Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

VEGETATION STRUCTURE AND REGENERATION STATUS OFRHODODENDRON ARBOREUM SP. IN THE FORESTS OF WESTERNHIMALAYAS: STUDY OF VAN-PANCHAYAT AND RESERVEFORESTS IN CHAMOLI DISTRICT OF UTTARAKHAND, INDIA

Sanchi Singh and Sudipto Chatterjee

Abstract

One of the known indicators of forest health is regeneration of trees, their diversity and the age classstructure. Forests which are subjected to unsustainable harvest of its products are in particular vulnerableand stressed. The present study was conducted to study the vegetation structure and regeneration status ofRhododendron arboreum in the van-panchayat and reserve forests of Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya.R.arboreum (Family Ericaceae) is an important keystone species in the region, and any significant change inthe species composition due to anthropogenic pressures may also impact the forest community structure.Regeneration status of this species in the study area was enumerated with relative density of seedlings,saplings and mature tree individuals. Regeneration with viable seedling population indicates good foresthealth and is also a critical part of forest management. Vegetation analysis revealed a total of 13 tree speciesbelonging to 10 families in the forest sites of the study area. Species density (ind/ha) varied from 469-525(trees), from 322-385 (saplings), and from 435-464 (seedlings) in the van-panchayat forests and 525-572(trees), 325-350 for (saplings) and 108-275 for seedlings in the reserve forests. Species diversity (H’) value inthe van-panchayat forests ranged from 2.04-2.16 (trees), 1.52-1.86 (saplings), 1.32-1.54 (seedling) and from2.36-2.45 (trees), 2.04-2.18 (saplings), 1.22-1.34 (seedling) in the reserve forest sites.The tree species richnessand density in the reserve forests were found to be marginally higher than the van panchayat forests due tolow anthropogenic pressure and limitations on the community’s extraction of forest-resources. However,fewer number of individuals of seedlings and saplings indicate less regeneration capacity of Rhododendronsp. in the reserve forest sites, which might be due to reduced seed germination of canopy species ormaturation of the forests.