Assessment of biomass and net primary productivity of a dry tropical forest using geospatial technology

This study quantifies biomass, aboveground and belowground net productivity, along with additional environmental factors over a 2-3 year period in Barnawapara Sanctuary of Chhattisgarh, India through satellite remotesensing and GIS techniques. Ten sampling quadrates20×20, 5×5 and 1×1 m were randomly laid for overstorey (OS), understorey (US) and ground vegetation(GS), respectively. Girth of trees was measured at breast height and collar diameters of shrubs and herbs at 0.1 m height. Biomass was estimated using allometric regression equations and herb biomass by harvesting. Net primary productivity (NPP) was determined by Ssumming biomass increment and litter crop values. Aspect and slope influenced the vegetation types, biomass and NPP in different forests. Standing biomass and NPP varied from 18.6 to101.5 Mg ha^(-1) and 5.3 to 12.7 Mg ha^(-1) a^(-1), respectively,in different forest types. The highest biomass was found in dense mixed forest, while net production recoded in Teak forests. Both were lowest in degraded mixed forests of different forest types. OS, US and GS contributed 90.4, 8.7and 0.7%, respectively, for the total mean standing biomass in different forests. This study developed spectral models for the estimation of biomass and NPP using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and other vegetation indices.The study demonstrated the potential of geospatial tools for estimation of biomass and net productivity of dry tropical forest ecosystem.

Carbon storage and sequestration rate assessment and allometric model development in young teak plantations of tropical moist deciduous forest, India

Carbon （C） sequestration through plantations is one of the important mitigation measures for rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This study aimed to assess C stocks and their sequestration rate, and to develop allometric models for estimation of C stocking in age-series young teak （Tectona grandis） planta- tions （1, 5, 11, 18, 24 and 30 years） by using biomass and productivity estimation and regression, respectively. These plantations were raised in tropical moist deciduous forests of Kumaun Himalayan tarai. Total C stocks estimated for these plantations were 1.6, 15.8, 35.4, 39.0, 61.5 and 73.2 Mg ha-1, respectively. Aboveground and belowground C storage in- creased with increasing plantation age; however, the range of their percentage contribution showed little variation （87.8-88.2 and 11.7-12.7 %, respectively）, The rate of C sequestration for these respective plantations was 1.06, 6.95, 5.46, 5.42, 3.39 and 5.37 Mg ha-1 a-1. Forty percent of the aboveground annual storage was retained in the tree while 60 % was released in the form of foliage, twigs, and fruit litter. In the case of total （tree） annual production, 43 % was retained while 57 % was released as litter including root. C stock, C sequestration rate, accumulation ratio （1.4-18.1）, root：shoot C ratio （0.61--0.13） and production efficiency （0.01-0.18） were comparable to some previous reports for other species and forests. These data could be useful in deciding the harvesting age for young teak with respect to C storage and sequestrationrate. Four allometric models using linear regression equations were developed between biomass （twice the C stock） and diameter, girth, and height of the tree at different ages. The diameter model was found more suitable for C stock predic- tion in similar areas.

Mitigating People-Park Conflicts on Resource Use through Ecotourism:A Case of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve,Indian Himalaya

Ecotourism aims to deliver the philosophy of sustainable development through environmental conservation as well as socio-economic development.Areas with rich biodiversity and scenic beauty,like the Indian Himalayan region,have been one of the major destination centers for nature lovers from historical time.In view of conserving the rich biodiversity and natural heritage of the Himalayan region 92 protected areas have been set aside,of these Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve(NDBR) is a well known world heritage site.Over a period of time establishing NDBR has invited conflicts between the local people and reserve authorities on the management approaches and utilization criteria of the natural resources,especially banning the traditional bio-resource collection rights of local community,expeditions,trekking,and other anthropogenic activities in the core zones.The present study aims to understand and analyze the various people-park conflicts,and also to suggest ways to mitigate such conflicts in view of biodiversity conservation and improvement of economic status of local people by promoting ecotourism.With this view the study further discusses the various aspects of ecotourism,its pros and cons,and the avenues of developing appropriate strategies for promotion of ecotourism in buffer zone areas of NDBR.

Temporal patterns of storage and flux of N and P in young Teak plantations of tropical moist deciduous forest,India

Teak （Tectona grandis Linn. f.） ranks among the top five tropical hardwood species and is being promoted for use in plantations in its non-native range due to its high economic value. However, there is a general lack of data on ecosystem functioning of teak plantations. We aimed at understanding storage and flux of nutrients related to young plantations of teak. Cycling of nitrogen （N） and phosphorus （P） in a chronosequence of plantations （1, 5, 11, 18, 24 and 30 years） was studied in the Moist Deciduous Forest Region of North India with the objective of investigating the nutrient cycling pattern at younger age since the current trend of harvesting age of the species in several tropical countries is being drastically reduced for quick return from this high value crop. Standing state, nutrient uptake, nutrient return and nutrient retransloca-tion in these plantations were estimated by tree harvesting and chemical analysis methods. The range of total standing nutrient across all these plantations was 20.3 to 586.6 kg？ha-1 for N and 5.3 to 208.8 kg？ha-1 for P. Net uptake of N ranged from 19.4 to 88.9 kg？ha-1？a-1 and P from 3.8 to 18.1 kg？ha-1？a-1. Retranslocation of N and P among all the stands ranged from 8.7 to 48.0 kg？ha-1？a-1 and 0.01 to 3.5 kg？ha-1？a-1, respectively. Range of total nutrient return was 25.8 to 91.3 kg？ha-1？a-1 for N and 2.7 to 10.1 kg？ha-1？a-1 for P. N and P use efficiency was between 107.4 and 192.5 g dry organic matter （OM） g-1N, and 551.9 and 841.1 g OM g-1P, respec-tively. The turnover time ranged from 2.04-13.17 years for N and be-tween 2.40-22.66 years for P. Quantity of N and P in the soil nutrient pool ranged from 2566.8 to 4426.8 kg？ha-1 and 372 to 520 kg？ha-1, re-spectively. Storage and flux of components in different plant parts of different aged plantations were assessed and depicted in compartment models. Percentage storage in soil, litter and vegetation ranged from 82% to 99%, 0.6% to 2.4% and 0.5% to 15% for N, respectively, and from 63% to 98%, 0.5% to 2% and 1% to 35% for P, respectively. This infor-mation could be useful in managing external nutrient manipulation to crops of different ages for optimum biomass production or carbon se-questration.

Forest structure and anthropogenic pressures in the Pachmarhi biosphere reserve of India

A critical first step in establishing biosphere reserves--under the Man and Biosphere Programme of UNESCO--is to generate baseline information for future courses of action. The present study aims to assess the structure and composition of forests--along with anthro- pogenic pressures mounting on these forests in the buffer zone of one such biosphere reserves--the Pachmarhi bio- sphere reserve of India. The quadrat method was employed for sampling vegetation, and information on anthropogenic pressures was collected by conducting interviews with local people and forest officials and collecting it from secondary sources. A total of 39 tree species were sampled in 82 quadrats; of these 26 tree species were in standing stage, 25 in sapling, and 35 in seedling. Chloroxylon swi- etenia emerged as the most dominant tree species having highest importance value index, followed by Tectona grandis, Terminalia tomentosa, and Hardwickia binata. Nine tree species and their saplings, including Sterculia urens and Terminalia arjuna, were exploited so badly that they were only found in the seedlings stage. The unavail- ability of standing trees of 12 important tree species including Aegle marmelos and Phyllanthus emblicaindicates the intensity and gravity of anthropogenic pres- sures on these important tree species. If the present anthropogenic pressure continues, which has inhibited the regeneration of several tree species, then substantial neg- ative ecological and societal consequences can be expected.

Anthropogenic disturbances and status of forest and wildlife in the dry deciduous forests of Chhattisgarh state in India

The advent of modem forces and the changes in socio- economic patterns of forest dwellers have increased the pressures on the forests. In order to mitigate such pressures and also to protect the forests and wildlife the model of protected areas networks has shifted and en- hanced such pressures in the unprotected natural forests due to several reasons. Being a low profile category of protected status and continuous human settlements, the present study highlights the case of dry deciduous forests of Sarguja district of Chhattisgarh state of India. The major objec- tives of this study were to quantify the status of forests and wildlife and also to determine the extent of anthropogenic disturbances faced by the dry deciduous forests of central India. Transect and silent drive count methods were used for sampling wildlife and quadrat method was used for sampling vegetation. Besides, the local uses of various forest pro- duces were also studied in view of understanding the people dependency on forests. The forest vegetation, in the study area, was pre-dominated by Shorea robusta, which had Madhuca indica, Diospyrus melanoxylon and Buchnania lanzan as the major companion species. The forest had either the high girth class mature tree species or the saplings. The low vegeta- tion cover and density were due to the high anthropogenic pressures mainly in the form of heavy livestock grazing and collection of etlmo- botanically important species. The study though reveals that the area is not rich in wildlife and the forest is fragmented, the area still supports some important species, which include many rare and endangered plants and animals. The findings of this study have been discussed in view of the management and conservation of the forest and wildlife in the dry deciduous forests.

Distribution pattern and conservation of threatened medicinal and aromatic plants of Central Himalaya, India

A study was conducted to examine the distribution pattern of four rhizomatous medicinal and aromatic plant species （MAPs） viz., Angelica glauca, Pleurospermum angelicoides, Rheum emodi and Arne- bia benthamii in different forest stands in Central Himalaya. Results show that A. glauca and P. angelicoides had a higher （50%） frequency at Chipkoan, Garpak and Phagati forest, R. emodi had a higher （60%） frequency at Rishikund, Suki and Himtoli, and A. benthamii had a higher （70%） frequency at Suki and Khambdhar The densities of A. glauca （0.6 plants·m -2 ） and P. angelicoides （0.5 plants·m -2 ） were higher at Chipkoan and Garpak sites than at other micro-sites, while densities of R. emodi （0.8 plants·m -2 ） and A. benthamii （1.0 plants·m -2 ） were higher at Suki and Khambdhar sites. A. glauca had highest total basal covers （TBC） （1.2 cm 2 ·m -2 ） at Chipkoan, P. angelicoides had highest TBC （0.92 cm 2 ·m -2） at Lati kharak site, A. benthamii had the highest TBC （6.48 cm 2 ·m -2 ） atKhambdhar, and R. emodi had highest TBC （4.53 cm 2 ·m -2 ） at Rishikund. For the four studied species, A. glauca showed a contagious distribution, P. angelicoides and R. emodi showed the random and A. benthamii showed the regular type of distribution.

Structure, Composition and Diversity of Horticulture Trees and Agricultural Crops Productivity under Traditional Agri-Horticulture System in Mid Hill Situation of Garhwal Himalaya, India

Productivity of agricultural crops under traditional agri-hortculture system alongwith structure, composition and diversity of fruit trees and shrub species in mid hill situation of Garhwal Himalaya, India between 1000 to 2000 m asl during summer and winter seasons on northern and southern aspect were studied. The tree density, composition and diversity in the system varied depending upon aspect, landholding and requirements of the farmers. A total of 12 fruit tree species were recorded in agri-horticulture system;of which 4 trees were common in northern and southern aspect and 6 trees were only noticed in northern aspect while 2 in the southern. The apple tree (Malus domestica) was recorded to be dominant fruit tree species with highest IVI values on both northern and southern aspect with prime preference by the farmers for high additional economic return in agri-horticulture system. Among the shrubs, the 6 shrub species were recorded on the northern aspect whereas there number was 16 on southern aspect. The agricultural crop diversity was higher on the northern aspect in summer and winter season. The average annual productivity of grain under agri-horticulture system recorded 1106 kg·ha–1·year–1 on northern aspect and 1122 kg·ha–1·year–1 on southern with a reduction of 34.56% and 38.29% compared to the sole agriculture crops. The aspect and season also played significantly role in grain, straw and biological productivity of agricultural crops present in agri-horticulture and sole cropping systems. In general there was reduction in yield of agricultural crops under fruit trees but this reduction is supplemented by fruit production which support and sustain the rural community of this hilly region.

Biomass production and carbon balance in two hybrid poplar(Populus euramericana)plantations raised with and without agriculture in southern France

Poplar is useful in different climates for bioenergy production and carbon sequestration when planted as a single species or in agroforestry. Europe has large areas potentially suitable for poplar forestry and a bioenergy policy that would encourage poplar forestry. In this study I estimated biomass production and carbon sequestration in poplar monoculture plantation and poplar-wheat agroforestry, in the Mediterranean region of France. A single-tree harvesting method was used to estimate biomass and an empirical conversion factor was adopted to calculate sequestered carbon. Total biomass was higher in agroforestry trees(1223 kg tree) than in monoculture plantation trees(1102 kg tree).Aboveground and belowground biomass distributions were similar in both cases(89 and 88% aboveground, and 11 and12% belowground, respectively in agroforestry and monoculture). The partitioning of total biomass in an agroforestry tree in leaves, branch, and trunk(aboveground), and fine roots, medium roots, coarse roots and underground stem(belowground) was 1,22,and 77,and 6,9, 44 and 40%,respectively. Except for branch and trunk, all other compartments were similarly distributed in a monoculture tree.Storage of C was higher in agroforestry trees(612 kg tree)than in monoculture trees(512 kg tree). In contrast, C storage on a per hectare basis was lower in agroforestry(85 Mg ha) than in monoculture(105 Mg ha) due to the lower density of trees per hectare in agroforestry(139 trees in agroforestry vs 204 trees in monoculture). On a per hectare basis, soil C stocks pattern were similar to per tree stocking:They were higher in agroforestry at 330 Mg hathan in monoculture 304 Mg ha. Higher C accumulation by agroforestry has a direct management implication in the sense that expanding agroforestry into agriculture production areas with short rotation and fast growing trees like poplar would encourage quicker and greater C sequestration. This could simultaneously fulfil the requirement of bioenergy plantation in Europe.