Effects of slope aspects on forest compositions, community structures and soil properties in natural temperate forests of Garhwal Himalaya

The present study was undertaken in seven natural forest types of temperate zone （1500 to 3100 m, a.s.l.） of Garhwal Himalaya to understand the effects of slope aspects viz., north-east （NE）, north-west （NW）, south-east （SE） and south-west （SW）, on the forest structure, composition and soil characteristics of each selected forest type. The sample plots in each forest type were laid out by using stratified random approach. The indices i.e., the Importance Value Index, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Simpson’s concentration of Dominance, Simpson diver-sity index, Pielou equitability and Margalef species richness index were calculated statistically using standard softwares to elucidate the differ-ences in forest structure and composition of forest types on different slope aspects of the sites. The composite soil samples were taken from each forest stand and the physico-chemical properties of the soil i.e., moisture content （MC）, water holding capacity （WHC）, pH, organic carbon （OC）, phosphorus （P）, potassium （K） and available nitrogen （N） were analyzed. The results show that the higher values of total basal cover （74.4 m2·ha-1 in Quercus semecarpifolia forest）, Concentration of dominance （0.85 in Pinus roxburghii forest） and Tree diversity （1.81 in Quercus floribunda forest） in the forests were recorded in the northern aspects. MC （40.8% in Quercus leucotrichophora forest）, WHC （48.9% in Cupressus torulosa forest）, OC （3.8% in Cedrus deodara forest）, P （31.9 kg·ha-1 in Quercus leucotrichophora forest） and N （1.0% in Pinus roxburghii forest） had also higher values in the soils of northern aspects. Consequently the higher productivity of the forests was also noticed on the northern aspects.

Composition and diversity of five major forest types in moist temperate climate of the western Himalayas

The present study was undertaken in five major forest types （dominated by Quercus semecarpifolia, Quercusfloribunda, Acer acuminatum, Abiespindrow and Aesculus indica, respectively） between 2400 and 2850 m a.s.1, in a moist temperate forest of the Mandal-Chopta area in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India. The aim was to assess the variation in composition and diversity in different vegetation layers, i.e., herb, shrub and tree, among these five forest types. Diversity indices, such as the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, density, total basal cover, Simpson＇s concentration of dominance index, Simpson＇s diversity index, Pielou＇s equitability, species richness, species heterogeneity and r-diversity, were calculated to understand community structures. Dominance-diversity curves were drawn to ascertain resource apportionment among various species in different forest types.

Regeneration dynamics of dominant tree species along an altitudinal gradient in moist temperate valley slopes of the Garhwal Himalaya

The present study was undertaken in moist temperate forest of Mandal-Chopta area in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India. The aim of the present study was to understand the regeneration dynamics of the dominant tree species along an altitudinal gradient in naturally regen- erating, restricted access forest. The overall regeneration status was fairly high in the study area. Most of the native canopy and undercanopy domi- nants had frequent reproduction and expanding populations, which sug- gests the stability of forest structure/composition and further expansion of dominant species. The overall regeneration of trees in the forest had a greater contribution of middle and understurey species. Because of infre- quent rep＇roduction and declining populations of some of the dominant native species viz., Abies pindrow, Alnus nepalensis and Betula alnoides, structural/compositional changes in the future are expected in respective forests dominated by them..4bies pindrow and Taxus baccata need im- mediate attention by forest managers for their survival in the area. Seed- lings were found to be more prone to competition from herb and shrubs than saplings.

Forest utilization patterns and socio-economic status of the Van Gujjar tribe in sub-Himalayan tracts of Uttarakhand,India

The present study was conducted on the Van Gujjar tribe inhabiting a sub-Himalayan tract in the North Western Himalayas of Uttarakhand State, India. The Van Gujjars have been practicing transmigration over hundreds of years. They migrate each year with their households and livestock between summer and winter pastures. A few years ago with the announcement of the establish- ment of the Rajaji National Park, the tribe has been forced out of the forest area and rehabilitated outside the park, which has affected their lifestyle. The newly established rehabilitation colony in the Gandikhata area of Haridwar District of Uttarakhand State was taken as a case study. The aims of the present study were to understand and evaluate the socio-economic status of the Van Gujjars in their newly established rehabilitation colony, the utilization pattern of forest resources by the tribe and their relative preference for selec- tive trees for various uses. A total of 176 households were interviewed （giving equal weight to all economic classes and family every size） by using pre-structured questionnaires. The education level was very low （12.9%） and the average income per household was recorded as Rs. 36000 （approximately $ 803） per year. The major source of income was dairy production （80.6%） followed by labor employment （13.9%）, NTFPs （4.2%） and agricultural production （1.4%）. More than 90% of fuel wood and fodder is extracted from the forest. The average fuel wood and fodder consumptions per household per day were recorded as 25.86 and 21.58 kg, respectively. A total of 35 species of cultivated plants and 89 species of wild plants were found to be utilized as food sources. Selectively 25 wild tree species are well known as being used by the Van Gujjars as fodder, fuel wood, agricultural implements, household articles, dye, medicine, fiber and other products. According to their utility value, the most preferred and useful tree species is Ougeinia oojeinensis, followed by Terminalia alata, Bombax ceiba, Shorea robusta and Dalbergia sissoo,