Page 67 - general studies for nda/na

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READY RECKONER OF INDIANGEOGRAPHY |27|

• Tendu, palas, amaltas, bel, khair, axlewood etc. are At many place in this zone temperate grass lands are
the common trees of these forests. found. But in the higher reaches there is a transaction to
alpine forests and pastures. Silverfirs, junipers, pines,
3. Tropical Thorn Forests
birch and rhododendrons, etc., occur between used
• Found in the areas which receive rainfall less than 50 extensively for transhumance by tribes like the Gujjars,
cm. the Bakarwals, the bhotiyas and the gaddis.
• These consist of a variety of grasses and shrubs. It Southern slopes of the Himalayans carry a thicker
includes semi-arid areas of south west Punjab, vegetation cover because of relatively higher precipitation
Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and than the drier north –facing slopes at higher altitudes,
Uttar Pradesh. mosses and lichens from part of tundra vegetation.
• Plants remain leafless for most part of the year and b. Southern Mountain Forests:
give an expression of scrub vegetation.
• Found in three distinct areas of Peninsular India viz;
• Babool, ber, and wild date palm, khair, neem, khejri, the Western Ghats, the Vindhyas and the Nilgiris. As
palas, etc. Tussocky grass grows upto a height of 2 m they are closer to the tropics, and only 1,500 m above
as the under growth. the sea level, vegetation is temperate in the higher

4. Montane Forests: regions, and subtropical on the lower regions of the
Western Ghats, especially in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and
• In mountainous areas, the decrease in temperature Karnataka.
with increasing altitude leads to a corresponding
• The temperate forests are called Sholas in the Nilgiris,
change in natural vegetation.
Anaimalai and Palani hills. Some of the other trees of
Mountain forests can be classified into two types, this forest of economic significance includemagnolia,
a. The Northern mountain forests laurel, cinchona and wattle. Such forests are also
b. The Southern mountain forests found in the Satpura and the Maikal ranges.

a. Northern Mountain Forests: 5. Littoral and Swamp Forests
• The Himalayan ranges show a succession of • India has a rich variety of wetland habitats. About 70
vegetation from the tropical to the tundra, which per cent of this comprises areas under paddy
changes with the altitude. cultivation. Two sites — Chilika Lake (Odisha) and
Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur) are protected as
Deciduous forests are found in the foothills of the
water-fowl habitats under the Convention of
Himalayas.
Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar
It is succeed by the wet temperate type of forests
Convention).
between an altitude of 1000-2000m in the higher hill
areas of west Bengal and Uttaranchal, Evergreen broad Forest Cover in India:
leaf trees such as oak and chestnut are predominant. • The forest area covers 23.28 per cent of the total land
area of the country.
Between 1500-1750m, Pine forests are well developed,
with Chir pine as a very useful commercial tree. Deodar, a • The forest area is the area notified and recorded as
the forest land irrespective of the existence of trees,
highly valued endemic species grows mainly in the
western part of the Himalayan range. Deodar is a durable while the actual forest cover is the area occupied by
wood mainly used in construction activity, similarly the forests with canopy.
chinar and the walnut, which sustain the famous Kashmir
handicrafts belong to this zone blue pine and spruce
appear at altitude of 2225 -3048 m.
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