Iran's most valuable forests are located on the coast of the Caspian Sea and cover 1.85 million ha in the northern region of the Alborz mountain range, which is the highest mountain range in the Middle East. Dense forests cover two major provinces, Gilan and Mazandaran; however, less than 10% of Iran is forested. These forests comprise temperate, deciduous, broad-leaved tree species . Conifers are usually absent in Iranian forests, with only a few relics of coniferous species remaining.

Jafarpour, Saeideh; Fotouhifar, Khalil-Berdi; Javan-Nikhhah, Mohammad; Asef, Mohhamad Reza; Davis, Anthony S.; Ross-Davis, Amy L.; Hanna, John W.; Margaritescu, Simona; Moncalvo, Jean-Marc; Klopfenstein, Ned B. 2016. An integrated taxonomic approach to survey Armillaria in Iran. In: Ramsey, Amy; Palacios, Patsy, comps. Proceedings of the 63rd Annual Western International Forest Disease Work Conference; September 21-25 , 2015; Newport, OR. Olympia, WA: Washington Department of Natural Resources; Logan, UT: Utah State University, Quinney College of Natural Resources. p. 125-128.