How resilient are the oak forests of Askot wildlife sanctuary, western Himalaya?

Abstract

Monitoring resilience in Himalayan forest ecosystem requires an understanding of community structure, regeneration, and anthropogenic disturbances. Four classes of temperate broadleaf forest dominated by different species of oak viz., Banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora), Rianj oak (Q. lanuginosa), Moru oak (Q. floribunda), and Kharsu oak (Q. semecarpifolia) were assessed between 1700-3000 m asl in Askot wildlife sanctuary, western Himalaya. A total of 300 quadrats of 10x10 m size were placed randomly in 30 forest sites at different altitudes using standard phytosociological methodologies. The tree density ranged from 503±33.8 to 694±75.9 indi. ha-1 with a basal area of 45.0±6.5 to 60.4±6.8 m2 ha-1. Across the forest communities, the sapling density was 590±54.9 to 755±63.4 indi. ha-1 and seedling density was 175±88.5 to 770±208.8 indi. ha-1. Principal component analysis was used to examine the impact of anthropogenic pressures on regeneration of different oak communities. The study reveals that despite the extractive pressures on oak forests in the study area, the regeneration of Q. leucotrichophora and Q. lanuginosa was fair. However, the regeneration of Q. semecarpifolia and Q. floribunda was poor which needs to be protected from livestock grazing. In addition to appropriate management inputs, sustainable forest harvesting practices must be implemented in the region.