Rangelands are the main source of forage production whose degradation is being accelerated due to improper utilities. Furthermore, re-vegetation of palatable plants like Vicia variabilis is more limited in overgrazed rangelands. The objective of this study was to improve degraded rangelands in Meleh-Kabud (Kermanshah, Iran) through planting Vicia variabilis. The research was conducted at experimental plot scale using split plot comprising treatments of season and method cultivations. Treatments included Planting time and methods with three replications with seeds collected in the study area. Seeding seasons comprised early spring and early autumn, but seeding methods were row seed sowing and broadcast seeding. Data collection was carried out for sprouting and establishment during two years. Rate of shooting appearance was evaluated in the first year (2016), while plant survival rate assessed in the second year (2017). Results indicated planting seasons affect both shooting and survival rates for Vicia variabilis. Furthermore, early spring season was found more suitable. Shooting and survival rates through row seed sowing were 20.00 and 13.83%, respectively. In contrast, these respective rates via broadcast seeding were reduced to 2.67 and 1.17 percent. We concluded that row sowing in early spring was the optimal method for rangelands in Kermanshah province. Manuscript profile

Wildfires annually occur as a threatening factor in natural resources at a large scale. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effects of fire on the structural and functional characteristics of vegetation in the Kaboudeh range site, Kermanshah province, Iran during three years (2018-2020). An unburned range (control) was selected near the burned range. Both sites had the same characteristics. Sampling was preformed at a stratified random with four 50 m transects and 20 m distances as well as 10 fixed quadrates (1 m2). The spatial correlation was performed between quadrates.Data were collected for plant density (no/m2), canopy cover (%), and production (g/cm) for species and palatability classes. The range condition and range trend were evaluated using four factors and balance methods. The results showed that the palatable plants in the fire site were decreased with density (1.7 no/m2), production (4.1 g/m2), and canopy cover (3.9 %) compared to the control. In the first years after the fire, the fire decreased the number of palatable plants, and decreased the average values of production and canopy cover both by approximately 75%, butthe class II plants had not significantly decreased.In the burned site, the invasive plants (Class III), dominated by annual grasses, have spread rapidly across the range.The range condition in the burned area was poor andrange condition trend was positive, but in the control area,range condition was medium and range condition trendwas constant.In the short term, fire drastically caused the increase of annual grasses,decrease of species diversity, and subsequentlyled to a decrease in the stability of the range. Manuscript profile