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Structure, composition, and regeneration status of trees in non-protected forests of Eastern Himalaya

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Abstract

In the socio-ecological landscapes of tropical mountains, including the highly diverse Eastern Himalaya, fragments of natural forests have been traditionally managed as part of different agriculture systems. Recent studies have recognized their role as important biodiversity repositories outside protected areas. However, basic information on forest structure and composition of these forests outside protected areas is still limited in the Himalaya. In the current study, diversity, structure, composition, and regeneration status of non-protected forests were studied across 15 spatially different sites in the socio-ecological landscapes of Darjeeling-Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya, across an approximate elevation range of 500-2300 m above sea level. Quadrats (20 m × 5 m) were used to enumerate woody species in the study area. Enumeration of 156 quadrats (= 1.56 ha) resulted in a total of 249 woody species, of which species such as Schima wallichii, Alnus nepalensis, and Engelhardtia spicata were found to dominate the existing stand of trees. The vegetation structure of these forests was found to be almost comparable with that of protected forests, as assessed by prior studies in the same landscape. Species composition of woody plants in the study area were found to be primarily influenced by elevation. Assessment of regeneration patterns found the forests to have a high regeneration potential, however, the most dominant tree species of the area had relatively fewer saplings, indicating probable replacement of localized species of large trees by disturbance-adapted species. The current study adds to the literature on the structure and composition of non-protected forests in the tropical mountains.

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Availability of data and material

All relevant data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article as appendices. The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be made available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We are extremely grateful to Rohit George for managing data collected using OpenDataKit (ODK) app. We also thank Vikram Pradhan for lending his expertise and knowledge of forestry, during the initial part of the study. We recognize the contributions of project field assistants Mingma Tamang, Diwakar Gurung and Subash Rai, and intern Yougesh Tamang during data collection. We also acknowledge the support and encouragement from Dr. Bhoj Kumar Acharya, Dr. Sunita Pradhan, Dr. Basundhara Chettri, Dr. VJ Jins, Thangsuanlian Naulak, Arun Subba, and all the other project team members who helped in making this work successful at various stages of the study. We are grateful for the cooperation and help received from the members of Panchayat (Village Council), Gaon Samaj (Village Committee), other local institutions, and local landowners of all 156 quadrats covered during the study. Last but not the least, we thank all the local field assistants who were instrumental for successful data collection in their respective villages.

Funding

This paper is an outcome of the project funded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, through G B Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development, Uttarakhand under the National Mission on Himalayan Studies [grant number: NMHS-2017/MG-01/477]. However, the funding agency had no role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication.

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  1. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Regional Office Eastern Himalaya-Northeast India, NH 10, Tadong, East Sikkim, 737102, India

    Aditya Pradhan & Sarala Khaling

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  1. Aditya Pradhan
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  2. Sarala Khaling
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AP: Conceptualization, Methodology, Data Collection, Data Curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing—Original Draft and Revision. SK: Funding acquisition, Supervision, Project administration, Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – Review & Editing.

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Correspondence to Aditya Pradhan.

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Pradhan, A., Khaling, S. Structure, composition, and regeneration status of trees in non-protected forests of Eastern Himalaya. Trop Ecol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-024-00330-3

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