Status and distribution pattern of coarse woody debris along an altitudinal gradient in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, West Himalaya

A rapid assessment on the status and distribution patterns of coarse woody debris （CWD） was conducted by laying five curvilinear transects （transects A, B, C, D and E; major trails）, along an altitudinal gradient starting from 900 to 2 600 m, in three major watersheds （Charigad, Dogarhigad and upper Gosigad） of Goriganga catchment in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, India. At every 100 m rise in altitude a hectare plot （100 m x 100 m） was selected. Results showed that the percentage contribution by different succession phases was in the decreasing order： phase I 〉 phase II 〉 phase IV 〉 phase III for snags, and phase III〉 phase II 〉 phase IV 〉 phase I for logs. Snag density in chir pine forest was high in transect A （11 snags＇ha^-1） at 1 500 m, and the value in rianj oak forest was high in transect B （10 snags.ha-l） at 2 300 m. The total available mass of snags and logs in chit pine forest was 13.9 t, of which snags mass accounted for 41% of the total mass and logs mass for 59%. While the total value was 5.6 t in rianj oak forest, of which snags and logs accounted for 60% and 40% of the total mass, respectively. Moreover, the presence of CWD in the study area if not harvested, would provide a great opportunity to the orchids in future to flourish by providing protection. The high densities of snags and logs in chir pine forest at mid-altitudinal zone led to less species richness and lower density of ground flora as the zone receives more light, accompanying with lower soil moisture, and thus only the dominant species occupy the habitat.

Status and distribution pattern of coarse woody debris along an altitudinal gradient in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, West Himalaya

A rapid assessment on the status and distribution patterns of coarse woody debris (CWD) was conducted by laying five curvilinear transects (transects A, B, C, D and E; major trails), along an altitudinal gradient starting from 900 to 2 600 m, in three major watersheds (Charigad, Dogarhigad and upper Gosigad) of Goriganga catchment in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, India. At every 100 m rise in altitude a hectare plot (100 m x 100 m) was selected. Results showed that the percentage contribution by different succession phases was in the decreasing order: phase I > phase II > phase IV > phase III for snags, and phase III > phase II > phase IV > phase I for logs. Snag density in chir pine forest was high in transect A (11 snags·ha-1) at 1 500 m, and the value in rianj oak forest was high in transect B (10 snags·ha-1) at 2 300 m. The total available mass of snags and logs in chir pine forest was 13.9 t, of which snags mass accounted for 41% of the total mass and logs mass for 59%. While the total value was 5.6 t in rianj oak forest, of which snags and logs accounted for 60% and 40% of the total mass, respectively. Moreover, the presence of CWD in the study area if not harvested, would provide a great opportunity to the orchids in future to flourish by providing protection. The high densities of snags and logs in chir pine forest at mid-altitudinal zone led to less species richness and lower density of ground flora as the zone receives more light, accompanying with lower soil moisture, and thus only the dominant species occupy the habitat.

Distribution,Use Pattern and Prospects for Conservation of Medicinal Shrubs in Uttaranchal State,India

The present paper gives an insight into the distribution and use pattern of medicinal shrubs in Uttaranchal State. A total of 222 medicinal and aromatic shrub species have been appended based on secondary information. Euphorbiaceae, Rosaceae, Verbenaceae, and Fabaceae have the highest repre- sentatives of medicinal shrubs. Twenty one families had one species each in medicinal use. Verbenaceae and Euphorbiaceae in the sub-tropical region, Rosaceae in the temperate region, and Ericaceae and Rosaceae in the sub-alpine and alpine regions, respectively, had the highest representatives of medicinal shrubs. The distribution of medicinal shrubs was 42 % in sub-tropical, 29 % in warm temperate, 13 % in cool temperate, 9 % in sub-alpine and 7 % in the alpine region. Of the total species, 70 medicinal shrubs were native to the Himalayas and 22 native to Himalayan region including other Hima- layan countries. The most frequently used plant parts for various ailments were leaves (31 %) and roots (23 %). Most shrubs are being used for the diseases, viz. skin diseases, dysentery, cough, fever, wounds, and rheumatism. The present paper will help in the execution of strategies for promotion and cultivation of medicinal shrubs in Uttaranchal State.

Mass Foliar Damage at Subalpine-Timberline Ecotone in Western Himalaya Due to Extreme Climatic Events

Glimpses of unusual climatic conditions such as high summer temperature, heavy rainfall as well as snowfall and low winter temperature were noticed during 2010-2011 in subalpine-timberline (2700 - 3600 m) zones of Western Himalaya. Abundant winter injury to the current year (2010) foliage and shoot of Rhododendron arboretum and Quercus semecarpifolia became apparent in winters of 2010-2011. The foliar and bud mortality both increased with elevation beyond 2800 m and maximum along the edges of forest. Rhododendron campanulatum was another species which also got affected throughout the Western Himalaya. Such events were not reported earlier from the region and current observations indicate the high sensitivity of the plant species to the extreme inter-annual climatic variations.