ETATION DYNAMICS AND LAND USE COVER OF ‘Ga3a’ MICRO-WATERSHED OF GIRI RIVER IN SOLAN DISTRICT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH, INDIA
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Date
2010
Authors
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Publisher
UHF,NAUNI,SOLAN
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Present study was done in ‘Ga3a’ micro-watershed of Giri river located at 30o 50’ to 30o 53’ N
latitudes and 77o 08’ to 77o 15’ E longitudes in Solan district of H.P. India”, with the aim to analyse its land
use types through GIS and assess phytosociology, biomass and carbon stock of vegetation. Contours on
toposheet in the scale 1:50000, acquired from Forest Survey of India, were digitized at 20m interval using
CARTALINX 2.1 and the vector data so obtained was rasterised using IDRISI Taiga to produce Digital
Elevation Model (DEM) of the area. It was stratified into three elevation classes viz. lower elevation (900-
1300m), middle elevation (1300-1600m) and higher elevation (1600m and above). 57.13% area of the
watershed falls under lower elevation class, 26.40% under middle elevation class and 16.06% under higher
elevation class. Socio-economic data was acquired from each elevation class through field survey. Stock
map of the area available with Forest department was also digitized to identify forests at different elevation
classes. Structural and functional parameters of trees, shrubs and herbaceous vegetation in every forest was
studied by laying three sample plots of 0.1 ha each. Forests identified at lower elevation were: chir pine,
ban-oak and mixed forest. At middle elevation chir pine and mixed forests were recognized and at higher
elevation four forests viz., chir pine, ban-oak, mixed and deodar were present. At each elevation one
grassland site was also selected to study its vegetation composition. Population density in the microwatershed
was 219 km2 which is higher than the average population density of HP. The gender ratio (961
female per thousand male) in the micro-watershed is better than HP, which is good for the society. In all,
79 genera with 87 plant species were recorded in the micro-watershed. The density, basal area and biomass
of herbage vegetation under different forests/grasslands at all the elevations increased gradually with the
onset of rainfall in July and attained their peak values by August/September. Trees adversely affected the
density, basal area and biomass of herbage thus grassland at all elevations exhibited higher values of these
parameters as compared to forests. Total biomass under forests/grasslands at lower elevation showed the
precedence; mixed forest (252.80 t/ha) > ban-oak forest (223.50 t/ha) > chir pine forest (186.00 t/ha) >
grassland (16.26 t/ha). At middle elevation: chir pine (337.90 t/ha) > mixed (224.70 t/ha) > grassland and
at higher elevation; ban-oak (421.50 t/ha) > deodar forest (311.80 t/ha) > chir pine forest (301.70 t/ha) >
grassland (12.34 t/ha). Carbon stock accumulation in different forests/grassland at lower elevation
decreased in the order: mixed forest (223.21t/ha) > ban-oak forest (205.42 t/ha) > chir pine forest (183.17
t/ha) > grassland (70.24 t/ha), at middle elevation: chir pine forest (260.23 t/ha) > mixed forest (205.19
t/ha) > grassland (91.62 t/ha) and at higher elevation: ban-oak forest (312.13 t/ha) > deodar forest (258.58
t/ha) > chir pine forest (244.11 t/ha) > mixed forest (241.66 t/ha) > grassland (85.59 t/ha).
Description
Keywords
sowing, intercropping, wheats, tillage equipment, seed drilling, crops, mustard, fertilizers, land resources, chickpeas