Effect of Altitude and Age of Chir Pine Stands on Litter Production in Mid Hills of Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

The litterfall under different aged (sapling, pole and mature) Chir pine stands were studied at two sites viz. Nauni and Moti Kona (Kasauli) having altitudes 1250-1275m and 1720-1745m amsl., respectively in the mid hills of Himachal Pradesh throughout the year. The litter comprised of needles, twigs / branch and bark under sapling and pole stands of Chir pine whereas cones were also the part of the total litter production under mature stands at both sites. The litterfall was maximum under mature stands followed by pole and sapling stands at Site-I whereas it was maximum under pole stand followed by mature and sapling stands at Site-II. The needles had the maximum share (93 to 99%) in the total litter under all the Chir pine stands. The average annual litter production under sapling,pole and mature stands was 64.68, 73.49 and 102.01 q/ha, respectively at Site-I whereas at Site-II, it was 33.34, 55.20 and 37.84 q/ha, respectively. The needle fall was maximum in summer months i.e. April and May under all the Chir pine stands at both the sites and it was about 60 to 70 per cent of the total litterfall of the year. The information generated from the present study may be beneficial for devising management strategies for Chir pine needle litter and can also help in making the strategies for fire control in Chir pine forests of mid hills of Himalayas.