Volume I: Part I: Section 3: Chapter 2
3.2.1
Section 3: Chapter 2: Physical Factors (Forest types) According to the India State Forest Report, 2009 of FSI, the actual forest area occupied in HP is 14668 km² that accounts to about 26.35% of its area. The forest cover of Himachal Pradesh constitutes to nearly 0.44% of the total forest cover of India.1
The trees commonly found in the Dry alpine forests are Juniperus, Caragana,
When forests are classified into different types, the key factors taken into consideration are climate, soil type, topography, and elevation. As a result, the forest types vary from region to region. Thus out of the various types of forests that are present in India, our study area has the following forest types: Sr No
Forest types
Units
1
Dry alpine forests
1
2
Moist alpine forests
2
Dry alpine forests - Juniperus
3
Sub-alpine forests
3
4
Himalayan moist temperate forests
4
Eurctia,Salix and Myricaria. These trees and shrubs have needle shaped leaves which reduce transpiration in the extreme cold climate.
5
Sub-tropical pine forests
6
6
Sub-tropical hill forests
7
broad
leaved
Note: Units are assigned to the forest types so as to facilitate short and simple representation of the forest types which are descriptive in nature. These units will be used as names of the forest types
1
Chief characteristic feature of the moist alpine forest is dominance of dwarf, evergreen shrubby conifers and broadleaved trees along with prominent shrub layer under them. The dominant trees in these forests are Juniperus and Rhododendron while prominent shrubs are Thalictrum, Lonicera, Saxifraga, Arenaria, Bergia, Sedum and Primula. These shrubs have beautifully colored flowers and fruits.
Forest Survey of India report,2009-Himachal Pradesh
Comprehensive CAT Plan of Satluj River Basin
Volume I: Part I: Section 3: Chapter 2
3.2.2
above 100 cm. These forests have a combination of evergreen and deciduous trees. The evergreen trees have leaves throughout the year whereas the deciduous types shed leaves at maturity. The trees that are commonly observed are pines or spruces like Pinus wallichiana, Picea smithiana, Abies pindrew etc.3
Moist alpine forests- Arenaria The characteristic feature of the subalpine forests is presence of some evergreen conifers and broad-leaved trees along with prominent shrub layer. These Sub-alpine trees have triangular shape so as to prevent excess accumulation of snow on their 2 surfaces . Himalayan Moist temperate– Cedrus deodara Sub-tropical pine forests occur in the middle altitudes i.e. between 15002000m of the Himalayas. Chief characteristics of the forests are pine trees like Pinus roxburghii and Pinus khasiana.
Sub-alpine forests - Betulla utilis The Himalayan Moist temperate types of forests are also present in the catchment area of Satluj which is under our study. These forests are found at 1700-3500 m altitude in eastern and western Himalayas. They occur in areas having annual rainfall 2
Environment of Earth-Physiographical regions of India
3
Environment of Earth-Natural vegetation of India
Comprehensive CAT Plan of Satluj River Basin
Volume I: Part I: Section 3: Chapter 2
3.2.3
Sub-tropical catechu
Sub-tropical pine–Pinus roxburghii Another type of forest observed in our study area is Sub-tropical broad leaved hill forest. As the name suggests, the forests comprise of broad leaved trees like Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia catachu, Cedrela toona, Anthocephalus cadamba, Lagerstroemia parviflora. The soil is rich in alluvium deposited by rivers that drain through the Himalayas.4
4
broad
leaved
-
Acacia
The details account of the trees mentioned above can be found in the Biodiversity section of the report. The distribution of these Forest types in our project area has been represented in the map given at the end of this chapter: As described previously, elevation plays an important role in deciding the forest type of a region. Similarly in the project area, the tropical zone extends from 1000-1200 m while the subtropical zone is present upto 2200m. The sub-tropical zone is an intermediate between the Tropical and Alpine zone. The alpine zone exists between the Tree line and the Snowline. The tree line is the edge of habitat beyond which trees are unable to grow because of the harsh environmental conditions whereas the Snow line is point above which snow and ice cover the ground throughout the year. The Alpine type of forest is further divided into 3 subtypes viz Dry Alpine, Moist Alpine and Sub-alpine. The Dry alpine forest extends from 2,200 to 2,700 m while the Moist Alpine forest are present between 2,700 to 3,600 m. The Sub-alpine
Environment of Earth-Natural vegetation of India
Comprehensive CAT Plan of Satluj River Basin
Volume I: Part I: Section 3: Chapter 2 forests are present just below the snowline upto an elevation of 5000m.
3.2.4
This map shows that there are 6 different types of forest in the Project area. The details of the types of forest are described in the following section:
Dry alpine forests Moist alpine forests Sub-alpine forests Himalayan moist temperate forests Sub-tropical pine forests Sub-tropical broad leaved hill forests Satluj river Spiti river
Map showing the various forest types of the Satluj Catchment
Comprehensive CAT Plan of Satluj River Basin