The present study was conducted in Solan Forest Division of Himachal Pradesh covering an area of about 57,158 ha. The aim was to estimate and assess the temporal change in carbon stock of the Chil Working Circle, in t...The present study was conducted in Solan Forest Division of Himachal Pradesh covering an area of about 57,158 ha. The aim was to estimate and assess the temporal change in carbon stock of the Chil Working Circle, in two forest ranges of the Division, Solan and Dharampur, over the period of 1956-2011. The inventory data of the working plans of Solan Forest Division from 1956-1957, 1984-1985 and 2002-2003 were used in the present study while field data for biomass estimation was collected for the year 2011.The results showed a declining trend in carbon stock over 1956-1984 period, however, an increasing trend over 1984-2002 was observed, which showed a further increase for the period 2002-2011. These fluctuating trends in the forest carbon stock can be related to increasing anthropogenic pressure on forests and the subsequent introduction of a ban on green felling envisaging efficient forest management, both of which affect the forest carbon pool significantly.展开更多
Estimation of terrestrial biomass depends critically on reliable information about wood specific gravity of forest trees. In recent years, wood specific gravity has become more important when exploring the universalit...Estimation of terrestrial biomass depends critically on reliable information about wood specific gravity of forest trees. In recent years, wood specific gravity has become more important when exploring the universality of functional traits of plants and estimating their global carbon stocks. To estimate their specific gravity, wood samples were collected from a total of 34 tree species, 30 from lower elevations and 4 from upper elevations in the Garhwal Himalayas, India. The results show that the average wood specific gravity was 0.631 （ranging between 0.275 ± 0.01 and 0.845 ± 0.03） for the species at lower elevations and 0.727 （ranging between 0.628 ± 0.02 and 0.865 ± 0.02） for the upper elevations. The average wood specific gravity for the upper elevation species was 9.6% greater than that for the species at lower elevations. Aegle marmelos among the lower elevation species and Quercus leucotrichophora among the upper elevation species had the highest wood specific gravity, which were 0.845 ± 0.03 and 0.865 ± 0.02, respectively.展开更多
The estimation of carbon density of high altitude forests was carried out at five different sites along an elevational gradient from 1550 m to 3550 m in a part of Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, which is one of the larg...The estimation of carbon density of high altitude forests was carried out at five different sites along an elevational gradient from 1550 m to 3550 m in a part of Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, which is one of the largest protected areas of the Garhwal Himalaya, India. Among the study sites the above ground biomass density （AGBD） ranged from 202.72 Mg·ha^-1 （Site 5） to 718.75 Mg·ha^-1 （Site 1） and below ground biomass density （BGBD） from 61.00 Mg·ha^-1 （Site 5） to 203.04 Mg·ha^-1 （Site 1）. The total biomass density （TBD） also followed similar trend, where the lowest value （263.73 Mg·ha^-1） was observed at Site 5 and the highest （921.79 Mg·ha^-1） at Site 1. The total carbon density （TCD） ranged from 131.86 Mg·ha^-1 （Site 5） to 460.89 Mg·ha^-1 （Site 1）, which indicates that the carbon density of forests reduces with increasing elevation.展开更多
The present study deals with the regeneration status of a sub- tropical forest located between 950-1100 m above sea level in Garhwal Himalaya. The vegetation was quantitatively analyzed on four different aspects i.e.,...The present study deals with the regeneration status of a sub- tropical forest located between 950-1100 m above sea level in Garhwal Himalaya. The vegetation was quantitatively analyzed on four different aspects i.e., east, west, north and south. Results of the study indicated that across the aspects, Anogeissus latifolia was dominant in tree, sapling and seedling layers in all the aspects, except north aspect where Pinus roxburghii and Terminalia tomentosa were dominant in tree and seedling layers, respectively. The highest tree layer density （380 plant.ha^-1） was recorded on south aspect and lowest （260 plant.ha^-1） on west aspect. In shrub layer, highest density was on east aspect （1790 plant.ha-1） and lowest on west aspect （970 plant.hal）. Tree and shrub layer diversity ranged between 0.846 to 1.710 and 1.943 to 2.847, respectively. The relative lopping intensity （%） was higher in Anogeissus latifolia （45%- 57% as compared to 4%-33% in other species） which is the most important tree species on all aspects, except north aspect. The present study also reveals that if the current rate of exploitation continues, the species like Anogeissus latifolia may be replaced by other species and drastic changes may occur in species composition and regeneration of the forest. The anthropogenic pressure, aspect and soil nutrients have caused changes in regeneration status and species composition of forests.展开更多
The effects of disturbance on forest structure and diversity along an altitudinal gradient in the temperate,sub-tropical,and tropical regions of Garhwal Himalaya were assessed.Each region was further categorized into ...The effects of disturbance on forest structure and diversity along an altitudinal gradient in the temperate,sub-tropical,and tropical regions of Garhwal Himalaya were assessed.Each region was further categorized into undisturbed(UD),mildly disturbed(MD),and highly disturbed(HD)sites on the basis of magnitude of disturbance in these forests.On UD sites of temperate,sub-tropical and tropical regions,Quercus leucotrichophora,Anogeissus latifolia and Holoptelea integrifolia were the dominant tree species respectively.The highest values of tree density(1028 ind·hm-2)and total basal cover at breast height(31.70 m2 ·hm-2)were recorded for UD site of temperate region,whereas maximum species diversity(3.128)and equitability(14.09)values were observed for HD site of tropical region.The structure and composition of the forests were greatly affected by the degree of disturbance.展开更多
The yield production and energy budget of agroecosystem was carried out at three different climatic regions, i.e., tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate in Garhwal Himalaya, India. The total human population was the h...The yield production and energy budget of agroecosystem was carried out at three different climatic regions, i.e., tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate in Garhwal Himalaya, India. The total human population was the highest （1 140） in tropical region, followed by 464 in temperate region, and 374 in sub-tropical region. Livestock population had also a similar trend with human population in each climatic region, which was 870, 290, and 188 in the tropical, temperate, and sub-tropical regions, respectively, in winter season, the crop production was the highest （2 332 kg hat yr-l） for Triticum aestivum in tropical region followed by 1 716 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 in sub-tropical region, and 1 473 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 in temperate region. The associated crops were Itordeurn vulgate, Brassica caml ＇stris, and Pisum sativa. However, in summer season, the most contributing crop was Oryza sativa, which had also the highest production in tropical region followed by sub-tropical region, and temperate region, i.e., 1 160, 1096, and 1 076 kg ha^-1 yr^-1, respectively. Other growing crops were Elusine coracana, Vigna mugo, Glycine soja, and Echnochlolafrumentaceae. Brassiea rugosa was the only crop grown in tropical region between the period of winter and summer season. The total root production of crops in each climatic region was the highest in tropical region （1 846.2 kg ha^-1 yr^-1）, followed by temperate region （1 841.5 kg ha^-1 yr^-1） and sub-tropical region （1442.5 kg ha^-1 yr^-1）. However, shoot components of crops were 20 241.5, 17 847.0, and 1 188.3 kg ha^-1 yr^-1, which recorded parallel to root in each climatic region. The root and shoot components of weed decreased with increasing altitudes, which were 105.39 and 1150.5 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 in tropical region, 94.55 and 1147.5 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 in sub-tropical region, and 73.33 and 871.5 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 in temperate region for root and shoot, respectively. In the energy inputs, the most contribution was of compost in each climatic region. Among the region, the highest input of compost was in temperate region followed by sub-tropical, and the lowest in temperate region. The fertilizer input was only recorded from tropical region because of its close connection with market and easy accessibility to the farmer compared to subropical and temperate regions. The energy input ranged from 0.39×10^5 to 0.44× 10^5 MJ ha^-1 （human labour）, 0.84× 10^5 to 1.09× 10^5 MJ ha^-1 （bullock labour）, 0.36×10^5 to 0.45×10^5 MJ ha^-1 （seed）, 16.65 × 10^5 to 32.65 ×10^5 MJ ha^-1 （compost）, while output ranged from 8.44 × 10^5 to 11.01 × 10^5 MJ ha^-1 （agronomic yield）, and 14.22× 10^5 to 19.35 ×10^5 MJ ha^-1 （crop-residue）. The total input was the highest in temperate region, followed by subtropical and tropical region, and the highest output was in tropical region and the lowest in sub-tropical region.展开更多
In this study, we investigated the specific gravity of wood samples collected from a total of 31 woody spe- cies, consisting of 20 trees, 10 shrubs and one species of bamboo from sub-tropical regions of Garhwal Himala...In this study, we investigated the specific gravity of wood samples collected from a total of 31 woody spe- cies, consisting of 20 trees, 10 shrubs and one species of bamboo from sub-tropical regions of Garhwal Himalayas, In- dia. Results show that among these woody species, the specific gravity of trees ranged from 0.34 for Erythrina suberosa to 0.83 for Albizia procera. For shrub species the specific gravity of Ricinus communis was 0.39 and that of Dodonaea viscosa 0.93. The average specific gravity of trees was 0.58 and of shrubs 0.66.展开更多
Accurate estimates of tree carbon, forest floor carbon and organic carbon in forest soils （SOC） are important in order to determine their contribution to global carbon （C） stocks. However, information about these ...Accurate estimates of tree carbon, forest floor carbon and organic carbon in forest soils （SOC） are important in order to determine their contribution to global carbon （C） stocks. However, information about these carbon stocks is lacking. Some studies have investigated regional and continental scale patterns of carbon stocks in forest ecosystems; however, the changes in C storage in dif- ferent components （vegetation, forest floor and soil） as a function of elevation in forest ecosystems remain poorly understood. In this study, we estimate C stocks of vegetation, forest floor and soils of a Pinus roxburghii Sargent forest in the Garhwal Himalayas along a gradient to quantify changes in carbon stock due to differences in elevation at three sites. The biomass of the vegetation changes drastically with increasing elevation among the three sites. The above-ground biomass （AGB） and below-ground biomass （BGB） were highest at site I （184.46 and 46.386 t·ha^-1 respectively） at an elevation of 1300 m followed by site II （173.99 and 44.057 t·ha^-1 AGB and BGB respectively） at 1400 m and the lowest AGB and BGB were estimated at site III （161.72 and 41.301t·ha^-1） at 1500 m. The trend for SOC stock was similar to that of biomass. Our results suggest that carbon storage （in both soil and biomass） is nega- tively correlated with elevation.展开更多
The present study was carried out at two different gradients of unbumt and burnt Anogeissus latifolia forest sites in the Garhwal region, India. At each gradient, the unburnt and burnt forest sites were further catego...The present study was carried out at two different gradients of unbumt and burnt Anogeissus latifolia forest sites in the Garhwal region, India. At each gradient, the unburnt and burnt forest sites were further categorized into three different elevations, i.e., lower （700 m）, middle （850 m） and upper （1000 m）. At each elevation, the density of trees, saplings and seedlings was higher at the unburnt sites except for trees at the upper elevation which was higher at the burnt sites. The total basal area of each layer of for- est was also higher at the unburnt sites. The study revealed that the lower number of saplings and seedlings at the burnt forest sites might be due to the effect of fire. Most trees in the lower dbh classes were affected by forest fire at the burnt sites which reduced the total density and total basal area of the trees compared to the unburnt sites. The diversity of trees increased with increasing elevation. However, the diversity of saplings and seedlings reduced with increasing elevation.展开更多
The present study was carried out to assess the effect of leaf and bark aqueous extract of Anogeissus latifolia tree on Vigna unguiculata traditional crop to understand the suitability of treecrop combination in agric...The present study was carried out to assess the effect of leaf and bark aqueous extract of Anogeissus latifolia tree on Vigna unguiculata traditional crop to understand the suitability of treecrop combination in agricultural fields. Different concentrations of leaf (1%, 3% and 5%) and bark (1%, 3% and 5%) aqueous extract of A. latifolia were used to study radicle and plumule growth of Vigna unguiculata. The leaf and bark aqueous extract have shown minimum allelopathic effect on V. unguiculata and suppressed/stimulated radicle and plumule growth under different concentrations. The wide distribution of Anogeissus latifolia in a subtropical region of Garhwal Himalaya, provides good fodder fuel wood and timber to the villagers. Therefore introducing Anogeissus latifolia in agricultural field and maintaining the existed trees at boundaries of agricultural fields can be useful to the villagers requirements for the villages and wherever the possible allopathic effect exit can be minimized by lopping the branches of trees and use of naturally flecked off bark for fuel wood purposes.展开更多
文摘The present study was conducted in Solan Forest Division of Himachal Pradesh covering an area of about 57,158 ha. The aim was to estimate and assess the temporal change in carbon stock of the Chil Working Circle, in two forest ranges of the Division, Solan and Dharampur, over the period of 1956-2011. The inventory data of the working plans of Solan Forest Division from 1956-1957, 1984-1985 and 2002-2003 were used in the present study while field data for biomass estimation was collected for the year 2011.The results showed a declining trend in carbon stock over 1956-1984 period, however, an increasing trend over 1984-2002 was observed, which showed a further increase for the period 2002-2011. These fluctuating trends in the forest carbon stock can be related to increasing anthropogenic pressure on forests and the subsequent introduction of a ban on green felling envisaging efficient forest management, both of which affect the forest carbon pool significantly.
文摘Estimation of terrestrial biomass depends critically on reliable information about wood specific gravity of forest trees. In recent years, wood specific gravity has become more important when exploring the universality of functional traits of plants and estimating their global carbon stocks. To estimate their specific gravity, wood samples were collected from a total of 34 tree species, 30 from lower elevations and 4 from upper elevations in the Garhwal Himalayas, India. The results show that the average wood specific gravity was 0.631 （ranging between 0.275 ± 0.01 and 0.845 ± 0.03） for the species at lower elevations and 0.727 （ranging between 0.628 ± 0.02 and 0.865 ± 0.02） for the upper elevations. The average wood specific gravity for the upper elevation species was 9.6% greater than that for the species at lower elevations. Aegle marmelos among the lower elevation species and Quercus leucotrichophora among the upper elevation species had the highest wood specific gravity, which were 0.845 ± 0.03 and 0.865 ± 0.02, respectively.
文摘The estimation of carbon density of high altitude forests was carried out at five different sites along an elevational gradient from 1550 m to 3550 m in a part of Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, which is one of the largest protected areas of the Garhwal Himalaya, India. Among the study sites the above ground biomass density （AGBD） ranged from 202.72 Mg·ha^-1 （Site 5） to 718.75 Mg·ha^-1 （Site 1） and below ground biomass density （BGBD） from 61.00 Mg·ha^-1 （Site 5） to 203.04 Mg·ha^-1 （Site 1）. The total biomass density （TBD） also followed similar trend, where the lowest value （263.73 Mg·ha^-1） was observed at Site 5 and the highest （921.79 Mg·ha^-1） at Site 1. The total carbon density （TCD） ranged from 131.86 Mg·ha^-1 （Site 5） to 460.89 Mg·ha^-1 （Site 1）, which indicates that the carbon density of forests reduces with increasing elevation.
文摘The present study deals with the regeneration status of a sub- tropical forest located between 950-1100 m above sea level in Garhwal Himalaya. The vegetation was quantitatively analyzed on four different aspects i.e., east, west, north and south. Results of the study indicated that across the aspects, Anogeissus latifolia was dominant in tree, sapling and seedling layers in all the aspects, except north aspect where Pinus roxburghii and Terminalia tomentosa were dominant in tree and seedling layers, respectively. The highest tree layer density （380 plant.ha^-1） was recorded on south aspect and lowest （260 plant.ha^-1） on west aspect. In shrub layer, highest density was on east aspect （1790 plant.ha-1） and lowest on west aspect （970 plant.hal）. Tree and shrub layer diversity ranged between 0.846 to 1.710 and 1.943 to 2.847, respectively. The relative lopping intensity （%） was higher in Anogeissus latifolia （45%- 57% as compared to 4%-33% in other species） which is the most important tree species on all aspects, except north aspect. The present study also reveals that if the current rate of exploitation continues, the species like Anogeissus latifolia may be replaced by other species and drastic changes may occur in species composition and regeneration of the forest. The anthropogenic pressure, aspect and soil nutrients have caused changes in regeneration status and species composition of forests.
文摘The effects of disturbance on forest structure and diversity along an altitudinal gradient in the temperate,sub-tropical,and tropical regions of Garhwal Himalaya were assessed.Each region was further categorized into undisturbed(UD),mildly disturbed(MD),and highly disturbed(HD)sites on the basis of magnitude of disturbance in these forests.On UD sites of temperate,sub-tropical and tropical regions,Quercus leucotrichophora,Anogeissus latifolia and Holoptelea integrifolia were the dominant tree species respectively.The highest values of tree density(1028 ind·hm-2)and total basal cover at breast height(31.70 m2 ·hm-2)were recorded for UD site of temperate region,whereas maximum species diversity(3.128)and equitability(14.09)values were observed for HD site of tropical region.The structure and composition of the forests were greatly affected by the degree of disturbance.
文摘The yield production and energy budget of agroecosystem was carried out at three different climatic regions, i.e., tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate in Garhwal Himalaya, India. The total human population was the highest （1 140） in tropical region, followed by 464 in temperate region, and 374 in sub-tropical region. Livestock population had also a similar trend with human population in each climatic region, which was 870, 290, and 188 in the tropical, temperate, and sub-tropical regions, respectively, in winter season, the crop production was the highest （2 332 kg hat yr-l） for Triticum aestivum in tropical region followed by 1 716 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 in sub-tropical region, and 1 473 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 in temperate region. The associated crops were Itordeurn vulgate, Brassica caml ＇stris, and Pisum sativa. However, in summer season, the most contributing crop was Oryza sativa, which had also the highest production in tropical region followed by sub-tropical region, and temperate region, i.e., 1 160, 1096, and 1 076 kg ha^-1 yr^-1, respectively. Other growing crops were Elusine coracana, Vigna mugo, Glycine soja, and Echnochlolafrumentaceae. Brassiea rugosa was the only crop grown in tropical region between the period of winter and summer season. The total root production of crops in each climatic region was the highest in tropical region （1 846.2 kg ha^-1 yr^-1）, followed by temperate region （1 841.5 kg ha^-1 yr^-1） and sub-tropical region （1442.5 kg ha^-1 yr^-1）. However, shoot components of crops were 20 241.5, 17 847.0, and 1 188.3 kg ha^-1 yr^-1, which recorded parallel to root in each climatic region. The root and shoot components of weed decreased with increasing altitudes, which were 105.39 and 1150.5 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 in tropical region, 94.55 and 1147.5 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 in sub-tropical region, and 73.33 and 871.5 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 in temperate region for root and shoot, respectively. In the energy inputs, the most contribution was of compost in each climatic region. Among the region, the highest input of compost was in temperate region followed by sub-tropical, and the lowest in temperate region. The fertilizer input was only recorded from tropical region because of its close connection with market and easy accessibility to the farmer compared to subropical and temperate regions. The energy input ranged from 0.39×10^5 to 0.44× 10^5 MJ ha^-1 （human labour）, 0.84× 10^5 to 1.09× 10^5 MJ ha^-1 （bullock labour）, 0.36×10^5 to 0.45×10^5 MJ ha^-1 （seed）, 16.65 × 10^5 to 32.65 ×10^5 MJ ha^-1 （compost）, while output ranged from 8.44 × 10^5 to 11.01 × 10^5 MJ ha^-1 （agronomic yield）, and 14.22× 10^5 to 19.35 ×10^5 MJ ha^-1 （crop-residue）. The total input was the highest in temperate region, followed by subtropical and tropical region, and the highest output was in tropical region and the lowest in sub-tropical region.
文摘In this study, we investigated the specific gravity of wood samples collected from a total of 31 woody spe- cies, consisting of 20 trees, 10 shrubs and one species of bamboo from sub-tropical regions of Garhwal Himalayas, In- dia. Results show that among these woody species, the specific gravity of trees ranged from 0.34 for Erythrina suberosa to 0.83 for Albizia procera. For shrub species the specific gravity of Ricinus communis was 0.39 and that of Dodonaea viscosa 0.93. The average specific gravity of trees was 0.58 and of shrubs 0.66.
文摘Accurate estimates of tree carbon, forest floor carbon and organic carbon in forest soils （SOC） are important in order to determine their contribution to global carbon （C） stocks. However, information about these carbon stocks is lacking. Some studies have investigated regional and continental scale patterns of carbon stocks in forest ecosystems; however, the changes in C storage in dif- ferent components （vegetation, forest floor and soil） as a function of elevation in forest ecosystems remain poorly understood. In this study, we estimate C stocks of vegetation, forest floor and soils of a Pinus roxburghii Sargent forest in the Garhwal Himalayas along a gradient to quantify changes in carbon stock due to differences in elevation at three sites. The biomass of the vegetation changes drastically with increasing elevation among the three sites. The above-ground biomass （AGB） and below-ground biomass （BGB） were highest at site I （184.46 and 46.386 t·ha^-1 respectively） at an elevation of 1300 m followed by site II （173.99 and 44.057 t·ha^-1 AGB and BGB respectively） at 1400 m and the lowest AGB and BGB were estimated at site III （161.72 and 41.301t·ha^-1） at 1500 m. The trend for SOC stock was similar to that of biomass. Our results suggest that carbon storage （in both soil and biomass） is nega- tively correlated with elevation.
文摘The present study was carried out at two different gradients of unbumt and burnt Anogeissus latifolia forest sites in the Garhwal region, India. At each gradient, the unburnt and burnt forest sites were further categorized into three different elevations, i.e., lower （700 m）, middle （850 m） and upper （1000 m）. At each elevation, the density of trees, saplings and seedlings was higher at the unburnt sites except for trees at the upper elevation which was higher at the burnt sites. The total basal area of each layer of for- est was also higher at the unburnt sites. The study revealed that the lower number of saplings and seedlings at the burnt forest sites might be due to the effect of fire. Most trees in the lower dbh classes were affected by forest fire at the burnt sites which reduced the total density and total basal area of the trees compared to the unburnt sites. The diversity of trees increased with increasing elevation. However, the diversity of saplings and seedlings reduced with increasing elevation.
文摘The present study was carried out to assess the effect of leaf and bark aqueous extract of Anogeissus latifolia tree on Vigna unguiculata traditional crop to understand the suitability of treecrop combination in agricultural fields. Different concentrations of leaf (1%, 3% and 5%) and bark (1%, 3% and 5%) aqueous extract of A. latifolia were used to study radicle and plumule growth of Vigna unguiculata. The leaf and bark aqueous extract have shown minimum allelopathic effect on V. unguiculata and suppressed/stimulated radicle and plumule growth under different concentrations. The wide distribution of Anogeissus latifolia in a subtropical region of Garhwal Himalaya, provides good fodder fuel wood and timber to the villagers. Therefore introducing Anogeissus latifolia in agricultural field and maintaining the existed trees at boundaries of agricultural fields can be useful to the villagers requirements for the villages and wherever the possible allopathic effect exit can be minimized by lopping the branches of trees and use of naturally flecked off bark for fuel wood purposes.
