Regeneration of tree species in the sub-tropical forest of Alaknanda Valley, Garhwal Himalaya, India

Abstract

We studied the regeneration of tree species in the sub-tropical forest of Alaknanda Valley in Garhwal Himalaya, India. The overall regeneration status was fairly good in the study area. Seedling density ranged between 520 and 1,240 seedlings per ha while the density of saplings varied between 400 and 800 saplings per ha. Out of eight sites studied, five sites, viz., A1, A2, B1, B2 and C2 contained the highest number of seedlings (280–480 per ha) and saplings (200–440 per ha) for Pinus roxburghii and remaining three sites viz., C1, D1 and D2 represented the highest number of seedlings (240–400 per ha) and saplings (200–240 per ha) for Anogeissus latifolius. The DBH class distribution of the tree species revealed that the highest number of individuals was concentrated in the lower diameter classes while smallest numbers were found in the higher diameter classes. Species such as Acacia catechu, Anogeissus latifolius, Dalbergia sissoo, Engelhardtia spicata, Lannea coromandelica, Mallotus philippensis and Pinus roxburghii have the largest number of saplings and seedlings in the lower DBH classes, suggesting that they have good regeneration potential. Other species such as Aegle marmelos, Bauhinia variegata, Bombax ceiba, Cassia fistula, Erythrina variegata, Haldiniacordifolia, Mangifera indica, Ougeinia oojeinensis, Phyllanthus emblica, Syzygium cumini, Terminalia alata and Toon ahexandra have either no or very small number of saplings in the lower DBH classes, which indicates that the status of these species implies poor regeneration.