INTRODUCTION

Silviculture has been defined variously authors. According to Toumey and

Korstian, ‘silviculture is that branch of forestry which deals with the establishment,

development, care and reproduction of stands of timber’. Indian Forest and Forest

ProductsTerminology,publishedbytheForestResearchInstituteandColleges,Dehra

Dun,definessilvicultureas,‘theartandscienceofcultivatingforestcrops’.Accordingto

Champion and Seth, ‘the term silviculture in English commonly refers only to certain

aspectsoftheoryandpracticeofraisingforestcrops’.

Though from the above definitions, there appears to be some diversity in views

about the scope of silviculture, yet, in a broad sense, silviculture may be taken to

includebothsilvicsanditspracticalapplication.AccordingtoIndianForestandForest

ProductsTerminology,silvicsis‘thestudyoflifehistoryandgeneralcharacteristicsof

foresttreesandcropswithparticularreferencetoenvironmentalfactors,asthebasisfor the

practice of silviculture’. Thus silvics implies the study of trees and forests as

biologicalunits,thelawsoftheirgrowthanddevelopmentandtheeffectofenvironment on

them. It explains the natural laws of their growth and development and their

behaviourinagivensetofenvironmentalconditions.Thoughalostofinformationon silvics

has been collected by experiments, observations and experience of earlier foresters,

a lot more information is yet to be collected to explain the unsolved complexities in

the lives of trees and crops and the natural laws governing their

reproduction,growthanddevelopment.

Theknowledgegatheredinsilvicsisappliedtotheproductionandcareofforest

crops.Thusthepracticeofsilvicultureisappliedsilvics.Itdealswiththeprocedureof

obtainingnaturalregenerationunderthevarioussilviculturalsystems,artificial
regenerationofvariousspecies,andmethodsoftendingyoungcrops,whethernatural or

artificial to help them to grow into forests of quality timbers and great economic

value.

Silviculture is not a purely biological science which has no relationwith

economics.Theforestersraisetheforestsandtendthemfortheserviceofthepeople,

butthisisnottobedoneataprohibitivecost.Ifforestsaretobegrownforthepublic

good,themethodsofraisingandtendingthem,developedonthebasisofknowledgeof

silvics,willhavetobemodifiedinpracticebyeconomicconsiderations.

Silviculturehasbeenrightlydescribedasanartandinthisartintuitionplaysan

important part. In our own country as well as in the European countries, there have

been foresters who have advocated that, in case of doubt, the trees should be

approached for answer. Even today, the local flora is regarded to be the best guide

aboutthesuitabilityofaspeciesforaparticularsite.Thisissobecauseinnaturethere are so

many complex factors at play that it is only the vegetation that can give an

indication of the possible solution. But in order to understand the indication of the

vegetationoranswerofthetrees,itisnecessaryfortheforestertobeconversantwith their

language and proficiency in this art comes by close continuous observation and

experience.

Objects of Study of Silviculture

The forests are as old as the universe; naturally they must have been growing

and renewing themselves. It is a well known fact that forest preceded civilization in

every part of the world. Management of the forests by the Forest Departments is a very

recent phenomenon. Even today, there are virgin forests in many parts of our country.

Thequestionnaturallyarisesastowhatuseisthestudyandpracticeofsilvicultureand
why should a forester take upon himself the work that the nature had been doing all

these years. The answer to this question is purely economic. The object study and

practice of silviculture is to produce more useful and valuable forests to meet our

multifarious requirements, than nature would do and that too, in a shorter time. The

objectivewithwhichnatureproducesvegetationarenotidenticalwiththatofman.The

formerproducesa‘jungle’,thelatteraforest.Thestudyofsilviculturehelpsin:

1) Productionofspeciesofeconomicvalue–Inthevirginforests,manyof

thespeciesaregenerallyneitherveryvaluablenoruseful.Therefore,theproductionof

timberofspeciesofeconomicvalueperunitareaislow.Iftheforestshavetoproduce timber

of industrial and economic importance, it is necessary to study and practice

silviculturesothatwecanproduceonlythedesiredspecies.

2) Production of larger volume per unit area – In the virgin forests, the

cropisgenerallyeitherverydenseorveryopen.Boththeseextremesareunsuitablefor

quantitativeproduction.Ifthecropisverydense,thegrowthoftheindividualtreesis

adversely affected resulting in lesser timber volume production per unit area. On the

otherhand,ifthecropisveryopen,thenumberoftrees,andconsequentlyvolume,per unit

area would be less. Besides this, a large number of trees die out as a result of

competition before reaching maturity. In the unmanaged forest, they are not utilized

andthatvolumeoftimberislost.Thestudyandpracticeofsilviculturehelpsinraising

sufficienttreesperunitsarearightfromthebeginningtofullyutilizethesoilandasthey

growup,graduallyreducetheirnumbersothattherequirementoflightandfoodofthe

remaining trees is met. In this way, while by raising sufficient number of trees, the

volumeproductionperunitareaisincreased,theutilizationoftheexcesstreesasthe

cropgrowsinage,preventsthelossandconsequentlyfurtherincreasesthatvolume.
 3) Production of quality timber – In the unmanaged forests, because of

intense competition, a large number of trees become crooked, malformed, diseased and

defective. This results in the deterioration of the quality of timber produced. If the

production of quality timber is to be ensured, knowledge of silviculture will be essential

so that the trees can be grown indiseasefreeconditionwithoutadversecompetition.

4) Reductionofrotation–Inthevirginforestsbecauseofintensecompetition

inthedenseparts,therateofgrowthoftheindividualtreeisretardedwiththeresult that it

takes longer time to reach the size at which it can be exploited. Thisincreases the

cost of production of timber. With the knowledge and practical application of

silviculture,thedensityofthecropcanbeproperlyregulatedandconsequentlytherate

ofgrowthincreasedandrotationreduced.

5) Raising forests in blank areas – In nature, a large number of areas,

potentially suitable for tree growth, occasionally remain blank due to certain adverse

factorsinhibitinggrowthoftrees.Silviculturalskillsandtechniqueshelpinraisingforest in

suchareas.

6) Creation of manmade forests in place of natural forests – There may

be areas in natural forests which may not regenerate or reproduce themselves naturally

or where natural regeneration may be extremely slow and uncertain. In such areas, it

becomes necessary for the forester to take up the work of nature in his hand and raise

manmade forests in such areas. Success in this endeavour can be achieved only when

hehasagoodknowledgeofthescienceandartofraisingforestcropsartificially.

7) Introduction of exotics – The indigenous species may not be able to meet

the commercial and/or industrial demands. In such areas, efforts are made to introduce

exotics which can grown in that particular locality and can supply the timber requiredby
industries, etc., in time. For example, the demand of paper is increasing very fast.

Thereisnoindigenousspecieswhichmaygrowinavarietyofsiteseasilyandveryfast

sothatthedemandofthepaperpulpindustrymaybemet.Therefore,alastgrowing

exotic,Eucalyptushybrid,hadtobeintroduced.Thisispossibleonlywhentheforester

isconversantwiththesilvicultureoftheexoticsaswellasclimaticandsoilconditionsof

thelocalitiesinwhichtheycanbeintroduced.

Forestry, its Scope and Classification

Forestryisdefinedasthetheoryandpracticeofallthatconstitutesthecreation,

conservationandscientificmanagementofforestsandtheutilizationoftheirresources. It is

an applied science which is concerned with not only the raising or cultivation of

forest crops but their protection, perpetuation, mensuration, management, valuation

and finance as well utilization of the forest products for the service of the nation. In

favourable localities, this science is applied to get maximum return and so it is called

intensiveforestrywhichisdefinedasthepracticeofforestrywiththeobjectofobtaining

themaximuminvolumeandqualityofproductsperunitarethroughtheapplicationof the

best techniques of silviculture and management. When forestry is practiced to

achievemorethanonepurpose,itiscalledmultiple-useforestrywhichisdefinedasthe

practiceofforestryforthesimultaneoususeofaforestarefortwoormorepurposes, often in

some measure conflicting, e.g., the production of wood with forest grazing and/or

wildlifeconservation.

Based on the objectives, forestry is classified as under:

a) Protectionforestry–Protectionforestryisthepracticeofforestrywiththe

primaryobjectof(1)protectinglandswhetherthoseuponwhichtheforestissituatedor

thoseatadistancefromit,againstwindandwatererosion,(2)conservingwater
supplies for human consumption, fish culture, etc., (3) reducing hazards from flood

damage to human life and property and (4) amelioration of adverse climatic effects.

b) Commercialforestry –Commercialforestryisthepracticeofforestrywith the

object of producing timber and other forest products as a business enterprise. A

specialized aspect of commercial forestry is to meet the requirement of a particular

industryandinthatcaseitiscalledindustrialforestrywhichisdefinedasthepracticeof

forestrytosustainagivenindustrialenterprise,suchasasawmill,pulpmill,chemical plant or

acombination of these.

c) Social forestry – Social forestry is the practice of forestry on lands outside

the conventional forest area for the benefit of the rural and urban communities. Supply

of fuel wood to divert cow dung from village hearths to village fields, small timber for

rural housing and agricultural implements, fodder for the cattle of the rural population

living far away from the forest areas, protection of agriculture by creation of diverse

ecosystem and arresting wind and water erosion and creation of recreational forests for

the benefit of the rural as well as urban population are the basic economic and cultural

needs of the community without which there can be no improvement in the conditions

of their living. The application of forestry technology to achieve this social objective is

known as social forestry. This is new dimension recently added to the concept of

forestryandincludeswithinitsscopethefollowing:

1) Farm forestry – Farm forestry is the practice of forestry on farms in the

form of raising rows of trees on bunds or boundaries of field and individual trees in

privateagriculturelandaswellascreationofwindbreaks,whichareprotectivevegetal

screens created round a farm or an orchard by raising one at two lines of trees fairly

close with shrubs inbetween.

devoid of tree growth and other vegetation and situated in places away from the

conventional forest areas with the object of increasing the area under treegrowth. It

includeswithinitsscopethefollowing:

i) Mixedforestry–Mixedforestryispracticeofforestryforraisingfoddergrass with

scattered fodder trees, fruit trees and fuelwood trees on suitable wastelands,

panchayat land and villagecommons.

ii) Shelterbelts – Shelterbelt is defined as a belt of trees and/or shrubs

maintained for the purpose of shelter from wind, sun, snow drift, etc. They are

generallymoreextensivethanthewindbreakscoveringareaslargerthanasinglefarm

andsometimeswholeregionsonaplannedpattern.

iii) Linear strip plantations – These are plantations of fast growing species on

linearstripsoflandonthesidesofpublicroads,canalsandrailwaylines.

3)Reforestation of degradedforests

4) Recreational forestry – Recreational forestry is the practice of forestry with

the object of raising flowering trees and shrubs mainly to serve as recreation forests for

the urban and rural population. The main object is not to produce timber, grass or leaf

fodder but to raise ornamental trees and shrubs in some area to meet the recreational

needs of the people. This type of forestry is also known as aesthetic forestry which is

defined as the practice of forestry with the object of developing or maintaining a forest

of high scenicvalue.
RELATION OF SILVICULTURE WITH FORESTRY AND ITS BRANCHES

Silviculture and Forest Protection

Forest protection is defined as that branch of forestry which is concernedwith

theactivitiesdirectedtowardsthepreventionandcontrolofdamagetoforestsbyman,

animals,fire,insects,diseaseorotherinjuriousanddestructiveagencies.Aknowledge of

the injuries caused to forests by the local human and animal population, both

domesticandwild,insects,fungiandotheradverseclimaticfactorsandthepreventive

andremedialmeasurestocounteractthem,isessentialforeffectiveprotectionofthe forests.

Thus while silviculture is concerned with the raising of forest crop, forest

protectionisconcernedwithitsprotectionagainstvarioussourcesofdamage.

Silviculture and Forest Mensuration

Forest mensuration is defined as that branch of forestry which deals with the

determination of dimensions, form, volume, age and increment of logs, single trees,

stands or whole woods. Thus while silviculture deals with raising of forest crop, forest

mensuration deals with measurement of diameter and heights of crop so produced,

calculation of its volume, age, etc., for sale and research to decide the best treatment to

be given to the crop while it is being raised.

Silviculture and Forest Utilization

Forest utilization is defined as the branch of forestry concerned with the

harvesting,conversion,disposalanduseoftheforestproduce.Thuswhilesilvicultureis

concerned with the cultivation of forest crops, forest utilization is concerned with the

harvestinganddisposalofcropssoproduced.
Silviculture and Forest Economics

Forest economics is defined as those aspects of forestry that deal with the forest

as a productive asset, subject to economic laws. Thus while silviculture is concerned

with the cultivation of forest crop, forest economics works out the cost of production

including rental of land and compound interest on capital spent in raising the crop, and

compares it with the sale proceeds to decide whether raising of the crop is economically

profitable or not. It is also the function of the forest economist to compare the cost of

production of a particular crop by different methods and then decide the most profitable

method of raising thatcrop.

Silviculture and Forest Management

Forest management has been defined as the practical application of the

scientific, technical and economic principles of forestry. Thus while silviculture deals

withthecultivationofforestcrop,forestmanagementmanagesthatcropaccordingto the

dictates of the forest policy. Silviculture deals with the techniques andoperations

which result in the development of a forest. Forest management prescribes the time

andplacewherethesilviculturaltechniquesandoperationsshouldbecarriedoutsothat

theobjectsofmanagementareachieved.

The various branches of forestry are so closely related that the considerations of

one branch influence the techniques of the other branches. For example, silvicultural

techniques and operations are governed by the consideration of cost and modifiedto

suit the requirement of protection. Similarly, even the most profitable method of

exploitation or harvestings has to be given up if it is not compatible with silvicultural

techniquesortheprotectiveconsiderations.
Silviculture and Forestry

From the definition of forestry given earlier, it is clear that forestry has a very

wide scope and silviculture is only one of its branches. It has the same relation with

forestry as agronomy has with agriculture. While agronomy and silviculture deal with

cultivationofcrops,agricultureandforestrydealnotonlywiththecultivationofcrops but

also with their protection, management, mensuration, marketing, etc. In short,

forestry is an applied science which has many branches. It may be compared to a

wheel. Silviculture is the hub of the wheel; it is neither the whole wheel nor is it the

onlyessentialpart.But,justasacartwheelcomposedofseveralsectionsissupported

onitshub,similarlyforestryanditsotherbranchesaresupportedonsilviculturewithout

whichtherewouldbeneitherforestrynoritsbranches.

THE TREE AND THE FOREST

THETREE

Tree is essentially a plant. Plants may be classified into the following three

categories:

i) Herb, ii) Shrub and iii)Tree

i) Herbisdefinedasplantwhosestemisalwaysgreenandtenderandheightis usually

not more than one metre. According to the span of life, it is called annual, biennia

orperennial.

ii) Shrub is defined as a woody perennial plant differing from a perennial herb in

its persistent and woody stem and less definitely from a tree in its low stature and its

habit of branching from the bare. A shrub is usually not more than 6 metres inheight.
 Both these categories of plants supply, if at all, economic minor forest products

only. As they are very small in size, they do not produce timber but shrubs are used as

firewood.

iii) Tree is defined as a large woody perennial plant having a single well defined

stem (bole or trunk) and a more or less definite crown. A tree is usually more than 6

metres in height which can, according to species, be upto 127 metres. For example,

height of a Pseudosugataxifoliatree in British Columbia has been measured to be 127.1

m and that of a Sequoia sempervirenstree in California has been found to be 112.1 m. In

India, the maximum height so far recorded is not more than 75 m. A scrutiny of the

record of heights of trees reveals that the conifers are taller than the broad leaved trees.

For example, while the maximum height of deodar has so far been recorded to be 73.2

m, those of teak and sal have been found to be only 58.5 m and 51.2 m respectively.

From the point of view of girth also, the Sequoia of California and the Eucalyptus of

Australia are the biggest because they have attained girths of 3574 cm and 2438 cm

respectively. In India the maximum girth so far recorded is 1646 cm, of a deodar in

kulu (Himachal Pradesh). The maximum girths of teak and sal are even less; these have

beenrecordedtobeonly625cmand782cmrespectively.

Evenfromthepointofviewofage,treehasverymuchmorelongevitythanthe shrubs

and the herbs. For example, age of a Sequoia sempervirensof California has

beenestimatedtobemorethan4000years.InIndia,theageofadeodartree,whose section

is preserved in the F.R.I. was found to be 704 years. Of the other Indian

species,maximumagesofteakandDalbergialatifoliahavebeenestimatedtobe500 years

and 600 years respectively. All trees provide timber from their stem and thick

brancheswhilethethinnerbranchesandhollowportionsofstemareusedafirewood.
 The tree can be divided into three parts:

TREE

Abovetheground Below theground

i) Thecrown iii) Theroot

ii) Thestem

THE CROWN

The crown is defined as the upper branchy part of a tree above the bole. It is

formed by the foliage of the branches springing from the bole.

Shapeandsize–Theshapeandsizeofthecrownsoftreesvarywithspecies and the

conditions in which they grow. Phoenix, Cocosand Borassushave crowns of large

leaves at the tops of cylindrical unbranched stems. This characteristic

distinguishesthemfromotherforesttreeswhicharegenerallymuchbranched.Inchir,

deodar and some other conifers, the lower branches are longer while the upper

branches are gradually shorter, giving the crown a conical shape. On the otherhand,

thecrownsofMangiferaindica,Azadirachtaindica,Tamarindusindica,Madhucaindica,

etc., are spherical in shape. In Albizziastipulatathe crown is broad and flat topped

while in Abiespindrowit is more or less cylindrical. Except the palms, the crowns of

other trees are affected by the situation in which they grow. Normally, the trees

growingintheopenhavelargebranchesandbigcrowns,whilethosegrowingindense

forestshavesmallerbranchesandsmallercrowns,becausethebranchesonthelower

partoftheboledieoutgraduallyduetoshadeandthecrownsarelimitedtotheupper part of

the bole of the tree. The size of the crown depends upon crown development

whichisdefinedastheexpansionofcrownmeasuredascrownlengthandcrownwidth.
 Mode of branching – The mode of branching varies with species and

sometimes, it is characteristic of the genus or the family. In most of the species, it is

absolutely unsystematic. In species with opposite leaves, the branches are also in

opposite pairs, though sometimes, this is visible only in the upper branches. Some

species, e.g., Bombaxceibaand Pinuswallichiana, with alternate leaves sometimes

develop branches inwhorls.

The angle that the branches make with the stem, is also a specific character.

Though in most cases, the branches make an angle of 60o to 70o with the stem, yet in

some species, e.g., Populusnigra, Cupressussempervirens, they make angles upto 20o to

30o. In quite a few species, e.g., old deodar and Dalbergiasonneratioides, the branches

are almost horizontal and form terraces of foliage, while in some other, e.g.,

Anogeissuspendula, Terminaliamyriocarpa, leading shoot of young deodar and

branchlets and twigs of spruce, they are drooping downwards.

The size and the number of branches also varies with species. While in some

species branches are thin and twiggy in others they are thick. Some species have large

number of branches while others have only a few. The larger the number of branches

and thicker the branches, the more the wood is knotty; this is considered as a defect in

timber for several purposes.

Leaf colour, size and texture – Normally the mature leaves are green. The

shade of colour of the two surfaces of leaf is often different, the lower being often paler

than the upper. In addition to the difference in shade, the lower surface of the leaf is

sometimes covered with while (e.g., in Quercusincana) or rusty brown tomentum (e.g.,

in Quercussemicarpifolia). Some species have characteristic attractive colour in their

young leaves. For example, young leaves of Quercusincanaare pinkish or purplish,

ofCassiafistuladarkredbrown.Insomespecies,leavesundergoastrikingchangein colour

before falling from the tree; such colours are called autumn tints and help the

forester in recognizing the species from a distance. For example, before falling the

leaves of Lanneacoromandelicaturn yellow, those of Anogeissuslatifoliadark red or

bronze, and Sapiumsebiferumbeautiful red, purpose and orange. But quite a few

species, e.g., Elaeocarpus, Bischoffiaare characterized by the presence of a few

conspicuousredleavesinalmostallseasons.

Size of leaf depends upon rainfall and the species. As a rule, the leaves in low

rainfallareasaresmallwhiletheyaregenerallybiggerinheavyrainfallareas.Insome

species, e.g., teak, Dillenia, the leaves are bigger than the usual size of most leaves.

Leavesofmostconifersareneedleshapedandthatiswhytheyarecalledneedles.

While the texture of leaves of some species is soft and membranous, it is hard

and coriaceous in others. The membranous and soft leaves of species, e.g., Grewia,

Ougeinia, Anogeissus, etc., on falling not only decompose rapidly and get mixed up with

the soil but hasten the decomposition of the hard and coriaceous leaves of species, e.g.,

sal and conifers which otherwise, decompose very slowly and create problem for natural

regeneration.

Leaf shedding – All trees shed their old leaves regularly and produce

newleaves. The new leaves may be produced while the old leaves are still present

onthe tree or after they have fallen. On the basis of the presence or absence of old

green leaves at the time when the new leaves are produced, the trees and other

plants are

classifiedintodeciduousandevergreen.Atreeiscalleddeciduousifitnormallyremains

leaflessforsometimeduringtheyear.Inotherwords,itproducesnewflushofleaves
afteralltheoldleaveshavebeenshedandithasremainedleaflessforsometime.The

leaflessperiodvarieswithspeciesandsituation.Forexample,salisleaflessforabouta

weakortendaywhileHymenodictyonexcelsumremainsleaflessforaboutsixmonths.

Eveninthesamespeciesdifferenttreesremainleaflessfordifferentperiodsduetotheir

situation. For example, in areas with abundant and well-distributed rainfall, teak

becomesnearlyevergreenwhileindrierareas,itremainsleaflessforaboutsixmonths.

Santalum album is exception to the above general rules; it becomes deciduous or

evergreenaccordingtothehabitofitshostplant.

An evergreen is defined as perennial plant which is never entirely without green

foliage, the old leaves persisting until a new set has appeared. The persistence of the

old green leaves after the new leaves have been produced, depends upon species and in

the same species upon the environment. For example, in chir, the old leaves persist

from one year five months to two or three years but in deodar, they persist for five or

six years. On lower altitudes, due to higher temperature, chir, which is normally

evergreen, becomedeciduous.

The following are some examples of deciduous and evergreen trees:

Deciduous–Acaciacatechu,Adinacordifolia,Ailanthusexcelsa,Bombaxceiba,

Garugapinnata, Holopteliaintegrifolia, Lanneacoromandelica, Meliaazaderach,

Schleicheraoleosa,Terminaliatomentosa.

Evergreen – Abiespindrow, Cedrusdeodara, Cupressustorulosa,

Hopeaparviflora,Mallotusphilippinensis,Mangiferaindica,Micheliachampaca,Piceasmith

iana, Pinuswallichiana,Pterospermumacerifolium.
THE STEM

The stem is defined as ‘the principal axis of plant from which buds and shoots

are developed; in trees, stem, bole and trunk are synonymous’ but bole is ‘some times

used to refer to only lower part of the stem upto a point where the main branches are

given off, i.e., as a synonymous for clear or clean bole which is defined as the part of

the bole that is free ofbranches.

Theshapeandlengthofthestemvarieswithspeciesandthesituationinwhich

thetreegrows.Somespecieshavelongandstraightstemwithrelativelyfewbranches,

whileothershavestemwhicharecrookedand/ormuchbranched.Normallythestemis

thicker at the base and thinner in the upper portion of the tree. The decrease in

diameter of the stem of a tree or of a log from the base upwards, is known as taper.

Thisisduetothepressureofwindwhichiscentredintheloweronethirdofthecrown and is

conveyed to the lower parts of the stem, increasing with increasing length. To

counteractthispressure,whichmaysnapthetreeatthebase,thetreereinforcesitself

towards thebase.

The situation in which the tree grows affects the shape and length of the stem.

The trees growing in the open in plains and or ridges in hills have generally shorter and

conspicuously tapering stem as a result of wind pressure. On the other hand, the trees

growing in dense forest have relatively longer and more or less cylindrical stem. The

production of a long cylindrical bole is a desirable quality in trees because that increases

their timber volume.

In the earlier stages, thin branches generally cover almost the entire stem of a

tree but as the saplings grow into poles and trees, the lower branches fall off resulting

in a clean bole. But even in later life, sometimes, due to some adverse factors theclean
bole again develops small branches known as epicormic branches which are defined as

‘branches originating in clusters from dormant or adventitious buds on the trunk of a

tree or on older branch when exposed to adverse influence such as excessive light, fireor

suppression’. They are also caused by drought and that is why they are generally found

on stag-headedtrees.

Normally trees have one stem but sometimes they are forked and have more

than one leader. From the point of view of timber production, this is not a desirable

qualitybecausetheportionbelowthepointofforkingiseitherwastedorproducessmall

sizedtimberandthereisalwaysadangerofoneoftheleadersbeingbrokendownin

windstorms.

In some species, e.g., Acrocarpusfraxinifolius, Bombaxceiba,

Pterocarpusdalbergiodes,Terminaliamyriocarpa,etc.,buttressesareformedinthebasalpo

rtionof the stem. They are out growths formed usually vertically above the lateral

roots and thus connect the base of the stem with roots. They are generally

associated with the

absenceoflongtaprootduetoeithershallowsoilresultingfromthepresenceofrocka little

below the surface or badly aerated and infertile subsoil. Buttress formation,

sometimes, extends upto 5 m and therefore the lower portion of the stem becomes

useless, unless the buttresses are very small. The felling of buttressed trees present

greatdifficultiesasthefellinghastobedoneabovebuttressformation.

In some other species e.g., teak, the lower portion of the stem is characterized

by fluting which is defined as ‘irregular involutions and swellings on the bole just above

the basal swell’. As fluting decreases the basal volume considerably, it is considered to

be a serious defect. It is attributed to epicormic branches, insect attack, unsuitable site

orfaultythinnings;nodefinitereasonissofarknown.
THE ROOT

Therootisthatportionoftheplantwhichdevelopsinsidethesoilandawayfrom light.

Unlike stem it does not produce leaves, flowers or fruits. The roots of trees support

them firmly to the ground, absorb soil moisture containing mineral salts and

sendittostemforonwardtransmissiontotheleaves.They,generally,compriseoftwo

kindsofroots,viz.,thetaprootandthelateralroots.

The tap roots is the primary descending root formed by direct prolongation of

the radicle of the embryo. In trees, it is the main axis of the large root system and

descends vertically below the stem. It is conical in shape, develops towards the

permanent moisture in the soil and sometimes, attains considerably length.

Thelateralrootsaretherootsthatarisefromthetaprootandspreadlaterallyto

supportthetree.Asthetaprootgrows,itdevelopslateralrootswhicharebranchedand re-

branchedandultimatelyformrootlets.Theendsoftherootletsarecoveredwithfine

hairs,calledtheroothairs.Theseroothairsspreadinthesoilparticles,andabsorbsoil

moisture to translocate it to stem and leaves where the food is manufactured. The

taproot and the lateral roots including their branches upto root hairs, form the root

systemofthetree.Thelateralrootsaregenerallyconfinedtotheareacoveredbythe crowns

of trees but sometimes they go far beyond. For example, the lateral roots of trees

growing on the edge of a forest go far into the cultivated fields and adversely

affecttheagriculturalcrops.Evenintheforest,theysometimesgobeyondtheareaof the

crowns of trees and may form root grafts with the roots of other trees in dense

forest.

Therootsoftheseedlingsdevelopveryfastandsometimesreachonemetre

depthinoneseasoninfavourablelocalities. Astherootsdevelopmuchfasterthanthe
shoot in early stages, it is not possible to estimate the length of the root from that of the

shoot. Early development of taproot to such a depth where the moisture in the soil is

more or less permanent protects the plants against post monsoon and summer drought.

The roots, generally, require a well aerated soil for their development.

Therefore,therootsofmayspecies,e.g.sal,arekilledbyriseinthewatertable,though those

of some species may adjust themselves according to the changed conditions.

Similarly,whenalayerofsiltisdepositedontopofthesoil,sometreesdiebutsome

othersdeveloprootsfromthecoveredportionofthestemandarenotkilled.

On the basis of the depth of the root system the trees are classified into shallow-

rooted and deep rooted trees. Shallow rooted trees are those whose root system does

not extend far enough into the soil to save them from relatively easy wind throw. The

deep rooted trees, on the other hand, are those whose roots go very deep in the soil.

The trees, which develop a long taproot and large lateral roots are not easily uprooted

by wind and are called windfirm.

Adventitious Roots

Adventitious roots are the roots produced from parts of the plants other than the

radicle or its subdivision. In bamboos, the roots are produced from the underground

stem called rhizome and are therefore adventitious. These roots are thin and usually

undivided. They do not show secondary thickening and are replaced by new roots when

the older ones die. The following kinds of adventitious roots are commonly found in

trees:

1) Prop-roots – Ficusbengalensisproduces from its branches adventitious

rootswhichremainsuspendedintheairtilltheyreachtheground.Onreachingthe
ground, they enter it and get fixed up in the soil. As they support thick branches of the

tree, they are called prop-roots.

2) Stilt roots – Stilt roots are adventitious roots which emerge from the butt of

a tree above ground level, so that the tree appears as if supported on flying buttresses,

e.g., mangroves of thegenus Rhizophora.

3) Pneumatophore – Pneumatophore is a knee shaped or spike like projection

of the roots of swamp tree, e.g., Heretiera, Bruguiera, enabling the submerged roots to

obtainoxygen.

Mycorrhiza

Incertain,species,thefineextremitiesofrootletsbehindtherootcap,insteadof

being covered with root hairs are found to be invaded by specific non-pathogenicsoil

fungi. The invasion results in the formation of composite structures which areneither

rootsnorfungi.Thiscompositestructureorinvadedrootletiscalledmycorrhiza(plural

mycorrhizae). Thus mycorrhiza may be defined as a structure produced from the

combinationofthemodifiedrootletwithfungaltissue.

Types of mycorrhizae– Mycorrhizae are broadly classified as ectotrophic,

endotrophic and ectendotrophic. In the ectotrophic type, fungi usually belong to

Basidiomycetes. They form a mantle over the rootlets and the hyphae usually radiate

from the mantle. The fungi enter the cortex, thus permitting the hyphae to grow in the

intercellular space. In the endotrophic type, the fungi usually belong to Phycomycetes.

They are present in the form of individual hyphae on the root surface and penetrate the

cells of the cortex. Roots, sometimes, become beaded. In the ectendotrophic type,

both kinds of above mentioned infections are combined, i.e., a condition where typical

ectotrophicconditionisaccompaniedbyintracellularpenetrationofthehyphae.
 Occurrence – Mycorrhiza is found in Pinus, Picea, Abies, Cedrus, Cupressus,

Taxus, Populus, Aurocaria, Salix, Podocarpusand Eucalyptus, etc.

Importance of mycorrhiza in forestry – Though the exact role of mycorrhiza

is still not understood, it is believed to perform the following functions:

i) Absorbssoilmoisturebyincreasingtheareaofabsorbingsurface

ii) Helps in the absorption of minerals, e.g., phosphorus, copper, iron, which are in

shortsupplyandcannotbeabsorbedbynon-mycorrhizalrootsand

iii) Fixes nitrogen from rawhumus

Because of these functions, mycorrhiza is very beneficial to tree growth andis

considered essential for the growth and survival of several species, especially the

exotics. A large number of plantations in many countries have failed due to failure to

introducemycorrhiza.WiththelargescaleintroductionofexoticsinIndia,itislikelyto

plantadominantroleintheirestablishment.

Introduction of Mycorrhiza– Though, sometimes, mycorrhiza develops itself

in new soils without being introduced by foresters as seen in the successful Eucalyptus

plantations in India and chir pine plantations in sal forests of M.P., yet it is advisable to

introduce it before planting any exotic. Mycorrhiza may be introduced by the following

ways:

i) Mixing soil brought from the natural good quality forests of the species. The soil

should be neither dry nor very moist but should contain adequate moisture as

well as mycorrhizal roots. It should be brought in sealed polythene bags and

applied to the site as early as possible, but not later than 10 days after collection

toensureviabilityofmycorrhiza.

ii) Interplantingimportedseedlingswithmycorrhizaeinnurserybeds
Lignotubers

Lignotubers are underground swellings found on most species of Eucalyptus.

Theyareactuallymodifiedstemsdevelopedfromdoubleaccessorybudsintheaxilsof

cotyledons. They serve the purpose of food storage and regeneration because they

bearnumerousbuds,whichbecomeactiveandproduceshoot,ifthetreeisinjured,cut down

orburnt.

Root Nodules

The roots of a large number of plants and trees have small nodules. They

contain bacterial (Rhizobium) in large numbers. The bacteria present in the soil, enters

the root through the root hairs in the form of bacterial filament. After entering the root,

the filament branches rapidly and reaches inner cortex where it causes active cell

division resulting in the formation of nodules. These nodules vary greatly in shape and

size. The bacteria living in the root nodule (and not those in the soil) help in fixation of

free nitrogen from the air in the form of nitrates. The plants utilize the nitrates and in

return, provide the bacteria with carbohydrates. Thus a mutually beneficial relationship,

called symbiosis, isestablished.

Root nodules are found in about 65 species of about 8 families, the commonest

being Leguminosaein which they are found in Dalbergia, Bauhinia, Acacia, Albizzia,

Erythrina, Tephrosia, Crotolaria, Indigoferaand Leucaena. They are, however, not found

in Cassia tora. Besides Rhizobium there are some other nitrogen fixing and root nodule

forming bacteriaalso.

Growth and Development of Trees

The tree starts its life as a small seedling which grows by increase in length and

diameter of its shoot and root. As the shoot grows upwards, it develops branches and
foliage. The root grows downward and develops lateral roots and its branches. Thus

theseedlingsgrowsnotonlybyincreaseinthesizeofitsshootandrootbutalsobythe

formation of new organs. The increase in size is commonly referred to as growth or

incrementandtheformationofneworgansisreferredtoasdevelopment.Thusboth growth

and development are responsible for the change that takes place in a small seedling

growing into atree.

Various stages of growth and development of a plant are designated as follows:

i) Seedling – Seedling is a plant grown from seed till it attains a height of about

onemetre,i.e.,beforeitreachesthesaplingstage.

ii) Sapling–Saplingisdefinedasayoungtreefromthetimewhenitreaches about

one metre (3 feet) in height till the lower branches begin to fall. A sapling is

characterizedbytheabsenceofdeadbarkanditsvigorousheightgrowth.

iii) Pole – Pole is defined as a young tree from the time when the lower

branches begin to fall off to the time when the rate of height growth begins to slow

downandcrownexpansionbecomesmarked.

iv) Tree – Tree is the stage of growth beyond the pole stage when the rate of

heightgrowthbeginstoslowdownandcrownexpansionbecomesmarked.

Astheplantgrows,certainchangesoccurinitsmorphology.Theplantshedsits leaves

and produces new leaves every year. It produces flowers and seeds after a certain

age and sheds or disperses them on ripening. These changes are important

eventsinthelifeofplantandinordertoknowthesilvicultureofaparticularspecies,it is

necessary to study such changes in the members of that species. The science that

dealswiththestudyofthesechangesinplantsisknownasphenology;itisdefinedas

thesciencethatdealswiththetimeofappearanceofcharacteristicperiodiceventssuch
as leaf shedding, etc., in the life cycle of organisms in nature especially as those events

are influenced by environmental factors.

These events do not occur on the same date every year. The variation in time of

these periodic events every year can, in most cases, be correlated with changes in the

climatic factors but it also depends upon the species. For example, if the weather has

unusually warmed up a little before leaf fall or at the time of fruiting, leaf fall is hastened

and fruit ripening is quickened. But if that occurs before the normal time of leafing or

flowering, these events are delayed. Heavier rainfall in Albizziaproceraand sal, but they

appear to delay new leafing and flowering. Fruit ripening in Dalbergiasissooand

Mangiferaindicadoes not appear to be affected by the changes in climaticfactors.

Inadditiontothesemorphologicalchanges,someanatomicalchangesalsotake

place in the plants annually and these results in the growth. The growth in trees is

confined only in certain regions, called the growing points. These consist of

meristematic cells which have the capacity to divide and give rise to new cells.

Themeristematiccellsfoundintheapicesofshootandrootarecalledapicalmeristemsand

theyareresponsibleforthegrowthinheightofshootandlengthofroot.Besidesthese apical

meristems, the trees have primary lateral meristem in the form of cylindrical

sheathwhichisresponsiblefordiametergrowthofshootandrootandsecondarylateral

meristemresponsibleforthegrowthofbark.

Astheplantgrows,itsphysiologicalactivityincreasesandthisrequiresdivision of

labour; to achieve this, a growing plant develops various kinds of tissues which

perform diversefunctions.

The growth in plants is not uniform throughout the year. Generally, the periods

ofrapidgrowthareprecededandfollowedbyperiodsofslowgrowth,therebycreating
difference between the wood formed during the two periods. This results in the

formationofdistinctannualringsinsomespecies.Thenumberofannualringscounted

onstump,whenaddedwiththenumberofyearsthetreetooktogrowtostumpheight

givestheageofthetreeatthetimeoffelling.Thewidthoftheringsindicatestherate

ofgrowth,fastgrowthbeingindicatedbyringswiderthan5mm.Widthofgrowthrings

hasconsiderablyeffectonthestrengthpropertiesofwood.

A forester is interested in height and diameter growth of trees as both these

affectthevolumegrowth.Inaddition,heisinterestedinqualityoftimber.Therefore,

theyneedamoredetaileddescription.

Height Growth

Height growth in trees varies with age, species and in the same species with the

quality of site on which they grow. Thus the forester has very little control over the

height growth of trees. In terms of age, three distinct stages are usually distinguished,

viz., the juvenile or the seedling stage the sapling and pole stages of young ages, and

finally the tree stage past the middle age of the tree. During the juvenile stage, the

growth varies from very slow to fast according to species. For example, height growth

ofAbiespindrowseedlings is very slow. Even in nursery condition, they attain a height of

only about 30 cm in 4 years. Deodar seedlings grow slightly faster as they attain this

height in about 2½ years. Amongst the Western Himalayan conifers, kail seedlings are

faster grown. In the tropical zone sal seedlings are slow fastest grown. In the tropical

zone sal seedlings are slow grown and continue to die back for several years. Teak on

the other hand, is faster grown in juvenile stages. The rate of growth in juvenile stage

is a very important factor in the survival of the seedlings. After the juvenile stage, most

ofthetreesgrowfastandattainmaximumheightforthatspeciesandsitebythetime
they reach the middle age; after that the rate of growth falls again and a time comes

after which there is no height growth.

Diameter Growth

Diametergrowthoftreesisofgreatimportanceasitaffectsthevolumeofwood

produced. It has an added importance for the forester because while he can

notinfluencetheheightgrowthoftrees,hecaninfluenceitsdiametergrowthbysilvicultural

treatment.

The tree grows in diameter right from the juvenile stage of its life; but the

growth in diameter upto pole stage is rather slow as the tree concentrates mainly on

height growth upto this stage. It is only when the tree has reached the maximum

heightthatitstartsincreaseindiameterwithspeed.Thiscontinuestillthetreereaches

maturity,whentherateofdiametergrowthalsostartsfalling.

The diameter growth in trees is affected by a variety of factors such as:

i) Size of thetree–Thesmallerthetree,thelesserthediameterincrement.

ii) Climate–Thetreesonthewarmersitesputonfasterdiameterincrement than

those of the same species on colder sites. Rainfall also affects the diameter growth.

A warmer season results in higher diameter increment only when there is

adequatemoisture.

iii) Soil – The diameter growth is influenced by soil quality, soil moisture and

nutrientcontent.

iv) Production of seed – The growth in diameter is retarded in years of heavy

seedproductionbecausetheentirefoodmaterialisusedupinseedproduction.

v) Injuries – Defoliation by insects, insect attacks and fires have an adverse

effect on diametergrowth.
 vi) Density – In dense forests, the growth in diameter of individual trees is

retarded.Assoonasthecropisopenedup,thediametergrowthbecomesfaster.

As already mentioned, the growth in diameter of the tree is not uniform

throughout its height; it is maximum near the base and least at the tip. In the crown

portion,thediametergrowthismaximumatitsbaseanddecreasesrapidlytowardsthe

tiptogiveitaconicalshape.Inthestemportion,thedecreasefromthebasetothetop is very

gradual with the result that the diameter at the top of the stem is generally

abouthalfthediameteratthebase.

Thetaperofthetreeischaracteristicofeachspeciesandinthesomespeciesit varies

with age, density of the stand and site. It is described by the term form. The

typicalformofatreecanbeseenintheopenonthebestqualitysites.Agehasagreat

effectonform;thetaperisgreatestinyoungageandreducesgraduallytowardstheold age

or maturity. The denser the stand, the greater the tree bole approaches the

cylindricalform.

Growth in Volume

The growth in volume is a function of height, diameter and the form of the tree.

Therefore, greater the height and diameter and lesser the taper, the greater the volume

of the tree.

Growth of Trees in Quality

The object of silviculture is not served just by producing trees of large

dimensions; if the timber contained in them is not of good quality, it would not only

resultinlessermerchantabletimberbutalsolessereconomicreturn.Therefore,theaim

ofsilvicultureregardingproducingtreescontaininglargevolumeoftimberismodifiedto
produce large quantity of timber of high quality. Thus the growth of tree in quality is as

great a concern of the forester as the production of larger volume.

The quality of timber in trees depends upon size, straightness, taper, knots,

other defects and strength. The larger the size of timber, the lesser the wastage and

greaterthevolume.Ifthetreeisstraightandnotcrooked,longersizedtimbercanbe

producedwithminimumofwastage.Thequalityofstraightnessshouldnotbeconfined

tothebolebutalsotofibresinside,becauseifthefibresaretwisted,thetimberwould be

useless. Taper also affects the quality of timber as it increases wastage. Knots

seriously affect the quality of timber. The greater the number of knots, the lowerthe

qualityoftimber.Iftheknotsareloose,theyusuallycomeoutondryingleavingahole

inthewood.Similarly,insectandfungusattacksreducethequalityoftimber.Firealso affects

the quality of timber. Strength of timber depends upon the rate as well asthe

uniformity of growth. Very fast rate of growth impairs the strength of timber and

reduces the quality. If the rate of growth is sometimes fast and sometimes slow, the

timber will not be of uniform quality. The more uniform the growth, the better the

quality.

Reproduction

After attaining maturity or old age, tree dies. Therefore, in order to maintain

continuityofitsownspeciesandalsotomultiplyitsnumbers,ithastoreproduceitself.

Thusreproductionisthatvitalprocessbywhichtreespeciesperpetuatethemselvesby

reproducing new independent members of their own species by some method.

Reproductioninnaturecanbesexualorasexualorvegetativebutintrees,onlysexual

andvegetativereproductiontakesplace.
Sexual Reproduction

Sexual reproduction consists in the fusion of two dissimilar sexual units called

gametes. In trees, this is achieved by the production of flowers, their pollination,and

finallybyfertilizationresultingindevelopmentofseeds.

Flowering

All trees produce flowers. The age at which the trees start flowering varies with

species and their situation. Generally trees produce flowers when the height growth has

nearly been completed but there are exceptions also. For example, sissu usually starts

flowering at the age of 3 or 4 years and teak occasionally flowers at the age of one or

two years. Situation also affects the age of flowering; many trees in open flower at a

much earlier age than they do in dense forest.

Flowering of trees is affected by internal and external factors. The internal

factors relate to certain conditions in the tree itself, e.g., the development of special

hormones or florigins and the presence of high concentration of carbohydrates. The

external factors relate to environmental factors, the most important of which are

temperature and light. Favourable temperature and light conditions accelerate

photosynthesisandincreasecarbohydrateproduction,resultinginincreasedflowering.

Observationsmadeonteakindicatethatfloweringisinhibitedontheshadedportionof

thecrown.

In case of trees raised by vegetative methods, flowering is reported to be

stimulatedbypruningtheroots,plantingatanangleof45oorso,strangulationbywire or

metal hand and training of branches in horizontal position. As a general rule,

however, it may be said that treatment which inhibits growth and prevents or even

obstructs the translocation of food material downward promotes early flowering.But

sometimes, produce large quantity of flowers and seeds as a last effort to perpetuate

their species.

Time of Flowering

Though most of the trees flower every year, some flower at an interval of years.

The time of flowering varies with species and climatic conditions. The time of flowering

ofsomeoftheimportantspeciesmentionedbelowisgiveninbracketsafterthem:

Acacia catechu (June to September), Ailanthus excelsa(February to March),

Azadirachtaindica(March to May), Bombaxceiba(January to March),

Dalbergiasissoo(March, April), Shorearobusta(February to April), Tectonagrandis(June to

August or September), Quercusdilatata(April, May).

Trees have mostly bisexual flowers but many species have unisexual flowers

also. Trees with unisexual flowers may be monoecious, i.e., the male and female

flowers may be found on the same individual, or dioecious, i.e., the male and female

flowersmaybeondifferentindividuals.Somespeciesarealsopolygamous,i.e.,they

havebothunisexualandbisexualflowers.

Examples

Monoecious – Pinus, Abiespindrow

Dioecious – Salix, Mallotus, Taxus, Diospyros, Cedrusdeodara, Pistacia

Polygamous – Sterculia, Garuga, Rhus

Pollination

Pollination of flowers of trees may take place by wind, insects and birds. The

following are some examples of the different methods of pollination:

By birds (Zoophily) – Bombax, Butea, Erythrina, Anthocephalus, Oroxylum(the

last two are pollinated by bats).

By insects (Entomophily) – Sal, Teak, Sissoo

Flowering of Bamboo

Flowering of bamboos varies from species to species. While some species of

bamboo flower after long periods with no flowering in between, others flower so

irregularlythatsomeflowerscanbefoundpracticallyeveryyear.Theperiodicflowering

occurs on practically all the clumps of the species over a considerable area. Thus,

floweringinbambooisofthefollowingtwokinds:

i) Gregarious flowering – It is the general flowering, within one or a few

years, and over considerableareas, of all or most of the individuals of certain species

thatdonotflowerannually;insomecasesfollowedbythedeathoftheplant.

ii) Sporadic flowering – It is the flowering of one or a few culms in a clump or

a few clumps in alocality.

In addition to the above two kinds of flowering, annual flowering is also met with

in certain species of bamboos, e.g., Arundinariawightiana, Bambusalineata,

Ochlandrastridula, etc. It is not followed by the death of bamboo.

Interval between Pollination of Flowers and Ripening of Seed

The interval between pollination of flowers and ripening of seed varies from

species to species even in the absence of any adverse factors. The following table

shows range of interval in a few species:

1. Ailanthus excelsa 2

2. Tectonagrandis 3

3. Acacia catechu 4-5

4. Dalbergiasissoo 6-7

5. Cedrusdeodara 12-13

6. Pinusroxburghii 24-26

SEED

After fertilization, the ovary grows and develops into a fruit, while its ovules,

afteraseriesofchanges,developintoseeds.Thustheseedsareenclosedinthefruit.

Theplantsinwhichtheseedsareenclosedinthefruit,belongtoasub-divisioncalled

angiosperms.Incertainotherplants,however,theseedsarenotenclosedinthefruit

butaredirectlyborneontheopencarpel.Theplantswhichhavesuchnaked(i.e.,not

enclosed in fruit) seeds belong to a subdivision known as gymnosperms. In the

angiosperms,thefruitasawhole,mayfalltothegroundonripeningbutgenerallythe fruits

open up and only the seeds fall to the ground where they may germinate and

produce theplants.

Vegetative Reproduction

In sexual reproduction, the creation of a new and independent plant is achieved

by sowing the seed in the soil. In vegetative production, on the other hand, a new plant

is created by some vegetative part of the plant e.g., a portion of the root or shoot (stem

or branch), or a combination of both, a bud or even injured roots. Sometimes, however,

methodsofvegetativereproductionbutinforestryonlycoppice,rootsucker,cuttings

(branch,stemorrootshoot)andgraftingareused.

THEFOREST

Definition

Forest is defined as an area set aside for the production of

timberandotherforestproduce,ormaintainedunderwoodyvegetationforcertainindirectb

enefitswhichit provides, e.g., climatic or protective. This is the general definition of

theterm andlays emphasis on the direct and indirect benefits that the

forestsprovide.

Butin

ecology, it is defined as a plant community predominantly of trees

andotherwoodyvegetation,usuallywithaclosedcanopy.Thisdefinitiondescribestheforest

asakindof vegetation in which trees constitute the predominant part, to

distinguishitfromvegetationinwhichgrassesorshrubsmaybepredominant,andarefairlyde

nsesothattheircrownstoucheachother.Inlegalterminology,forestisdefinedasanareaofla

ndproclaimedtobeforestunderaforestlaw.Thisdefinitiondescribestheforestnotasabiolog

icalunitbutaspropertyhavingaownerandwithrightsorcertainpeople.Thisdefinitionisusefu

lonlyinlawcourts,wherecasespertainingtooffencescommittedaretried.Fromthepointofvi

ewofsilviculture,thefirsttwodefinitionsaremoreimportant.

The term forest has generally been used so far in India to denote crops raised by

the practice of silviculture. But in recent years, an American term ‘stand’ is also used.

American foresters differentiate between ‘stand’ and ‘forest’. According to them, stand

is defined as an aggregation of trees occupying a specific area sufficiently uniform in

composition (species), age arrangement and condition to be distinguishable from the

forest on adjoining areas. Thus the unit of silviculture is a stand. Forest, on theother
hand, is a collection of stands administered as an integrated unit to obtain the objective

of sustained yield.

Classification of Forests

Forests can be classified on the basis of

i) Method ofregeneration

ii) Age

iii) Composition

iv) Objects ofmanagement

v) Ownership and legal statusand

vi) Growingstock

i) Classification based on method of regeneration – Forests can be

regenerated either from seed or from vegetative parts; those which are regenerated

fromseedarecalledhighforestsandthoseregeneratedbysomevegetativemethodare

called coppiceforests.

ii) Classificationbasedonage–Eveninplantationraisedinaparticularyear,

allthetreesarenotofthesameyearbecausecasualitiesarereplacedinthesecondand

thirdyears.Thusforestshavingalltreesofthesameage,areusuallynotfound.

Thereforeforestsareclassifiedonthebasisofageintoeven-agedorregularforestand

uneven-aged orirregularforest. Even-aged or regular forest is defined as a forest

composed of even-aged woods. The term even-aged used in this definition isappliedto

a stand consisting of trees of approximately the same age. Differences upto 25% ofthe

rotationagemaybeallowedincaseswhereastandisnotharvestedfor100yearsor more.

Uneven-aged or irregular forest is defined as a forest composed of trees of

markedlydifferentages.Thetermuneven-agedisappliedtocropsinwhichindividual
stemsvarywidelyinage,therangeofdifferencebeingusuallymorethan20yearsand, in the

case of long rotation crops, more than 25% of the rotation. Such a forest is

calledselectionforestwhenallornearlyallagegradationsorageclassesarepresent.

iii) Classification based on composition – A forest may have only one

speciesormorethanonespecies.Onthebasisofthenumberofspeciespresent,the

forestisclassifiedintopureormixedforest.Pureforestisdefinedasaforestcomposed

ofalmostentirelyofonespecies,usuallytotheextentofnotlessthan80%.Itisalso

calledpurecroporpurestand.Mixedforest,ontheotherhand,isdefinedasaforest

composedoftreesoftwoormorespeciesintermingledinthesamecanopy;inpractice, and

by convention, atleast 20% of the canopy must consist of species other thanthe

principal one. The species composing the mixture may be distinguished as principal,

accessoryandauxillary.Principalspeciesisdefinedasthespeciesfirstinimportancein

amixedstandeitherbyfrequency,volumeorsilviculturalvalueorthespeciestowhich

thesilvicultureofamixedforestisprimarilydirected.Accessoryspeciesisdefinedasa

usefulspeciesoflessvaluethantheprincipalspecies,whichassistsinthegrowthofthe latter

and influence to a smaller degree the method of treatment. Auxillary species is

defined as a species of inferior quality or size, of relatively little silvicultural valueor

importance, associated with the principal species. It is also referred to as secondary

speciesorsubsidiaryspecies.

iv) Classification based on objects of management – On the basis of

objectsofmanagement,forestsareclassifiedintoproductionforest,protectionforest, farm

forest, fuel forest, recreation forest, etc. Production forest is a forest managed

primarilyforitsproduce.Itisalsosometimesreferredtoasnationalforest,i.e.,aforest

whichismaintainedandmanagedtomeettheneedsofthedefence,communications,
industry,andothergeneralpurposesofpublicimportance.Protectionforestisdefined

asanareawhollyorpartlycoveredwithwoodygrowth,managedprimarilytoregulate stream

flow, prevent erosion, hold shifting sand or to exert any other beneficial influence.

Farm forest is a forest raised on farms and its adjoining area either as individual

scattered trees or a collection of trees to meet the requirement of fuel and

fodderofthefarmersandtohaveabeneficialinfluenceonagriculture.Fuelforestisa

forestraisedonvillagewastelandtosupplyfuel,smalltimber,fodder,etc.,tothevillage

communities living far away from government forest. Recreational forest is a forest

whichismanagedonlytomeettherecreationalneedsoftheurbanandruralpopulation.

v) Classification based on ownership and legal status – On the basisof

ownership, forests are classified into state forest, communal forest and panchayat

forest.Stateforestisaforestownedbystate.Communalforestisaforestownedand

generally managed by a community such as a village, town, tribal authority or local

government,themembersofwhichshareintheproduceorproceeds.Panchayatforest

isanyforestwheremanagementisvestedinavillagepanchayat(i.e.,abodyofmen elected

by the villagers from among themselves for specific administrative or other

purposespertainingtothevillage).

Thestateforestsarefurtherclassifiedintoreservedforest,protectedforestand

village forest on the basis of their legal status. A reserved forest is an area so

constituted under the Indian Forest Act or other forest law. A protected forest is an

area subject to limited degree of protection under the provisions of Chapter IV ofthe

Indian Forest Act. A village forest is a state forest assigned to a village community

undertheprovisionsoftheIndianForestAct.
 vi) Classificationonthebasisofgrowingstock–Onthebasisofgrowing stock,

the forests are classified into normal and abnormal forest. Normal forest is

definedasaforestwhichforagivensiteandgivenobjectsofmanagement,isideally

constituted as regards growing stock, age class distribution and increment and from

which the annual or periodic removal of produce equal to the increment can be

continuedindefinitelywithoutendangeringfutureyields.Suchaforestbyreasonofits

normalcy in these respects serves as a standard of comparison, for sustained yield

management. Abnormal forest is a forest in which, as compared to an acceptable

standard, the quantity of material in the growing stock is in deficit or in excess or in

whichtherelativeproportionsoftheageorsizeclassesaredefective.

From the point of view of silviculture, only the first three bases of classification

are important.

Growth of Forest

A forest starts its life as an aggregation of seedlings. In the beginning, the

number of seedlings over a unit of area is very large but as the forest grows, the

number of plants keeps on diminishing. Thus, the most important characteristics of

growthofforestisthegradualreductionwithageandsize,ofthenumberofplantsper

unitarea.Thegrowthofoneforestdiffersfromthatoftheotherduetospecies,age,

qualityofsiteandbioticfactor,etc.

Growth in Even-Aged Forests

Even-aged forest start their life as aggregation of seedlings of nearly the same

age as a result of natural or artificial regeneration. While in the seedling crop resulting

from natural regeneration, the seedlings are scattered all over the area without any
regular spacing, the seedlings of artificially raised crops are generally in lines or rows.

In the beginning, the seedlings have ample growing space and in case of conifers, the

crowns extend right upto the ground. Before long, due to increase in size, the crowns

touch each other. This results in a social struggle or competition for growingspace.

Crowndifferentiation–Asaresultofcompetitionforlightandmoisture,the

inherently stronger trees grow rapidly and their crowns form the uppermost canopy.

The less vigorous remain in the intermediate position while the weakest occupy the

lowest position. As the trees grow further, competition becomes more intense and

crowndifferentiationbecomesmoreprominent.Duetodifferenceinvigouroftrees,all the

trees in the upper canopy do not attain the same height and thus some treesare

foundtobeaheadoftheothers.Thuseventhetopcanopyconsistsofcrownsreaching the

highest level and those slightly below them. The trees in the middle positionmay

continuetobethereorgetrelegatedtothelowestclassduetobeingovertoppedbythe

neighbours. Some of the trees, in the lowest position may die for want of light and

food.Thusthefollowingcrownclassesaregenerallymetwithinaneven-agedforest.

i) Dominanttrees–Alltreeswhichformtheuppermostleafcanopyandhave their

leading shoots free. These may be subdivided according to the position and

relativefreedomoftheircrownsintopredominants,i.e.,thetallesttreesdeterminingthe

generaltoplevelofthecanopyandthecodominants,i.e.,theslightlyshorterdominants

ortobemoreprecise,5/6ofthepredominants.

ii) Dominated – Trees which do not form part of the upper most leaf canopy

but the leading shoots of which are not definitely overtopped by the neighbouring trees.

Theirheightisabout¾ofthetallesttrees.
 iii) Suppressed – Trees which reach only about ½ to 5/8 of the height of

predominants,withtheirleadingshootsdefinitelyover-toppedbytheirneighboursorat

leastshadedonallsidesbythem.

Crowndevelopment–Inadditiontodevelopingcrownclassesasaresultof

varyingheightsoftrees,thesocialstrugglealsoaffectstheshapeandsizeofcrownof

individualtrees.Intheearlierstagescrownsofseedlingscoveragreaterpartoftheir stem

and in conifers, they start from the ground level. As the seedlings grow, their

crownstoucheachotherandtheportionbelowthepointofcontactgraduallydiesfor want of

light. In other words, gradually the length of crown is reduced and it is

confinedtotheupperportionofthetree,makingthegreaterportionoftheboleclearof

branches. The competition also affects width of the crowns. While the crowns of the

vigorous individuals are large, those of the dominated and suppressed trees are

relativelysmallerandconstricted.Asthelengthandwidthofcrownsofindividualtrees are

affected, their crown development is affected. The shape and size of the crown

givesagoodindicationaboutthegrowthofthetrees,inthepastandpresentaswellas the

possibilities of thefuture.

Reductionofnumberoftreeswithage–Theincreasingspacerequiredby

thetreesastheygrowinagecanonlybeobtainedbyreductioninnumberoftreesin the forest

per unit area. Thus in nature, as the forest grows, there is a gradual

reductioninnumberoftreessothattherestofthetreesmayhaveenoughspaceinside

andoutsidethegroundfortheiroptimumandhealthygrowth.Asnaturalreductionin

numberaffectsthegrowthofthesurvivorsinthesocialstruggle,theforestersreduce the

number of trees as the forest grows in age so that the growth of the crop is not

adverselyaffectedbyexcessivecompetitionforfoodandlight.
 Cropheightandtopheight–Withtheincreaseinheightofindividualtrees

withage,theheightoftheforestalsoincreases.Theterms,cropheightandtopheight, are

used to describe it. Crop height is the average height of a regular crop as

determinedbyLorey’sformula.Thecropheightisnotofgreatsignificanceasitvaries

forthesameageandsitequalitywiththeintensityofthinning.

Topheight,ontheotherhand,istheaverageheightofthedominanttreesina stand.

As used in sample plot work and yield tables in India, it refers to the height

corresponding to the mean diameter (calculated from basal area) of the 250 biggest

diametersperhectareasreadfromheight/diametercurve.Thetopheightatitvaries

withageisgenerallythebasisfordeterminingthesitequalityofanyarea.

Crop diameter – With the increase in diameter of the individual trees

constituting a forest crop, the diameter of the crop also increases. The diameter of the

forest crop is described by the term, crop diameter which is defined as the diameter

corresponding to the mean basal area of a uniform, generally pure crop.

Cropvolume–Thesumofthevolumesoftheindividualtreesformingaforest

cropisthevolumeofthatcrop.Yieldtablesforvariousspeciesgivendataforvolume per acre

of a fully-stocked, regularly thinned, even-aged crops at different ages for different

site qualities. The crop volume is given for the main crop (i.e., the cropleft

afterthinning),finalyield(i.e.,themaincropandthevolumeofthinningatthatage) and the

total yield (i.e., the final yield plus the accumulated yield of thinning at the

previousage).

Crop density – The volume per unit area of a forest has to be compared with

the volume given in the yield table for that site quality and age to determine whether

the volume in the forest question, is equal to, more or less than the volume given inthe
yield table. This is described by the term crop density which is defined as the relative

completeness of the stocking expressed as a decimal coefficient, taking normal number

of trees, basal area or volume as unity. The terms over-stocked, full or complete, and

incomplete are used to describe crop density, according as it exceeds, equals or is less

than 1.0.

FACTORS OF LOCALITY

Definition

Evenacausalobservationrevealsthattheforestsoccurringinvariouslocalities

differfromeachotherincompositionanddensity.TheforestsfoundintheHimalayan

regionarenotsimilartothosefoundinSouthIndia.Evenintheformer,differenttypes

offorestsarefoundindifferentplaces.Thedifferenceisnotconfinedtospeciesofthe

dominanttrees,theirsize,andtheirmixturewithotherspeciesbutitisalsofoundinthe

compositionofthemiddlestorey,undergrowthandgroundflora.This,isduetothefact

thatthetreesandothervegetationconstitutingaforest,arealivingentity.Theygrow in the

soil and derive food from it. Local temperature and wind affect their growth. Rain

water provides them with moisture and, therefore, its quantity affects their

luxuriance. All living beings, i.e., man, animals, birds, insects, etc., living in oraround

the forest, have greater influence on its development. Thus, from the time of

germinationtothetimeoffellingordeath,thetreesandothervegetationformingthe

forest,areinfluencedbytheclimate,soil,topographyandlivingbeingsofthatplace.In other

words, the type of forest occurring naturally in a place is not an accidental

aggregationofvariousplantsoutistheresultofthecomplexinfluenceoftheclimatic,

edaphic,topographicandbioticfactorsofthelocality.Thusthefactorsoflocalitymay
be defined as the effective climatic, edaphic, topographic and biotic conditions of a site,

which influence the vegetation of the locality.

These factors are also referred to as environment which is defined as all the

bioticandabioticfactorsofasite.Asenvironmentofforestisalsoreferredtoassiteby

forestersorhabitatbyecologists,thefactorsoflocalityarealsosometimes,referredto as

site or habitatfactors.

Classification

Factors of locality are classified into following four broad categories:

1) Climatic factors, 2) Topographic factors, 3) Edaphic factors and 4) Biotic

factors

CLIMATIC FACTORS

The seeds require moisture, temperature, and air definitely and light to some

extentforgermination.Theseelements,whichformpartofclimateofaplace,arealso

required by plants for their growth. Thus climate exerts a great influence on the

vegetation of a locality. In our large country, just as there is a great diversity in

languages,customs,dresses,similarlythereisagreatdiversityinclimateaswell.This

isreflectedinthelargenumberofspeciesandmultiplicityofforesttypesfoundinour

country.OurforestsrangefromthedrythornscrubofRajasthaninthewesttothewet

evergreen forests of Assam and Meghalaya in the east, and from the tropical dry

deciduousforestsofthesouthtothealpineforestsandscrubofHimalayasinthenorth.

Climateisdefinedastheaverageweatherconditionsprevalentinanylocality.

Though it is dependent on various meteorological and weather conditions, the most

importantaresolarradiationwhichgiveslightandheatboth,moistureandwind.
Therefore, climatic factors are defined as light, atmospheric temperature, pressure, and

humidity, wind and other features of climate – regional, local and seasonal – that

influence vegetation. Thus the climatic factors may be classified as under:

1) Solar radiation – a) Light, b) Heat and Temperature, 2) Moisture and 3) Wind

SOLAR RADIATION

The energy which is responsible for the growth of vegetation and all life

depending on it, on this earth comes directly or indirectly from the sun. Thus, the

natureandamountofsolarradiationreceivedonthesurfaceoftheearthisafactorof great

importance. The energy radiated by sun reaches the earth in the form of

electromagnetic waves of varying length, ranging nearly from 290 m to 5300 m

(millimicrons)buttheportionoftheradiantenergybywhichobjectsaremadevisible due to

stimulation of the retina of the eye and therefore, in common parlance, called

light,rangesinwavelengthfrom400mto720m.Energycomposedofwavelengths

shorterthan400misknownasultravioletandthatlongerthan720misknownas infrared.

The total energy received from the sun may be classified on percentage basis as

under:

Ultraviolet - about 1%

Visiblespectrum - about 39%

Infrared - about60%

The maximum energy of solar radiation occurs in the green and yellow regions of

the visible spectrum (400 mto 720 m). Since the heat produced by the radiation is

independent, in its effect, of the wavelength, the intensity of the radiation is generally

measured by the heat generated by it.

Theatmospheresurroundingtheearthpartlyreflectsitbackandpartlyabsorbsitalso.

Similarlytheclouds,othersolidparticlesintheatmosphere,andthevegetationabsorb

aswellasreflectbackpartofit.Evenonreachingtheearthpartofitisabsorbedwhile some

part of it is reflected back. It has been estimated that 42% of the incoming radiation

is reflected, and this is known as albedo. The solar radiation reaching the

earthisfurtheraffectedbylatitude,altitude,seasonoftheyearandtimeoftheday.As

latitudeincreases,theintensityofsolarradiationdecreases.Withincreaseinaltitude,

theturbidlayeroftheatmosphere,throughwhichtheradiationhastopass,decreases and,

therefore, the radiationincreases.

The most important effect of solar radiation is that it provides both light and heat

(temperature); as both are very important, they are being described separately.

LIGHT

Importance of Light

Light is a very important factor of locality because of its following effects on

plants and othervegetation:

1. Chlorophyllformation–Lightisoneoftheimportantandessentialfactors

responsible for chlorophyll formation in plants. Though lower plants, such as, algae,

mossesandfernsandsomeconiferousseedlingscandevelopitevenindarkness,yet the

quantity of chlorophyll so formed is less than that formed in light. In the

angiosperms, however, light is essential. Light of any wavelength or low intensity is

sufficient to form chlorophyll. Without light, plants become pale yellow and

havelongthininternodes,aconditionknownasetiolation.Chlorophylldecomposesinbright
sunlight, thus formation and decomposition both go on simultaneously when the plant is

exposed to light.

2. Functioning of stomata – Light is an important factor influencing the daily

openingandclosingofstomatawhich,inturn,affectsrespirationandphotosynthesis.

3. Photosynthesis – Light is the most important factor of locality for

photosynthesis as it can not take place in darkness. Out of the seven colours in the

visiblepartofthespectrum,onlyredandblueareeffectiveinphotosynthesis.

Thelightactuallyusedinphotosynthesisisasmallfractionofthetotallightthat

fallsonaleaf.Therearetwomainfactorsresponsibleforit.Thethicknessoftheleaf

anditschlorophyllcontentallowonlyaportionofthelighttobeabsorbed.Therestis either

reflected back or transmitted through it. Most of the light energy absorbed is used

up in raising the temperature of the leaf and is lost as heat or consumed in

transpiration.Ithasbeenestimatedthatlightusedinphotosynthesisislessthan2%of the

light energy incident on well-illuminated leaves. As the light actually requiredfor

photosynthesis is so low, there is usually sufficient light even in dense forest for this

importantphysiologicalactivity.Inverydenseforests,however,lightintensitymaybe so

low that the photosynthetic gains may not be able to balance the loss due to

respiration.

4. Growth – Light influences the growth of plants and trees through its effect

on photosynthesis. The influence of light varies with its quality, duration andintensity.

Quality of light refers to the wavelength of the light spectrum or, in other words,

refers to colors. Plants grown in blue light are small but otherwise show normal growth.

Red light, on the other hand, results in elongation of cells, giving the appearance of

etiolated plants. Violet and ultra violet light bring about dwarfing effect. For example,
preponderance of ultra-violet radiation combined with slow absorption of water due to

low temperature and desiccating winds is responsible for limiting the heights of plants in

alpine region.

Durationoflightorthelengthofexposuretodaylightalsoaffectsthegrowthof

plants.Thedurationoflightor,morecorrectly,therelativelengthofdayandnightto which

the plant is exposed is called photoperiod and the response of the plants to

photoperiodiscalledphotoperiodismwhichisdefinedasreponseintheontogenyofan

organism to relative duration of day and night. Photoperiod varies with altitude and

latidue. In higher latitudes, where seasonal differences are marked, photoperiod is

particularly important. It affects the growth, breaking of dormancy, germination, leaf

fall and flowering. In many species, the duration of growth is related to the length of

the day; quite a few species can be grown continuously throughout the year in

artificially created conditions of long days. Dormancy of trees can be broken by

lengthening the day artificially under favourable temperature conditions. Photo

periodismvarieswithspecies,e.g.,shortdaysmaycausedormancyinPopulusbutnot

inJuniperus.

5. Formandqualityoftrees–Theelongationofthegrowingaxesoftreesin

theforestoccursmainlybetweensunsetandsunrisebecausethelowintensitiesoflight and

infrared radiation tend to stimulate height growth. Height growth is retarded in

intense light conditions. Trees growing in shade are usually taller than those of the

sameagegrowinginopenprovidedotherfactorsofgrowtharenotrestricted.

Even the form of trees growing in shade is very dissimilar to that of trees

growing in the open. Deficiency of light due to shading effect of upper branches is

responsibleforthedeathoflowerbranchesonthestemoftreesgrowingincongested
crops,resultingintheirhavinglongclearboles.Thecontinuedrestrictionofthecrown in the

upper part of the tree results in formation of much more cylindrical stem than

wouldotherwisebeformed.Thusregulationoflightgivesforesterapowerfulweapon

toregulatetheformoftreesandqualityoftimberproducedintheforest.

6. Speciesstratificationandsizeandstructureofleaves –Theintensity of

light in the forest varies from place to place and from time to time between wide

limits. While the top canopy has full light, the canopies lower down receive onlythat

much light which escapes the top canopy. Thus the light reaching the forest floor is

considerablyless.Italsodependsuponthelocalityandthedensityofcrop.Thisresults

inthestratificationofspeciesindifferentcanopiesaccordingtotherequirementoflight. In

natural undisturbed conditions, the vegetation itself gives an indication of light

conditions in the forest. For example, Ardesiasolanaceais indicative of damp shady

places in salforest.

TEMPERATURE

Factors Affecting Temperature

As already mentioned, the source of all heat is solar radiation. While the energy

received is constant, the temperature of various places on the earth is different because

it is affected by the following factors:

i) Latitude – Latitude is defined as the distance of a place, north or south of

equator,measuredasananglewhoseapexisatthecenteroftheearth.Therayofthe

sunstriketheearthverticallyattheequatorandthereforethetemperatureishighestat

equator. As we move to the north or south from the equator, the temperature

decreasesbecausethesun’sraysbecomeoblique.Thusasthelatitudeincreases,the

temperaturedecreases.IntheIndogangeticplain,thenormalfallinthemean
temperatureisestimatedtoberoughly0.55oCforincreaseofeachdegreeinlatitude. The

effect of latitude on temperature is, however, modified by other factors, e.g.,

altitude,distancefromthesea,wind,etc.

ii) Altitude – The altitude of place also affects the temperature. It has been

observed that there is a fall of 1oC in mean temperature in the hills for every 270 m rise

in altitude upto about 1500 m, after which the fall is more rapid. The marked difference

in the mean temperatures of Nainital and Muzaffarnagar in U.P. and Simla (H.P.) and

Jullundur (Punjab) situated on the same latitudes, is only due to their varyingaltitudes.

iii) Distancefromthesea–Seahasamoderatingeffectontemperature;the

farther a place is from the sea, the greater are the diurnal and seasonal ranges of

temperatures.

iv) Winds – The winds affect the temperature, and if they are from the sea

side,theireffectisstillmoremarked.Inourcountry,southwestmonsoonbringsrain

andreducesthetemperaturetoagreatextent.

v) Mountains – The direction of the mountain ranges affects temperature

throughitseffectonwindsandrainfall.Asthewindwardslopesbearthebruntofthe

windsandrainfallfrommonsoonicwinds,theyhavelowertemperaturethanthatonthe

leeward side. The slopes of the mountain on which sun’s rays strike vertically are

warmer than those on which they strike obliquely. That is why southern slopes of

mountainsinnorthernhemispherearehotterthanthenorthernslopes.

vi) Cloudiness – As clouds screen off the sun, their presence of affects

temperature.

vii) Presence or absence of forest vegetation – The rays of the sun strike

baresitesdirectly;suchplaceare,therefore,hotterthantheplacescoveredwithforest
vegetation. The crowns of trees obstruct the rays of the sun before they can reach the

ground and thus reduce the temperature of the place.

Importance of Temperature

Thesolarradiationwarmsuptheatmosphereandthesoil,therebyraisingtheir

temperatures. The temperature of the atmosphere affects the activities of shoots of

plants while soil temperature influences those of their roots. Through its effect on

plants,temperaturehasaprofoundinfluenceonforestvegetation.

Air temperature – Air temperature influences the plants in the following ways:

i) Thesolarradiationdirectlyaswellasthroughitsinfluenceonairtemperature,

providesheattotheplantbodyandhelpsinsatisfactoryinitiationandcontinuationof

variousphysiologicalactivities,e.g.,transpiration,photosynthesisandrespiration.High

temperature increases transpiration while low temperature decreases it. Though

photosynthesistakesplaceunderawiderangeoftemperaturesvaryingwithspeciesand

locality, increases in temperature upto 25 oC increases photosynthesis, after which it

deceases sharply. The rate of respiration increases as temperature rises from 0 oC to

40oC but it decreases in temperature lower than 0 oC and higher than 40oC. Thus

temperatureexertsagreaterinfluenceonthevitalphysiologicalactivitiesoftrees.

ii) Air temperature increases microbiological activity on soil surface resulting in

decompositionoforganicmatterandreleaseofnutrientstobeavailabletotrees.

iii) Air temperature affects activities of enzymes, which are practically stopped at

temperatures above 50oC or below1oC.

iv) Airtemperatureincreasescambialactivityintheshootportion.

v) Through its effect on the vital physiological activities and cambial activity, air

temperatureaffectsgrowthoftrees.
 vi) Temperatureisessentialforgerminationofseeds.

Soil temperature – Soil temperature influences trees in the following ways:

i) Soiltemperaturehasaprofoundinfluenceonabsorptionofsoilmoisturewhich

increases markedly with the rise in temperature upto a certain limit. When soil

temperaturerisesabove35oC,thereisadecreaseinabsorptionasthepermeabilityof plasma

membrane is adversely affected. On the other hand, if there is a fall in soil

temperature below 27oC, water absorption is greatly reduced till at 0 oC it becomes

insignificant.Coldsoilsare,therefore,physiologicallydry.

ii) Soil temperature also affects cambial activity, particularly in temperate

climate.Cambialactivityintreesstartsearlierinwarmersoilsthanincoldersoils.Thus

growthstartsearlierinwarmersoilsthanincoldersoils.

In short, increase in temperature creates conditions in which trees and other

vegetation grow well. This means higher temperature is indicate of multiplicity of

vegetation while low temperature that of limited vegetation.

FROST

Frost means chilling of air below the freezing point. Depending on the mode of

occurrence, it is classifiedinto:

i) Radiationfrost

ii) Pool frostand

iii) Advectivefrost

i) Radiation frost is defined as the frost occurring on nights with a clear sky,

producedbylossofheatbyradiation.Itisdefinedasfreezingconfinedtogroundlevel,

icecrystalsformingonthesurfaceobjects,soilorgroundvegetation.
 ii) Poolfrostisdefinedastheaccumulationtoaconsiderabledepthofheavycold air

flowing down into natural depressions from adjoining areas. This has more

deleterious effect on vegetation than ground frost as the freezing effect extends toa

considerableheight.

iii) Advective frost is defined as a frost produced by cold air brought from

elsewhere.Frostpocket,frostholeorfrostlocalitywhichisdefinedasanareainwhich frosts

are more frequent and more intense than in the district generally. Frost free

seasonwhichisdefinedastheperiodbetweenthelastinjuriousfrostinspringandthe

firstinjuriousfrostintheautumn.

Frost Injuries

The injuries inflicted by frost may be of the following kinds:

i) Killingofyoungplantsortheirparts

ii) Deathofplantsduetodamagetocells

iii) Injuriestothecrownsofpolesandsaplings

iv) Frostcracks

v) Formation ofcanker

Frost Hardy and Frost Tender Species

Thespecieswhichpossespowertowithstandfrostwithoutbeingdamagedare called

frost hardy. Frost hardiness varies from species to species and in the same

specieswithage,becausesomespeciesareaffectedbyfrostinearlierstagesbutcan

withstanditlater.Thespecieswhicharekilledbackbyfrostarecalledfrosttender.A

listofsomefrosthardyandfrosttenderspeciesisgivenbelow:

Frost hardy – Acacia catechu, Hardwickiabinata, Madhucaindica, Toonaciliata,

Pinusroxburghii.
 Moderately frost-hardy – Adina cordiforlia, Bombaxceiba, Dalbergialatifolia,

Gmelinaarborea

Frost tender – Acacia arabica, Azadirachtaindica, Tectonagrandis,Terminalia

arjuna

Factors Affecting Frost Resistance

Frost resistance in trees depends on internal (i.e., those relating to the cells in

plant body) and external (i.e., those relating to environment) factors described below:

A) InternalFactors

i) Size of cell – Plants with smaller cells are usually more frost hardy than those

with largercells.

ii) Water content – The greater the amount of water, the greater the danger of

inter-cellularorintracellulariceformation.

iii) Osmotic concentration – The greater the osmotic concentration within the

cells,thegreatertheresistancetofrostbecause,asfreezingpointofthecellsapwould

belower,therewouldbelesserlikelihoodofinternaliceformation.

iv) Permeability to water – The higher the permeability of the protoplasm to

water,thegreateristhefrostresistance.

v) Water binding colloids – The greater the water binding colloids in cells, the

greaterthefrostresistancebecausetheirpresenceresultsin(a)reducingtheamountof free

water that can be frozen, (b) making internal ice formation less likely and (c)

reducingtheamountofwaterthatcanberemovedonexternaliceformation.
B) ExternalFactors

i) Temperature – A rapid fall in temperature is much more injurious than its

gradualfallevenforpartiallyhardyplantsbecauserapidfallincreasesdangerofinternal

iceformation.Continuedfreezingformanydayscausesgreaterdamagewiththeresult that

even plants resistant to start with are affected. Frost resistance varies with

seasons;plantswhichcanwithstandextremelycoldconditionsduringwinter,maybe killed

by slight frost during spring. Increase in temperature even for a short period

duringwinter,decreasesfrosthardiness.Ontheotherhand,frosthardinessincreasesif

theplantsaregraduallyexposedtoincreasinglylowtemperaturebeforetheadventof

winter.

ii) Light – The lesser the duration of light, the greater the frost hardinessas

reduced photoperiod and low temperature result in cessation of growth. Consequently

the reserve carbohydrate are converted into sugar resulting in increased frost resistance.

iii) Mineral nutrition – Nitrogen stimulates vegetative growth and therefore

reducesfrosthardiness.Ontheotherhand,applicationofpotassiumandphosphorus

generally increasesit.

Hardening Off

Hardening off is the natural process by which plants become adapted to drought,

cold or heat. For preparing seedlings in a nursery for planting out by gradually reducing

watering, shade and/or shelter resulting in hardening of plant.

SNOW

At higher altitudes, the decrease in temperature results in precipitation takingthe

formofsnow. Theamountofsnowfallandtheperiodduringwhichitremainsonthe
round depends upon temperature and the amount of winter precipitation. Snow

occasionallyfallsdownto1200minnorthwesternandcentralHimalayasbutitstays

onlyabove2000m.IntheeasternHimalayasandthesouth,thealtitudetowhichsnow falls,

ishigher.

Beneficial Effects of Snow

i) Snow influences the distribution of deodar, fir and spruce and their best forests

are found in places of heavy snowfall. Heavy water snowfall is essential for satisfactory

natural regeneration ofdeodar.

ii) Snow is the source of water in streams and rivers. All perennial rivers and

streamshavetheiroriginfromsnowglaciers.

iii) Snow acts as a blanket, prevents further drop in temperature and thus

protectsseedlingsandothervegetationfromthedamagingeffectofexcessivecoldand

frost.

Injurious Effects of Snow

i) Snowfall results in the mechanical bending of stems of trees. Snow gets

accumulatedontheuphillsideoftheyoungsaplingsandpolesandcausesthemtobend

outwardatthebase.Thiscurveismaintainedevenwhenthepolesdevelopintotrees

andcanbeseenonallmaturetrees.Thebendmakesthisportionofthetreeunfitfor

utilization.Asthisportionofthestemhasmaximumdiameter,thereisagreatlossin volume.

ii) Accumulation of snow on the crowns of trees results in breaking of branches

and tops of trees. Kail is most susceptible to snow break and deodar comesnext.
 iii) Sliding snow not only causes erosion but also uproots trees. Often snow

slideswipeoutstripsofforestsalongtheircourse.Thefoldsofthehills,inwhichsnow

slidesregularly,aredevoidofvegetationandthusafairamountofareaiswithouttree growth.

iv) Snow shortens the period of vegetativegrowth

v) Snowisreportedtofavourthegrowthofcertainfungi,e.g.Fomes,Trametes

Effect of Excessively High Temperature

i) Excessively high temperature is injurious to plant life. There is an optimum

and maximum temperature for growth and other physiological activities. Above this

optimumtemperature,growthisadverselyaffectedbutafterthemaximumiscrossed,

thelifeprocessesmayceaseandtheplantmaydie.Thehighesttemperaturethatcan be

withstood by plants varies from species to species but for most higher plants, the

rangeoflethaltemperatureliesbetween45oCto 55oC,thoughtheymayalsobekilled by

continuous exposure to temperatures above 40 oC. The death resulting from

excessivelyhightemperatureusuallyoccursduetocoagulationofprotoplasmicproteins.

ii) Even if temperature between 35oC to 40oC may not kill the plant, itdisturbs

the balance between respiration and photosynthesis. The optimum temperature for

photosynthesis is lower than that for respiration. When the optimum temperature for

photosynthesis is exceeded, the synthesis of food deceases but its breakdown in

respirationcontinuesatahighrate.Thiscausesdepletionoffoodresultingingreater

susceptibilitytoattacksoffungiandbacteria.

iii) Excessively high temperature results in deficiency of moisture. Silver fir

seedlings are reported to start wilting as soon as temperature reaches 38oC.

Sometimes,seedlingsdieduetoheatingofsoilsurface,resultingfromexcessivelyhigh
temperature. The sandy soils get heated excessively and this is a common cause of

death of seedlings in such soil.

iv) Excessively high temperature results in excessive transpiration and this may

result in desiccation of plant tissues. Increased transpiration combined with deficiency

ofmoistureinthesoilresultsindeathofplants.

v) Excessive heat, sometimes, results in developing cracks in stem due to

excessiveshrinkingoftheoutertissues.Thishappensparticularlyinspecieshavingthin

bark.

MOISTURE

Moisture is one of the most important factors influencing vegetation, because

water is essential for various physiological activities of plants as well as for soil formation

processes.

A) ImportanceinPhysiologicalActivities

1. Waterformsabout90to95%constituentpartofthecellwalland80%partof

theprotoplasmwhichisthephysicalbasisofalllife.

2. Water occurs in all the cell vacuoles as cell sap and on it depends the turgidity of

thecells,whichinturn,governsthegrowthofplants.

3. Itistheonlymediumforabsorptionofsoilmineralsandgasesintheplants

4. Itisoneoftherawmaterialsrequiredforphotosynthesis

5. It is required for translocation of manufactured food as well as for all chemical

reactionstakingplaceinplantbody

6. It is essentialforrespirationwhichcannottakeplaceinitsabsence
7. It is also necessary for transpiration which prevents excessive heating of the

plant

8. Itisresponsibleforvariousmovementsofplants

9. Itisessentialforgerminationandviabilityofseeds

B) ImportanceinSoilFormationProcesses

Water is required for physical as well as chemical weathering, which are the

most important soil forming processes. It is also required for translocation of the

products of weathering and is, thus, an important factor in soil formation.

C) Influence onVegetation

Because of its great importance in the vital processes of plant life as well asin

soil formation, water exerts a profound influence on vegetation. It determines the

nature of vegetation that would survive in a particular area. In other words, it

determinesthespeciesthatwouldgrow,theirnumberperunitarea,height,diameter and

volume growth of trees and other vegetation. It is therefore used as basis for

classifyingvegetationinbroadtemperaturezones.

HUMIDITY

Presenceofwatervapourmakesairhumid;humidityreferstothatstateofairof

theatmosphereinwhichwatervapourispresent.Theamountofwatervapouractually

present in the atmosphere at a given time at a given temperature is a measure of

atmospherichumidity.Itisdescribedbythetermsabsolutehumidity,relativehumidity and

saturationdeficit.

Humidityaffectsevaporationandtranspirationandconsequentlythevegetation.

Lower the relative humidity, the greater the evaporation from the soil and higherthe
transpiration from the plants. As humidity affects the availability of moisture to plants, it

is a factor of importance particularly in dry and arid areas where only those species

cansurvive, which have well developed contrivances to resist transpiration.

WIND

Wind has a great influence not only on the form of trees but also on their

distribution. It has favourable as well as harmful effects on trees.

Harmful effects – These may be caused both by direct and indirect action of

wind.

Direct Harmful Effect

1. Because of the pressure of the wind, the tree in the open in the plains andon

the ridges on the hills are short-statured and have pronounced taper in their

boles.

2. Treesoftengetbentifwindblowsonlyinonedirection

3. Trees are often uprooted or their stem or branches get damaged. The trees

which withstand strong winds without being over thrown or broken are called

windfirm.Butthetreeswhichareuprootedarereferredtoaswindfallorwind throw.

In case only the stem is snapped from some place or the branches are

damaged,itisreferredtoaswindbreak

4. The branches on the windward side get, often killed and they remain only on the

leeward side. This adversely affects the growth on oneside

5. The bole of the tree, often, becomes elliptic with larger diameter in the direction

of the prevailingwind

6. Asaresultofstrongwinds,timberoftengetsruptured
Indirect Harmful Effects

1. Windfansupforestfiretherebyincreasingfiredamage

2. Wind affects the trees through its influence on humidity. Dry winds lowerthe

amount of atmospheric water vapour by mixing it with dry air and thereby

increasetranspiration

3. Windsalsoincreaseevaporationfromthesoil

4. In dry areas, wind causes wind erosion. It removes the top fertile soil or deposit

sandonfertilefields,therebydeterioratingthesoilinbothcases

5. Along sea coast wind-brone salt spray, often results in considerable injurious

effect on sensitiveplants

6. Strong cyclonic winds to immense damage not only to trees but also to other

property and agriculturalcrops

Favourable Effects

1. Wind brings fresh supplies of carbon dioxide to the foliage of trees and thus

helps inphotosynthesis

2. Windhelpsinpollinationofanemophilousflowers

3. Windhelpsindispersalofseedofmanyforest trees,e.g.,Holoptelia,Bombax,

Hymenodictyon, Toona,etc.

BIOCLIMATE

The various climatic factors influence the vegetation collectively butnot

individually and separately. Thus the vegetation of a place is the result of various

climatic factors acting together. While affecting vegetation collectively, these factors

modifytheinfluenceofeachothertocertainextent.Therefore,eachclimaticfactorhas
to be modified or adjusted in such a way that it may describe the influence of the

collectivecomplexclimaticfactorsonplantlife.Theclimatedefinedbythesemodified

oradjustedclimaticfactorsiscalledbioclimate.Forexample,totalrainfallofaplacewill have

a certain effect on vegetation. But the effect of total rainfall is modified by the

number of rainy days. A certain amount of total rainfall with larger number of rainy

dayswillresultinadifferentvegetationthanthesametotalrainfallandsmallnumberof

rainydaysisfurthermodifiedbytheamountofevaporationtakingplaceinthatlocality.

Therefore,inordertodescribethecorrecteffectofrainfallasaclimaticfactor,thetotal

rainfallwillhavetobemodifiedbythenumberofrainydaysandevaporation.

Topographic Factors

Topography is the description of the physical features of a place. Itdescribes

configuration of the ground, its altitude, slope, aspects, etc. These physical features

affectthelocalclimate,soilformationprocesses,soilmoisture,soilnutrients,etc.,and since

all these have a profound influence on vegetation, topography affects the

vegetationindirectly.Thustopographicfactorsmaybedefinedasfactorspertainingto the

configuration of land surface viz., altitude, slope, aspect and exposure. These

factors have a great influence on vegetation through their influence on climatic and

edaphicfactorswhichhaveadirectbearingonvegetationofaplace.

Topographic factors may be classified into:

i) Configuration of land surface, ii) Altitude, iii) Slope and iv) Aspect and

exposure.
MICROCLIMATE

Eventhoughtheclimaticfactorssuchaslight,temperature,rainfall,humidityand

wind define the general climate of a region, certain variations are often met with in

localizedplacesduetotheeffectofthetopography,soilclimate,orthevegetationitself.

Thedifferenceinthegrowingconditionsinthatparticularplaceaffectsvegetationlocally

althoughthegeneralvegetationtypemaychangeornot.Thus,microclimateisdefined as

the climate of small areas, which for some reason, differs significantly from the

generalclimateofthearea,moreparticularly,theclimateoutsidethatcover.

The effect of topography on solar radiation, temperature, rainfall, humidity and

wind has already been described. The effect of forest cover on these important factors

is describedbelow:

Solarradiation–Forestcoverreducestheintensityofsolarradiationreaching

theforestfloorinaninverseproportionwithitsdensity,i.e.,thedenserthecover,the lower

the intensity of solar radiation reaching the forest floor. As the amount oflight

affectstemperature,atmospherichumidity,soilmoistureregime,ithasagreatinfluence on

the nature and density of vegetation and regeneration of various species. As the

requirement of light of seedlings of various species is different, canopy has to be

manipulated to admit sufficient quantity of light to induce regeneration to come up.

Chaturvedifoundadirectrelationshipbetweenincidentlightandthedensityofbamboo

clumps. He found that when over wood was clear felled and maximum lightadmitted

ontheforestfloor,largestnumberofnewclumpswereobtained.

Temperature – Forest cover makes the temperature, both of the air and soil,

more equable than it is in the open. This is due to the fact that forest cover acts as a

screen and prevents sunrays from heating the air and the soil inside the forest to the
same extent as it does in the open. During the night, this screen prevents the loss of

heat by radiation. The result is that mean maximum temperature of the air inside the

forest is lower and the mean minimum temperature higher. The effect on temperature

inside the forest varies with species. For instance, studies in new forest revealed that

the temperature under a cover of Casuarinaequisetifoliawas the lowest during

thesummer and highest during winter. On the other hand, temperature under cover of

Pinusroxburghiiwashighestduringsummerandlowestduringwinter.

Rainfall – Though influence of forest in increasing the total rainfall of aplace

has been disputed, there is no doubt that forests exercise considerable influence in

increasingthenumberofrainydaysoverlimitedregions.StudiesmadeinNilgirisbefore

andafterafforestationhaveindicatedthatthepresenceofforestincreasesthenumber

ofrainydaysduringthatperiodoftheyearwhenmonsoonisnotactive.

Dew – Observations made at new forest have revealed that there is no dewfall

immediately below the crowns of trees in a forest, though there is some dewfall in the

openings in the canopy.

Humidity–IthasbeenestimatedbySeththatasalforestof37yearsageand

containing 778 trees per hectare transpires about 1200 mm of water annually. Thus,

forests have a favourable effect of humidity. Warren observed that while humidity of

treelessRanchiplateaudroppedto5inhotdrysummer,humidityofChaibassainthe

neighbourhood of Singhbhum forests never dropped below 50. Forests increase

humiditynotonlyoftheadjoiningareasbutalsoinsidethemselves.

Evaporation – A s forests reduce solar radiation reaching the forest floor and

consequently temperature and wind velocity inside, they reduce evaporation of moisture

from the forest floor. Reduction in evaporation depends upon the type of forest, its age,
density as well as the moisture regime of the soil. However, it has been estimated that

evaporation from forest floor may be 10 to 80% of that in the open.

Wind – A strip of trees and shrubs reduces wind velocity considerably. The

reductioninwindvelocity,theheightanddistancetowhichitisaffected,isdependent on the

height of trees and their density. That is why wind breaks are established around

orchards and shelterbelts are raised in areas experiencing wind erosion or

desiccatingeffectofcoldwinds.Incaseofaforest,theinfluenceofheightoftreesand

theirdensityonwindvelocityisfurtheraffectedbythelengthandbreadthoftheforest.

Ithasbeenestimatedthatinsidetheforest,thereductionofwindvelocitymaybefrom 20 to

60% of that in the open. However, the efficiency of forest in decreasing wind

velocityontheleewardsideoftheforestisconsiderablylessascomparedtothatofa

shelterbelt.

Importance of Microclimate

Microclimate is of great importance in the practice of silviculture. If proper

attentionisnotgiventothisimportantfactor,silviculturaloperations,suchasnaturalor

artificial regeneration, may fail completely due to the local adverse or limiting factors

responsibleforthemicroclimate.Thefollowingexampleswillillustratetheimportance

ofmicroclimate:

1) Asalreadystated,microclimateofdifferentaspectsofhillsinthetemperate

zoneofHimalayasisdifferentandthatiswhyonthetwosidesofaridgetwodifferent

speciesoccurtowardstheupperlimitofdeodaraltitudinalzone.Thisisduetothefact

thatnorthernaspectatthataltitudeistoocoldfordeodar.Ifdeodarisplantedonthe northern

aspect at that altitude in utter disregard of the microclimate, the attempt is

boundtofail.Evenindeodarzone,warmeraspectsareoccupiedlargelybykail.
Attempts to replace kail by deodar in such places are never successful as the

microclimate of these aspects is not suited to deodar.

2) In the upper reaches of subtropical zone, northern aspects become too cold

for chir which is replaced by kail in nature. Sowings of chir in such places are not likely

to besuccessful.

3) In Dehra Dun valley, pool frost is a common occurrence. If, in utter disregard

of this factor, clear felling followed by sowing or planting may be done to raise a new

crop, it is bound tofail.

4) If, in the introduction of an exotic, climate and microclimate of its natural

habitat are not taken into consideration and it is introduced in areas with different

climate, it is not likely tosucceed.

EDAPHICFACTORS

Edaphic factors are defined as ecological influences characteristic of the soil

brought about by its physical and chemical characteristics. Thus, edaphic factors are

factors which relate to the soil in which the trees grow and which, therefore, forms

environment ofroots.

Definition of Soil

Soilhasbeendefinedvariouslybygeologistsandpedalogists.TheIndianForest

andForestProductsTerminologyfollowingpedalogist’sview,definedsoilastheupper most

weathered layer of the earth’s crust and recognized the following two sub- divisions:

i) Surface soil - The more or less completely weathered surface layer, rich in

solublematerialandcontainingarelativelyhigherproportionoforganicmatterandfine
earth; also called top soil. The zone of aeration and intense root and micro-biological

activity.

ii) Sub-soil–

Thelayerimmediatelybelowthesurfacesoilwhichisincompletelyweatheredandcontainsm

uchlessofsolubleingredients,organicmatterandfineearth.Thisdefinition,thoughcorrect,i

snotcomprehensivebecauseforests,

sometimes,growonrocks.Thefollowingtwodefinitionsaresuitablefromthepointof

view of foresters:

i) Forestsoilisdefinedasaportionofearth’ssurfacewhichservesasamedium for the

sustenance of forest vegetation; it consists of minerals and organic matter,

permeatedbyvaryingamountsofwaterandairandinhabitedbyorganism;itexhibits

peculiarcharacteristicsimpressedbythephysicalandchemicalactionoftreerootsand

forest debris –Wilde.

ii) Soil is defined as a dynamic layer of surface material which is constantly

changinganddevelopingunderprocessesofadjustmenttoconditionsofclimate,parent

material,topographyandvegetation–ChampionandSeth.

SOIL FORMATION

Thefactorsresponsibleforsoilformationanddevelopmentareclimate,biological

agenciesincludingvegetationandanimals,parentrock,topographyandtime.Thefirst

twoofthesefactorsarereferredtoasactivefactorsbecauseitisthroughtheiraction that soil

formation takes place. As the last three do not take any active part in soil formation,

they are referred to as passive factors. Actually, it is only when the active factors,

having been modified by topography, act on the parent material for

considerablelengthoftimethatthesoilisformed.
 The active factors results in the formation of soil through their effect on a

geologicalprocessknownasweatheringwhichisdefinedasallphysicalandchemical

changes produced in rocks, at or near the earths surface, by atmospheric agentsand

whichresultinmoreorlesscompletedisintegrationanddecomposition.Theweathering

processisoftwokinds,viz.,physicalandchemicalweathering.

Physical weathering – Physical weathering is the physical disintegration or

breakingupofrocksresultinginexposureoftheirlargersurfaceforotherforcestoact. It is

mainly the result of climatic factors. Temperature changes result in unequal

expansionandcontractionand,therefore,inbreakinguptherock.Asthereisagreat

diurnalvariationintemperatureinmostpartsofIndia,thisisaveryimportantfactor. In

higher hills, water, lying in the crevices of rocks, is frozen at night and therefore

expandsinvolumeresultingindisintegrationofrocks.Movingwatererodesthemand

ultimately breaks them. Moving glaciers also result in fragmentation of rocks. Strong

windswithsandparticlesinthem,keeponsculpturingtherocks.

Physical Properties of Soil

Physicalpropertiesofsoilhaveaprofoundinfluenceontreegrowthbecauseof their

effect on the supply of moisture, nutrients and air. They affect the supply of

moisturedirectlybyaffectingitsmovement,storageandavailabilityandnutrientsupply and

air through their effect on water. The physical properties of soil relate to

itstexture,structure,porosity,etc.

1. SoilTexture

Soil texture is defined as the relative proportion of the various size groups of

individual soil particles; the individual size groups are referred to as soil separates. The

following soil groups are recognized:

Silt – particles between 0.002 mm and 0.02 mm

Find sand – particles between 0.02 mm and 0.2mm

Coarse sand – particles between 0.2 mm and 2.0 mm

Depending on the proportion of soil separates, soils are classified into different

soil classes. A soil class is defined as a group of soils having same range in particle size

and physical properties based on texture. For practical purposes, soil classes can be

grouped as follows:

Coarse–textured soils, viz., sand and sandy loams

Medium–textured soils, viz., loams and silt loams and

Fine–textured soils, viz., clays and clayed loams

Coarse-textured soil is also called light soil. Similarly, the fine-textured soil is

called heavy soil.

Importance of Soil Texture

i) Moisturerelations–Thepercentageoffinerparticlesgovernsthequantity of

moisture that can be held by the soil and the amount that would be available to

plants. Coarse-textured soil are easily drained and apt to be dry while, on the other

hand,fine-texturedsoilsarepoorlydrainedandholdmuchwateronthelargesurface area.

ii) Nutrient supplies – The percentage of finder particles governs nutrient

statusofthesoil.Thefine-texturedsoilsarehighinnutrientstatus,sandysoils,onthe

otherhand,arelowinfertility.Thesandysoilssupporteitherpioneersorhardyspecies with

low moisture and nutrient requirement, examples being sissoo and chir respectively.
 iii) Aeration – Texture of the soil regulates pore space and consequently the

aeration of the soil.Coarse-textured soils are better aerated than clayey soils.

iv) Rootdevelopment–Textureofthesoilaffectsrootdevelopment.

2) SoilStructure

Soil structure is defined as the arrangement of individual soil particles into

aggregates of definite size and shape. Thus, while texture refers to the actual size of

soilparticles,structurereferstothemodeofgroupingoftheseparticlesintoaggregates.

Soilaggregateisdefinedasasinglemassorclusterofmanysoilparticlesheldtogether,

suchasclod,prism,crumborgranule.

On the basis of structure, the soils are described as follows:

i) Single-grained – It is a structureless condition of the soil, each grain being

independent, as in dunesand.

ii) Massive – It is a structureless compacted condition of the soil, showing no

distinct arrangement of soil particles. It is common in podsols and ill-drained soils. It is

oftentheresultofovergrazingoragricultural misuse of land.

iii) Crumby – A soil is called crumby when it has crumbs. A crumb is a small

aggregateofirregularshapeand3mmorlessindiameter,formedbythecohesionofa

number of soil particles. The condition in which the soil particles form water stable

crumbs largely by the physical and physico-chemical action of soil organic matter is

called crumbstructure.

iv) Granular–Itisatypeofsoilstructureinwhichthesoilaggregatesaremore or

less sub-angular or rounded in shape and of size upto 6 mm in diameter. It is

commonlyfoundinmullhumuslayersinbrownearths.
 v) Blocky or nutty – A soil is called blocky or nutty when it has a nut structure

which is defined as a soil structure in which soil aggregates are compact, more or less

roundedinshapeand6mmto25mmindiameter.

vi) Cloddy – A soil is called cloddy when it has irregularly shaped aggregated of

mediumtohardconsistencyandmorethan25mmindiameter.

Importance of Soil Structure

i) Structure is the most important physical property of soil as it affects soil moisture

and soil airrelations

ii) Itisanindicationofnutrientstatusandactivityofmicroorganismsinthesoil

iii) If affects soil erosion. Crumb is least liable to erosion while single-grained

structureismostliabletoerosion

3) SoilPorosity

Soil porosity is defined as the extent to which the gross volume of the soil is

unoccupiedbysolidparticles.Thespaceunoccupiedbysoilparticlesisalsoknownas pore

space. Soil porosity is of twokinds:

i) Capillary porosity – It is the portion in a soil which is not filled by water

whenthesoiliswetbutwelldrained.

ii) Non-capillary porosity – It is the air space in a soil at field moisture

capacity.

Importance of Soil Porosity

Soil porosity is an important physical property of the soil as it determines the

moistureandairrelationsofthesoil.Ifaffectsinternaldrainageanddiffusionofsoilair. Clayey

soil has very small pore spaces which get choked up on wetting. Thus,these
soils may have too much water and too little air. Sandy soil, on the other hand, are

well-aerated but are not retentive of moisture. The best condition is that in which

capillaryandnon-capillaryporespaceoccupyabouthalfthesoilvolumeanditisequally

divided between the twocategories.

PLANT SUCCESSION

From the effect of factors of locality on vegetation and that of the forest

communityonfactorsoflocality,itisclearthattheinteractionofthevegetationandthe

locality allow the growth and development of a plant community whose continued

presenceinthatsitechangesthefactorsoflocalitysomuchthattheconditionsbecome

unsuitable for the original plant community and the site is gradually invaded by the

membersofotherplantcommunitywhichgraduallyreplacestheformer.Forexample, take

the case of a new sandy soil along the bank of a river. After the flood water

recedes,thebaresandysoilisgraduallycolonizedbysomegrass.Asthegrasscovers most of

the area, it gradually obstructs the flow of flood water and arrests silt in the area.

The decay of leaves of grass improves the soil conditions to some extent. The soil,

which was originally absolutely sandy and therefore, unretentive of moisture,

becomesslightlyretentiveduetoannualadditionofsoilandorganicmatter.Itsfertility

alsoimproves.Theseslightlyimprovedconditionsmakeitsuitableforthecolonization by a

few hardy tree species, because the conditions are still very difficult due to

competeoverheadsunandthereforefullinsulation,widerdiurnalrangeoftemperature,

strongwinds,poorretentivityofmoistureandlowfertilityofthesoil.Thespecieswhich can

grow in such difficult conditions is called pioneer. It is tolerant of the extremely

adverseclimaticandsoilconditionsandcangrowthere.Theindividualmembersofthis

speciesappearonebyoneintheareaandgraduallytaketheshapeofaforest
community.Thepresenceofthisplantcommunitymakesfurtherchangesinthelocality

factors.Bytheannualadditionoforganicmatterandarrestofmoreandmoresilt,the

moisture retentivity and the fertility of the soil improves. The tree canopy affects not

only the atmospheric temperature inside the forest but also the soil temperature,

making it more equable. These changed conditions make the place suitable for some

other less hardy species which appear gradually and, in course of time, replace the

original plant community. The new plant community, further in course of time,

improvesthesoilandtheclimaticfactorsandthusmakestheplacesuitableforsome other

exacting species which comes in gradually and replaces the previous plant

community. Thus, there is a gradual replacement of one plant community byanother

because of the interaction of vegetation and the locality factors and consequent

improvementintheconditionsofboth.Thisiscalledplantsuccession,whichisdefined as the

gradual replacement of one community by another in the development of vegetation

towards a climax which is the culmination stage in plant succession for a

givenenvironment.Theplantcommunitiesinvolvedinthesuccessionbeforetheclimax

isreachedarecalledseres.Sereisdefinedastheseriesofplantcommunitiesresulting

fromprocessesofsuccessionoranyrecognizablestageinplantsuccession.

Evolution of the Concept of Plant Succession

Theconceptofplantsuccessionhasbeendevelopedduringthelastcenturyby

observation of changes in isolated cases. Starting with Richard Peters who in 1806

describedthedepartureofsouthernpinetimberasaproofofthetendencyinthenature to a

change in products on the same soil. Dawson (1847) and Thoreau (1863) described

the changes in localized places. It was Thoreau who, first, used the term forest

succession. Later Cawles (1899) described the change in vegetation onsand

theory of plant succession. While the American foresters were working on this concept,

foresters of England and the continent were also working on the idea. However, it is

the Clements theory of plant succession that is widely accepted. The basic features of

theconceptofplantsuccessionare:

i) There is a continual change in the vegetation as a result of interaction of plant

communityandthehabitatfactors

ii) The succession is inherently and inevitably progressive and the end product is

the climaxand

iii) The succession is the progressive development of vegetation on the same site in

course oftime

Kinds of Succession

Succession can be classified mainly in two ways:

i) Onthebasisofmoistureconditionsoftheplaceand

ii) Onthebasisofpresenceorabsenceofvegetationintheplace

i) Onthebasisofmoistureconditionsoftheplace

On the basis of the moisture conditions, succession is classified into:

a) Xerarchsuccessionwhichisdefinedasthesuccessioninitiatedinextremely dry

situations such as bare rock, wind blown sand, rocky talus slopes, etc. The

successional stages of this succession are called Xeroseres, which are defined as the

different stages in a xerarch succession. Xerosere may further be subdivided into

Lithosere which is defined as Xerosere which originates on rock surface and

PsammoserewhichisdefinedastheXeroserewhichoriginatesonsand.
 b) Hydrarch succession which is defined as the succession beginning in water, or

very wetland as in ponds, lakes, marshes, etc. The various stages of this succession are

calledHydrosere.

ii) Onthebasisofthepresenceorabsenceofvegetationintheplace

On the basis of the presence or absence of vegetation in the place, succession is

classified into:

a) Primary succession which is defined as the succession which takes placeon

sites which have previously not borne vegetation. Primary succession is, sometimes,

termedasautogenicsuccessionbecauseittakesplaceasaresultofautogenicfactors

whicharedueonlytotheindividualsinaplantcommunity.Inotherwords,autogenic

succession is that in which vegetation affects the ecosystem to bring about

consequential change initself.

b) Secondarysuccessionwhichisdefinedasthesuccessionwhichtakesplaceon

siteafterthedestructionofthewholeorpartoftheoriginalvegetation.Thissuccession

is,sometimes,termedasallogenicsuccessionasittakesplaceduetoallogenicfactors

whicharedefinedasthefactorswhichoperate,independentlyoftheplantthemselves, to

alter the habitat gradually and thus cause changes in vegetation. For example,

clearing, burning, grazing, storm, erosion, deposition, landslide, etc., are various

allogenicfactors.

Causes of Succession

The causes of succession may be classified as under:

i) Initial casesand

ii) Continuingcauses
 i) Initial causes are the causes which provide the basis for succession to take

place. Thus, in case of primary succession they are responsible for creation of a new

soil, while, in case of secondary succession, they are responsible for making the soil

bare. The initial causes of primary and secondary succession are listedbelow:

Initial causes of Primary Succession

a) Erosion – Wind and water erode the soil and deposit it elsewhere. Thus,

newsoilsarecreatedintheformofalluvialdeposits,coastalsands,estuariandeposits,

sanddunes,landslipsandscree.

b) Physiography – The configuration of the land surface is an initial cause to

the extent it helps the agents of erosion, i.e., wind, water and gravity, to create new

soils.

c) Elevation and subsidence – Seismic disturbances result in elevationand

subsidence of the soil resulting in the formation of new soils. Due to these

disturbances, river beds are silted up or the rivers change their courses leaving their

original beds for starting primary succession. Similarly, geological disturbances in the

Himalayas result in the formation of new soil for primary succession.

Initial causes of Secondary Succession

a) Climate – Climate is the initial cause when the vegetation is destroyed by the

action of drought, wind, snow or frost. For instance, a fair portion of a forest may be

killed by drought. It left to self, secondary succession will start on this bare area. Wind

may lay bare an area by uprooting the original crop. Snow may, similarly, destroy forest

bysliding.
 b) Physiography – Physiography is the initial cause when configuration of the

land surface is responsible for the destruction of vegetation in combination with some

other factors. For instance, landslide may take place on a steep slope, destroying the

forest.

c) Biotic factor – Biotic factor is the initial cause where a forest is destroyed as

result of the activity of man, his animals, or even wild animals. For instance, a forest

may be destroyed by reckless cutting, clearing, burning, indiscriminate heavy grazing,

etc.

Continuingcauses–Continuingcausesarethosecausesofsuccessionwhich help

the development of plant communities and their replacement by other plant

communities. Thus, while the initial causes create suitable conditions for starting

succession,thecontinuingcauseshelpintheformationofplantcommunitiesandtheir

gradual replacement by other communities leading to a climax. They consist of the

following:

a) Migration, b) Ecesis or establishment, c) Grouping and aggregation, d)

Competition and e) Reaction.

a) Migration – Migration is defined as the mass movement of plants from one

place to another. It begins when the germule (spore, seed, fruit, offshoot, or plant)

leavestheparentareaandendswhenitreachesthefinalrestingplace.

b) Ecesisorestablishment–Ecesisisdefinedasthewholeprocesswhereby a

plant establishes itself in a new area from germination or its equivalent to

reproductionswhethersexualorasexual.

c) Grouping and aggregation – Aggregation is defined as grouping, following

establishmentofscatteredcolonizinginvadersasaresultofpropagation.
 d) Competition – Competition is defined as the struggle for available food, light

and moisture, which takes place among species and individuals in an assemblage of

plants.

e) Reaction – Reaction is defined as the effect of vegetation on the site and is

the most important factor responsible for succession. The effect of the vegetation on

thesitecanbegroupedintofollowingtwoclasses,viz.,i)Effectonclimaticfactorsand

ii) Effect onsoil.

i) Effectonclimaticfactors–Thevegetationaffectstheclimaticfactorsby:

a) Altering the lightconditions

b) Decreasing the day air temperature and reducing the diurnal

range

c) Reducing the windvelocity

d) Reducingthedangerofradiationfrost

e) Increasing relativehumidity

ii) Effect on soil – The vegetation affects the soilby:

a) Addition of organicmatter

b) Improvingthestructureofthesoil

c) Improvingmoistureretentivityofthesoil

d) Improvingnutrientstatusofthesoil

e) Improvementofthestabilityofthesoil

f) Developmentofmaturityofthesoil

Primary Succession

As already defined, primary succession is the succession that takes place in areas

which did not bear vegetation before.In our country such soils could be new alluvial
deposits,newcoastalsand,newestuarinedeposits,sanddunes,landslipsandscrees.

Thefirsttwoofthesehavepracticallynosoilandarecompletelydevoidofhumus.The

estuarine deposits are rich in humus but are badly drained and usually contain high

percentage of sea salts. The land slips are better sites because of the presence of

original top soil mixed up in the rock pieces and good drainage. The screes havealso

nosoilandareverydryandthereforerarelygoodforvegetation.

Secondary Succession

Innature,primarysuccessiondoesnotproceedassmoothlyasappearsfromits

description given earlier. Several unfavourable factors may delay or interrupt the

progressofsuccessiontowardstheclimax.Thesefactorsmaybenaturalorbiotic.On

accountofthesefactorstheprimarysuccessionmaybeheldupatanystageorthere may be

some retrogression or regression which is defined as the reversion to some

earlierstageofsuccessionconsequentontheintroductionofanadversefactor.Itisnot

possibletorevertexactlytoanyearlierforestandsoil.Generallyretrogressionstages are

lower in height and more xerophytic in character. In extreme cases, e.g., fire,

clearing,etc.,theentirevegetationmaybedestroyed.

When the causes of retrogression are removed or when the area from where

vegetation has been completely destroyed is left to itself, the nature starts its work

again, i.e., the vegetation starts progress. This progress, which is called secondary

succession,doesnotfollowthesamecourseastheprimarysuccession.Inotherwords, an

entirely different series of successional stages of plant communities, which are

normallynotseeninprimarysuccession,appearinthesecondarysuccession.

The colonizing species of the bare areas in primary succession and secondary

succession may sometimes be the same. For instance, Pinuswallichiana, Tremaand

successionbutalsoinvadeclearingstostartsecondarysuccession.Butcertainspecies

arecharacteristicofthesecondarysuccessiononly.Forinstance,Macarangaistypical

ofsecondarysuccessioninmoistforests.Thus,intropicalevergreenforests,secondary

succession starts with the arrival of Acrocarpusfraxinifolius, Callicarpa, Tremaand

Macaranga. In the hills, secondary succession is often initiated by shrub growth. For

instance, where vegetation has been destroyed by burning or clear felling in thehills,

secondarysuccessionstartswithWoodfordiafruticosa,IndigoferapulchellaandBerberislyc

iumdependingonaspectandaltitude.

Secondarysuccessionisveryimportantsofarastheforestsofthiscountryare

concerned because most of them have been subjected to fire, grazing and other

maltreatmentsbeforetheyweretakenoverbygovernmentforscientificmanagement. The

stability of the three most important species of this country, viz., sal, teak and

deodar, in the moister parts of their habitat, is result of these regressive factors and,

therefore, they are just stable subclimaxes. When the factors of regression are

withdrawn, further progression takes place and these species are replaced by more

mesophyticvegetation.Forinstance,inthesalforests,continuedfireprotectionresults

inthedevelopmentofvegetationtowardswetevergreenmixedforest.

Climax

If the succession is allowed to progress without disturbance, a stage is reached

when no more improvement is possible in the soil and the vegetation. At that stage the

vegetation is in equilibrium with the environment and stays unchanged indefinitely by

reproducing itself. Thus, climax is the culmination stage in plant succession for a given

environment. Clements believed that the most dominant community forming factorwas
climate and therefore, he called it climatic climax, which is defined as a climax which

owes its distinctive characters to climatic factors in conjunction with only such biotic

influences as plants and animals naturally occurring in the area, bring about. This is

also, sometimes, referred to as formation which is defined as the major unit of

vegetation comprising the climax communities of an area uniform in its major

physiognomic features.

Proclimax, which is defined as a term applied to all communities that suggest

something of a permanence or extent of a climax but are not typical of the existing

climate.

FOREST TYPES

Definition

Forest type is a category of forest defined with reference to its geographical

location,climaticandedaphicfeatures,compositionandcondition.ChampionandSeth

defineitasaunitofvegetationwhichpossesses(broad)characteristicsinphysiognomy and

structure sufficiently pronounced to permit of its differentiation from other such

units. This is irrespective of physiographic, edaphic or biotic factors. It is selectedin

thefirstplacesubjectivelyfromtheever-varyingcoverofvegetation,withboundaries

arbitrarilyimposedonwhatareinfactgradualchanges.

Object of Classification

Themainobjectofclassificationofforestsintoforesttypesistofindoutcorrect

silvicultural techniques and management practices for the development of forests.

Thesetechniquesandpracticescannothaveuniversalapplicationbecauseforestsvary

fromplacetoplace.Thereforeitbecomesnecessarytoclassifytheforestsintoforest
types, so that suitable silvicultural techniques and management practices may be

evolved for each type to be applied to similar types in the field. This avoids waste of

money and effort as well as disappointment from the failure resulting from the

application of wrong techniques.

Bases of Classification

The forests can be classified into forest types on the basis of:

i) Physiognomy – Physiognomy means the general appearance of a forest

communityandtherefore,formsaneasybasisforroughdifferentiationofverybroad

classes.Itisdescribedbydominantgrowth-form(e.g.,trees,shrubs,grasses,etc.),the

seasonalchanges(e.g.,evergreenanddeciduoushabit)andsuchotherfeaturesasmay

beassociatedwithverydryorverywetsites.

ii) Structure – Structure of a forest is described by stratification (i.e., the way

in which different species are aligned in different layers of the forest) and dimensions of

trees including height and spacing. It is generally observed that more favourablethe site

to tree growth the greater is the number of strata and the less favourable the site, the

lesser is the number of strata in which the forest is divided. Therefore, structural

stratificationgivesgoodbasisforclassifyingforesttypes.

iii) Function – Function refers to the most common morphological characters of

the species such as leaf characters, leaf size, stem and root characters, e.g., buttress

formation,developmentofstiltroots,etc.,whichformthebasisofclassification.

iv) Floristics–Floristicsreferstothespeciespresentinaparticularforest.

While this forms an important basis for delimiting a forest type, there is a great

differenceofopinionsastowhetherthefrequencyofthespeciesshouldbeusedasa

basisornot.However,thiscanbeusedtodistinguishsubtypes.
 v) Dynamics–Asaresultofinteractionbetweenvegetationandthesite,there is

continual change between the two. This results in succession and development of

climaxcommunities.ThoughthegeneralviewfavoursWhittaker’stheoryofvegetational

gradients, it is convenient for the time being to classify the relatively stable types as

climax,thosestilldevelopingasseral,thestablecommunityresultingfromthespecial soil

peculiarities as edaphic climax and that resulting from the biotic interference as

bioticclimax.

vi) Habitat–Habitatreferstotheeffectiveenvironmentalconditionsinwhicha

forest community exists. Thus, climate and edaphic factors often form the basis of

classifyingforestvegetation.

vii) Physiography – Physiography refers to the natural features of the earth

surface.Asitmodifiesthemicroclimateandresultsindifferentvegetationoccurringin the

same climate on different aspects of the hill slope, it forms a good basis for

classifyingvegetation.

viii) History – History refers to past biotic influences on a site and its

vegetation.Thoughtheseareveryimportantindeterminingthepresentconditionand

future potentialities in vegetational communities, it is often difficult to assess these

factorscorrectly.

Systems of Classification of Forest Types

Environmenthastheprofoundestinfluenceonvegetationwhichnotonlygrows and

develops in its environment but remains in equilibrium with it. Therefore, the

systemofclassificationofvegetationcanbeeither:

i) Botanical,i.e.,basedmainlyonvegetation

ii) Climatic,i.e.,basedmainlyonclimateor
 iii) Ecological, i.e., based mainly ecosystem consisting of vegetation

environmentcomplex

i) Classification based mainly on vegetation – The classification based

mainly on vegetation is made on the basis of study of plant communities. The data

collected as a result of the study is grouped on the basis of physiognomy, structure,

composition and dynamics. There are two ways of arranging the data. In the one case,

the primary unit is plant association and a number of such associations are grouped

together on the basis of similarities to form a forest type. In the other method, a

vegetation type is broken into successively smaller units on the basis of differences. The

classifications put forward by Braun-Blanquet, Beard, Fosberg and Webb are examples

ofclassificationbasedmainlyonvegetation.

ii) Classification based mainly on climate – This system has been followed

by many workers. The method of their classification is briefly describedbelow:

a) Schimper (1898) classified vegetation first according to temperature zones

and with in each temperature zone he made further classifications on the basis of

moistureconditions.Heconsideredmountainsseparatelyastheyhadtheirownclimatic

peculiarities.

b) Mayr(1909)adoptedtemperaturezonescombinedwithlatitudeandaltitude

asthebasisforprimaryclassification.Theotherfactortowhichheattachedimportance next

was the mean temperature during the growing season from May to August. He

differentiatedbetweencoastalandcontinentalclimatesalso.

c) Koppen (1931) adopted temperature of the hottest and coldest months and

the relative rainfall of the wettest and driest months and season of rainfall as a basis for

classification.
 d) Thornthwaite (1933) adopted temperature efficiency (T.E.) as the basis for

classification. Later in 1948, he used potential evapotranspiration as thebasis.

e) Shanbhag (1958) adopted thermodynamic principles, especially the relation

between the rise in temperature and the speed of chemical reaction, as the basis for

differentiating humid and arid climates. He also made a supposition that 30 oC marks

critical boundary below which growth stimulating factors are dominant and above which

inhibitingfactorsbecomedominant.

iii) Classification based mainly on ecosystem – This systems gives

sufficientweightagetobothvegetationandclimate.Themostimportantclassification of

this system have been proposed by Burtt-Davy, Swain, Gaussen and by Champion

andSethintherevisedclassificationofforesttypesofIndia.

Revised Classification of Forest Types of India

On the basis of additional information available Champion and Seth revised the

preliminary classification of forest types of India prepared in 1935. In this classification,

the forests of India have first been divided into the following five major groups:

i) Tropicalforests

ii) Montane subtropicalforests

iii) Montane temperateforests

iv) Sub-alpine forestsand

v) Alpinescrub

The major groups have, as described below, been further divided into type

groupsor,simply,groupsonthebasisclimaticdataandvegetation.Thetropicalforests

havebeendifferentiatedintosevengroups,themontanesubtropicalforestsintothree

groups,montanetemperateforestsintothreegroups,sub-alpineforestsintoonegroup
and alpine scrub into two groups. Most of these groups or type groups have

beenfurther differentiated into two subgroups describing southern and northern

forms.

Each subgroup is again divided into types in which climax formations have been

designated by letter C, edaphic climax formation by letter E, primary sere by IS and

secondary sere by 2S, the tropical swamps by letter TS and fresh water swamps by FS.

Within each subgroup, the types are given in serial number as C1, C2, E1, E2and so on.

These types are differentiated into subtypes by suffixing letter a, b, c and so on for each

subtype. Subtypes are sometimes further classified into varieties by suffixing number,

e.g., i, ii, iii. Thus a variety of type C1 is designated as C1a(i).