SUBJECT: S.STUDIES

TOPIC: NATURAL VEGETATION

• Vegetation is very important natural resource.

• Natural vegetation is the plant cover in its original form without, much changes done by man.

• The distribution of natural vegetation is primarily determined by climate.

• At present about one fifth of the total area of India is under forest. Rather it should be one third.

• There are more than 5000 species of trees in India, half of which are timber trees.

The forests are unevenly distributed and can be broadly classified as under:-

Tropical Rain ForestsTropical Deciduous ForestsDesert VegetationMountain VegetationMangrove Forest

Tropical Rain Forests

• These forests are found along the rainy slopes of the western Ghats, the hills of eastern India, the Andaman & Nicobar.

• They are Evergreen by nature and are at least 60 meters long and above.

• Rainfall is more than 200cm .• Main trees are ebony, mahogany and rosewood.

Tropical Deciduous Forests

• Tropical Deciduous Forests are also called monsoon forests .

• They are found along the foothills to Himalaya mountains , the eastern slopes of the western ghat, rainier part of the Deccan plateau , the plains of Bihar & Uttar Pradesh as well as in the states of jharkhand,orissa & Chhattisgarh .

• Teak & Sal are the most valuable tree found in these forests.

Desert Vegetation

• Desert vegetation is the mostly found In area of low rain fall & humidity & high temperature .

• The trees are widely scattered with bushes & shrubs between them .

• Desert vegetation is found in dry areas of Punjab ,Haryana, Rajasthan etc.

• Acacia , cacti , babul & kikar are the main trees there .

Mountain vegetation

• Forests in the mountains are distributed according to altitude, as the temperature decreases with increase in altitude .

• the vegetation in mountainous regions vary from tropical or alpine types .

Mangrove forests

• Mangrove forests are found in areas flooded by high tides of the sea.

• These forests can survive in both fresh and salt water.

• These forest are full of ‘Sundari’ trees.

• The tree provide hard, oily & durable wood, which is used in construction work & making boats.

IMPORTANCE OF FORESTS IN INDIA

India has nearly 2% of total forests whereas Minimum desired area should be about 33%.

We get variety of products from forests. The forests play an important role in our economy.

Forests helps in regulating air currents, moderating floods, preventing soil erosion etc.