NATURAL VEGETATION—

TROPICAL EVERGREEN
Climatic Requirements:
• Temp: 25 C – 27 C
• Rainfall: Above 200 cm
• Humidity: 70%
Features:
• Evergreen, hard-wooded
• Don’t shed leaves at any particular time
• Tall—rising to a height of 60 m
• Dense & impenetrable
• Don’t occur in pure stands
• Form a thick canopy above & dense undergrowth
• Difficult to exploit commercially
Places: Western coastal plain, western slope of Western Ghats, n/e hills
Trees: Ebony, Mahogany, Rosewood
TROPICAL DECIDUOUS
Climatic Requirements:
• Temp: 27 C
• Rainfall: 100-200 cm
• Humidity: 60-70%
Features:
• Shed their leaves for 6-8 weeks during dry season
• Broad-leaved
• Not very dense
• Occur in pure stands
• Lesser varieties of trees
• Exploited extensively for commercial purposes
Places: Moist—n/e states like Jharkhand, west Orissa; Dry—rainier parts of peninsular plateau,
Bihar & UP plains
Trees: Moist—Teak, Sal, Shisham, Sandalwood; Dry—Pipal, Neem, Bamboo
TROPICAL THRON
Climatic Requirements:
• Temp: 25 C – 30 C
• Rainfall: Less than 75 cm
• Humidity: Less than 50%
Features:
• Long roots to tap the water from the subsoil
• Trees are scattered
• Trees have stunted growth
• Trees have thick fleshy stems to store water
• Leaves are reduced to spines to minimise the loss of water through transpiration
Trees: Khair, Babul, Kikar, Acacia, Palms
Places: semi-arid areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP, UP
LITTORAL/TIDAL
Climatic Requirements:
• Temp: 27 C - 30 C
• Rainfall: 150-250 cm
• Humidity: about 70%
Features:
• Can grow in both—salt & fresh water
• Found in marshy & boggy regions
• Roots are submerged underwater during high tides & are visible during low tides
• Have breathing roots—pneumatophores
• Have stilt/prop roots
• Forests are dense and evergreen
Places: deltas of Ganga, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri
Trees: sundari tree, palm, agar, coconut
Uses: construction, boat-making, fuel wood
USES OF TREES:
Sal—beams, planking, railway sleepers
Teak—ship-building, furniture-making
Shisham—general utility timber, furniture-making
Rosewood— floor-boards, furniture-making
Ebony—ornamental-carving, musical instruments, caskets
Deodar—construction work, railway sleepers
Chir—tea chests, matches, furniture
Walnut—cabinet work, musical instruments
Bamboos—basket-making, roofing, thatching material, construction work
Mulberry—sports goods, leaves: rearing silkworms
Sandalwood—perfumes
Mahogany—furniture-making
Semul—toys, packing cases, plywood
White Willow—cricket bats, baskets
Spruce—railway sleepers, cabinet-making, packing cases, wood pulp
PROBLEMS OF FOREST INDUSTRY—
• TREES FOUND IN MIXED FORM—EXPLOITATION DIFFICULT
• 40% INACCESSIBLE
• RECKLESS CUTTING
• INADEQUATE PROTECTION AGAINST FOREST FIRES
• TECHNIQUES OF LUMBERING & SAWING ARE OBSOLETE
• RAPID DEPLETION OF FOREST COVER—DUE TO OVERGRAZING, SHIFTING CULTIVATION