Canopy gaps are one of the most important structural features of forest ecosystems, and studying them can have
useful results and implications for forest management. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics
and regeneration within canopy gaps in an intact beech stand in Shastkalateh experimental forest of Hyrcanian
region, north of Iran. All canopy gaps and related forest parameters were measured within a permanent plot of 16
ha. Then, for each canopy gap, two parameters were measured—the length (L) as the longest distance within the
gap, and the width (W) as the largest distance perpendicular to the length. Considering the composition of the
forest, the dominant tree species was oriental beech with 36.3% of the stem number and 56.6% of the stand volume.
Totally, 54 canopy gaps were identified which covered about 5% of the forest area. An average of 4.32 gaps.ha-1
existed in the permanent plot and gap sizes varied from 48.3 to 622.7 m^2. Over three-quarters (77.7%) of canopy
gaps were smaller than ≤200 m^2 and also over half of the gaps (53%) were formed by a single tree-fall event. The
beech made up 52% of gap makers and 23.4% of gap fillers and also had the second largest proportion on standing
deadwood of gap maker in the study area, while velvet maple was the most frequent gap filler in approximately
30% of the gaps. Despite the high frequency of small gaps 100 m^2, their proportion of the overall gap area reached
only 25%, suggesting the important role of intermediate and large gaps in the gap dynamics. Considering the
recent occurring disturbances in the Hyrcanian forests, the study analyzed the main characteristics of disturbance
regime with the emphasis on the role of wind and longevity of trees. In general, findings of this study showed that
creating small and average gaps in intact beech forests could be based on natural disturbance regimes, and suitable
conditions provides for successful regeneration of beech forests in close to nature silviculture