INDIAN FOREST TYPES

INDIAN FOREST TYPES

 Forest types in India are classified by Champion and Seth into sixteen types.

Tropical Wet evergreen forests

 are found along the Western Ghats, the Nicobar and Andaman Islands and all
along the north-eastern region.
 It is characterized by tall, straight evergreen trees.
 The trees in this forest form a tier pattern:
 Beautiful fern of various colours and different varieties of orchids grow on the trunks of the trees.
 Among the following States, which one has the most suitable climatic conditions for the cultivation of a large variety of orchids with minimum cost of production, and can develop an export oriented industry in this field ? (2011 pre question)
a. Andhra Pradesh
b. Arunachal Pradesh
c. Madhya Pradesh
d. Uttar Pradesh

Tropical Semi-evergreen forests

 found in the Western Ghats, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the Eastern
Himalayas.
 Such forests have a mixture of the wet evergreen trees and the moist
deciduous trees. The forest is dense .

Tropical Moist deciduous forests:

 found throughout India except in the western and the north-western regions.
The trees are tall, have broad trunks, branching trunks and roots to hold them
firmly to the ground.

 These forests are dominated by sal and teak, along with mango, bamboo, and
rosewood.
Littoral and swamp
 found along the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the delta area of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
 They have roots that consist of soft tissue so that the plant can breathe in the water.

Tropical Dry deciduous forest:

 The northern part of the country except in the North-East. It is also found in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The canopy, of the trees does not normally exceed 25 metres. The common trees are the sal, a variety of acacia, and bamboo.

Tropical Thorn forests:

 This type is found in areas with black soil: North, West, Central, and South India. The trees do not grow beyond 10 metres. Spurge, caper, and cactus are typical of this region.

Tropical Dry evergreen forest:

 Dry evergreens are found along Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka coast. It
is mainly hard-leaved evergreen trees with fragrant flowers, along with a few
deciduous trees.

Sub-tropical Broad-leaved forests

 Broad-leaved forests are found in the Eastern Himalayas and the Western Ghats, along the Silent Valley.
 There is a marked difference in the form of vegetation in the two areas.
 In the Silent Valley, the poonspar, cinnamon, rhododendron, and fragrant grass are predominant.
 In the Eastern Himalayas, the flora has been badly affected by the shifting cultivation and forest fires.
 There are oak, alder, chestnut, birch, and cherry trees. There are a large variety of orchids, bamboo and creepers.

Sub-tropical Pine forests:

 found in Shivalik Hills, Western and Central Himalayas, Khasi, Naga, and Manipur Hills.
 The trees predominantly found in these areas are the chir, oak, rhododendion, and
pine as well as sal, amla, and laburnum are found in the lower regions.

Sub-tropical Dry evergreen forests:

 hot and dry season and a cold winter. It generally has evergreen trees with shining leaves that have a varnished look.
 found in the Shivalik Hills and foothills of the Himalayas up to a height of 1000 metres.

Montane Wet temperate forests:

 In the North, found in the region to the east of Nepal into Arunachal Pradesh,
receiving a minimum rainfall of 2000 mm. In the North, there are three layers of forests: the higher layer has mainly coniferous, the middle layer has deciduous trees such as the oak and the lowest layer is covered by rhododendron and champa.
 In the South, it is found in parts of the Niligiri Hills, the higher reaches of Kerala.
 The forests in the northern region are denser than in the South. Rhododendrons and a variety of ground flora can be found here.

Himalayan Moist temperate Forest:

 This type spreads from the Western Himalayas to the Eastern Himalayas. The trees found in the western section are broad-leaved oak, brown oak, walnut,
rhododendron,
 Eastern Himalayas, the rainfall is much heavier and therefore the vegetation is also more lush and dense. There are a large variety of broad-leaved trees, ferri, and bamboo.

Himalayan Dry temperate Forest:

 This type is found in Lahul, Kinnaur, Sikkim, and other parts of the Himalayas.
 There are predominantly coniferous trees, along with broad-leaved trees such as the oak, maple, and ash. At higher elevation, fir, juniper, deodar, and chilgoza are found.

Sub alpine forest:

 Sub alpine forests extend from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh between 2900 to
3500 metres.
 In the Western Himalayas, the vegetation consists mainly of juniper, hododendron, willow, and black currant.
 In the eastern parts, red fir, black juniper, birch, and larch are the common trees.
 Due to heavy rainfall and high humidity the timberline in this part is higher than that in the West.

 Rhododendron of many species covers the hills in these parts.

Moist Alpine scrub:

 Moist alpines are found all along the Himalayas and on the higher hills near the Myanmar border. It has a low scrub, dense evergreen forest, consisting mainly of rhododendron and birch. Mosses and ferns cover the ground in patches. This region receives heavy snowfall.

Dry alpine scrub:

 Dry alpines are found from about 3000 metres to about 4900 metres. Dwarf plants predominate,
mainly the black juniper, the drooping juniper, honeysuckle, and willow.