that Gavan (Astragalus raddei) has high root spread and rooting depth. Data for older plants of this species will be used in improve landslide threshold models for vegetated slopes.