Forests and their conservation - class-VIII

Saline water,

Monkey

Mangrove forests are found mainly in Sunderbans in West Bengal and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Sundari is a well-known species of trees in mangrove forests after which Sunderbans have been named.

Central Asia,

Pine,

Tropical evergreen forest,

Some of the commercially important trees of tropical rain forests are ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber and cinchona.

Cinchona is a genus of flowering plant mostly used as medicinal plant because of the quinones present in it. These are found in the areas where the rainfall is above 100 cm. They are native to the tropical Andean forests of western South America.

Mahogany, ebony, and greenheart are characteristic trees found in tropical evergreen forests, which are dense and broad-leaved.

Tropical deciduous forests (monsoon forests) are the most economically significant in India because they provide valuable timber like teak and sal and cover a large area.

Deciduous forests are the primary source of commercial timber used for newsprint production. Monsoon, mangrove, and rainfed forests are not the primary sources for this industry.

Tropical deciduous forests are characterized by a distinct upper canopy layer. Mangrove and thorny forests have different structural adaptations, and evergreen forests have a much denser, multi-layered canopy structure.

Mahogany is not essentially a species of the Himalaya vegetation. Mahogany is a species of tree found throughout the Caribbean, central and South America not in Himalayas.

• Teak wood is moderately hard, teak is durable and fire-resistant. It can be easily seasoned and worked. It takes up a good polish and is not attacked by white ants
  
• It is among the most valuable timber trees of the world.
  
• It is a deciduous tree and it is found in tropical deciduous forests.
  

The region receives high isolation and moisture throughout the year which are primary requirements of any vegetation, so due to the abundance of these elements, very dense thick and high vegetation is found.

Vegetation species are  Mahogany, Ebony and green heart, cabinet wood and dyewood.

The Thorn Forests and Scrubs are found in regions where the rainfall is less than 70cm. The vegetation in these forests are thorny trees and bushes. The Thorn Forests are found in the semi-arid areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

The tropical deciduous forests are also called monsoon forest because the trees in these forests shed their leaves during dry season and re-grow during monsoon.

Tropical deciduous forests are also known as "Monsoon" forests. These forests are found in the regions which receive the annual rainfall between 200 cm and 70 cm.

North-East India,

Recent data available from State of Forest Report 2011 of the Forest Survey of India, Dehra Dun shows that mangrove cover in the country is 4,662.56 sq.km, which is 0.14 percent of the country's total geographical area.

Tropical thorn forests and scrubs are found in the regions with less than 70cm of rainfall. The natural vegetation consists of thorny trees and bushes. Trees are scattered and have long roots penetrating deep into the soil to get moisture. The stems are succulent to conserve water. Leaves are mostly thick and small to minimize evaporation.

Karnataka,

• Deodar gives yellowish brown wood. These trees are usually found in Himalayas, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. It is the most important timber tree providing very soft wood.
  
• It is used for making cheap furniture, railway carriages, railway sleepers, packing boxes, etc.
  

The indian deciduous forests are the most abundantly found among all the different types of forests in india . The indian deciduous are found in a range of landscape from the plains to the hills .

• Mangrove forests comprise of small shrubs or trees that grow in coastal saline or brackish waters. These shrubs or trees can withstand high salinity conditions.
  
• Mangrove forests of Sunderbans are largest mangrove forests of the world. Sundarbans are located in Ganga-Brahmaputra delta of West Bengal and Bangladesh.
  

Thorny bushes are found in dry and hot subtropical areas with seasonal rainfall as low as 500 millimeters.The rainfall is very low and therefore these areas are usually deserts. The bushes shed their leaves seasonally to avoid loss of water.

• Tropical evergreen forests are the forests consisting of evergreen trees with green foliage throughout year. These are tropical forests.
  
• They constitute 7% of earth’s dry land area and 2% of total surface. Such forest give shelter to 50% of world’s species.
  

Tropical deciduous forests are widely known as Monsoon forests because they shed their leaves during the dry season to conserve water, which is a response to the monsoon climate.

Tropical evergreen forests are closed canopy forests growing within 28 degrees north or south of the equator. Since they receive more than 200 cm rainfall per year, therefore they are also known as rain-forests

Anacondas are native to the tropical rainforests of South America, specifically the Amazon and Orinoco basins. These environments provide the humid, aquatic conditions they require.

The monkeys tend to live in forest regions where they have lots of trees around them. Other than tropical evergreen forests,they are also abundant in mangrove forests,Savannahs and mountain regions

Kashimiri willows are known for their finest quality bats. Most of them are of international standards and are used by prominent cricketers worldwide. This willow was brought in India by British

Softwoods are cheaper and easier to work with than hardwoods. They are mainly used for- pulp for paper, durable home woodwork, and construction timbers.

Tropical evergreen forest,

Tropical evergreen - Rosewood, ebony, mahogany - Hardwood trees. 

• Mangrove forest comprises of small shrubs or trees that grown in coastal saline or brackish waters. These shrubs or trees can withstand high salinity conditions. One of the example is Sundari tree after which name Sundarbans was given to this forests.
  
• Mangrove forests of Sundarbans are largest mangrove forests of the world. Sundarbans are located in Ganga-Brahmaputra delta of west Bengal and Bangladesh.
  

• Tropical rain forests can be considered as hot and wet forests. Mean monthly temperatures exceed 18 °C and average annual rainfall is above 200 cms.
  
• Tropical rainforests exhibit high levels of biodiversity. Around 40% to 75% of all biotic species are indigenous to the rainforests.
  
• These forests are found in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Western Ghats. A part of these forests are also found in Odisha state.
  

India has 10 biogeographical zones and has 6 types of natural habitats. Over 47,000 species of plants and 89,000 species of animals have been recorded in India.

Tropical Monsoon forests are located in the monsoon climate beyond the equatorial region between 10°C and 25°C  and North and South of the equator. The countries are along the coastal regions of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Southwestern Africa, Southeastern Brazil, Srilanka. 

Silver Fir is found in Montane Forests. Montane Forests have a succession of natural vegetation belts in the same order from the tropical to the Tundra region. Between 1500 and 3000 metres, temperature forests contains coniferous tress like pine, deodar, silver fir.

The tropical rainforests are confined to areas of heavy rainfall. Areas which receive more than 200 cm of rainfall and have a short dry season are the best area for tropical rainforest. Almost all kinds of vegetation, like trees, shrubs and creepers, are found in such a forest. Ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber, and cinchona are some of the commercially important trees of tropical rainforests.

Coniferous forests are found in the regions near the equator and close to the tropics.  Coniferous forests are made up mainly of cone-bearing or coniferous tress. The leaves of these trees are either small and needle-like or scale-like and most stay green all year around(evergreen). All are softwoods and are able to survive cold temperatures and acidic soil. Hence the tress in the coniferous forests do not shed their leaves altogether. 

The Brown Mountain forest is located in East Gippsland, Victoria(Australia), and it is famous as it is notable for containing large tracts of old growth forest, including over fifty shining gum trees estimated to be over 300 years old.

Mountain forests consist of trees that aren't found in low-lying areas. The trees have adapted to the cool climate, heavy downpours and intense sunshine. In low-lying areas, they are squeezed out by different tree species. Hence trees of mountain forest are large and old.

The Sundarbans, which includes the Sajnekhali forest in the 24 Parganas district, is the largest mangrove forest in the world. The other locations listed are inland or mountainous regions.

The Sundarbans mangrove forest, is one of the largest forest in the world which lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. It is shared between the countries of India and Bangladesh. Fourty percent of the area falls in the Indian region and sixty percent in the Bangladesh region.

The evergreen forests are normally found in areas which get more than 250 cms. of annual rainfall.

Teak is a characteristic tree of deciduous forests, not evergreen forests. Rosewood, mahogany, and bamboo are typical species found in tropical evergreen forests.

Sundari,

Tropical evergreen forests can be moist, in the case of rainforests, or drier with seasonal rain. Both types of tropical evergreen forests have many species of animals. Rainforest animals include monkeys, parrots, smaller animals and large numbers of insects.

Alphine,

"Teak and ebony" belong to the Tropical evergreen forest. Tropical evergreen forests stay green throughout the year with every green tree such as conifers, live oak, etc. These forests develop in the 200 cm of rainfall

Tropical rainforest,

The Shillong plateau,

The Himalayas consist of a mosaic of diverse forest ecosystems and ecoregions, with different forest types suited for distinct elevation bands. Ths with the variation in the altitude, we have different types o forests in the Himalayas viz. European Oak forests, Coniferous forests and Alpine vegetation as well.

The Himalayas possess a vast range of altitudes and climates, allowing for a diverse array of vegetation types, from tropical foothills to alpine tundra. Other regions listed are more climatically uniform.

The character and extent of vegetation are mainly determined by temperature along with the humidity in the air, precipitation and soil. On the slopes of Himalayas and the hills of Peninsula above the height of 915 metres, the fall in the temperature affects the types of vegetation and its growth, and changes it from tropical to subtropical temperature. So in the mountainous area with the increase in altitude there is corresponding decrease in temperature, which leads to change in vegetation types. 

Tropical rainforests are the forests consisting of evergreen trees with green foliage throughout year. They constitute 6 to 7% of earth’s land surface. Such forest give shelter to 50% of world’s species.

Stems are succulent and leaves are mostly thick. This means that the vegetation is found in the area of Tropical thorn forests and scrubs. This is an adaptation which turn leaves thick and succulent to prevent water loss from transpiration. 

The Gobi Desert is a cold desert located in Asia, characterized by extreme temperature fluctuations and high elevation. The Sahara, Arabian, and Thar are all classified as tropical or subtropical hot deserts.

Desert plants are typically xerophytic, meaning they are adapted to survive in arid conditions. Perennial shrubs with deep roots or water-storing tissues are the standard definition of desert vegetation.

Tropical Rain Forests grows in areas where rainfall is more than 200 cm. Trees in these forests never shed their leaves at all any time in any part of the year. Trees in these belts have dense growth. Important varieties of tress are mahogony, rubber, rosewood, sisthu.

The tropical evergreen forests usually occur in areas receiving more than 200 cm of rainfall. Semi evergreen forests lies on the dry sides of evergreen forests in Western Ghats, West Bengal, Odisha and other North-Eastern regions of India. The trees in this vegetation are hard wooded, and grow close to each other. Rubber belongs to semi-evergreen forests. Bamboo, ebony and rubber are important vegetation of this region.

Tropical deciduous forests are found in the regions that get 100 to 200 centimeters of rainfall per year. They extend from the Shivalik ranges in the North to the eastern flanks of the western ghats in peninsular India. Whereas Rajasthan consists of Thorn forests. Thorn forests are found in dry and arid regions where annual rainfall is less than 80 centimeters.

Temperate deciduous forests or temperate broad-leaf forests are dominated by trees that lose their leaves each year. Temperate deciduous forests are located in the mid-latitude areas which means that they are found between the polar regions and the tropics. The deciduous forest regions are exposed to warm and cold air masses, which cause this area to have four seasons. The temperature varies widely from season to season with cold winters and hot, wet summers.  When temperature decreases, trees change color and then lose their leaves. This is in preparation for the winter season. Because it gets so cold, the trees have adapted to the winter by going into a period of dormancy or sleep.

Thorny shrubs,

Deltas, estuaries and beaches in coastal areas have peculiar type of vegetation that has aerial roots and can grow in salty water. This is called Mangrove vegetation.