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.