The Hyrcanian forests () are a zone of lush lowland and montane forests covering about adjoining the shores of the Caspian Sea of Iran and part of that of Azerbaijan. The forest is named after the ancient region of Hyrcania. In the World Wide Fund for Nature categorization, the ecoregion is referred to as the Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests. Since 5 July 2019, the Hyrcanian Forests have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Geography In Iran, the Hyrcanian ecoregion comprises a long strip along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and the northern slopes of the Alborz mountains. It covers parts of five provinces, from east to west: North Khorasan, Golestan ( being its south and southwest plus eastern regions of the Gorgan plain), Mazandaran, Gilan and Ardabil. The Golestan National Park spans the boundary of Golestan and Mazandaran provinces. In the Mazandaran province, where the Hyrcanian forest is estimated at , are used commercially, are protected and the rest are regarded as forest lands or over-used forests. The total of the forest woods used in this province is estimated at . The Kojoor, Dohezar and Sehezar forest watersheds are in Mazandaran province, Gilan province (these forests are graded from 1 to 3 with an area of ; and , respectively. The commercial utilization is and the non-commercial utilization is . The Masooleh, Ghaleh Roodkhan and Astara forest watersheds are in Gilan province) and Ardabil Province. At higher elevations to the south, the ecoregion grades into the Elburz Range forest steppe. In southeastern Azerbaijan the ecoregion spans through the Lankaran Lowland and the Talysh Mountains. The ecoregion's climate is humid subtropical at lower altitudes; at mid-altitudes it has oceanic features, while in the mountains it is humid continental. Summer is a humid but low-precipitation season. Alborz is the highest mountain range in the Middle East and it captures, by relief precipitation and dew point mists, much of the evaporation of the southern Caspian Sea. Annual rainfall ranges from in the east to in the west, making the forests much lusher than the desert, semi-desert, and steppe regions which it borders. Flora The natural forest vegetation is temperate deciduous broadleaved forest. 32.7 percent of volume of Hyrcanian forest is of oriental beech (Fagus orientalis). A main feature of the region is the lack of conifers; only relics of coniferous species are present, which include European yew (Taxus baccata), junipers