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Challenges of Timberline Mapping in the Himalaya: A Case Study of the Sikkim Himalaya

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Ecology of Himalayan Treeline Ecotone

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Abstract

High-altitude Himalayan vegetation is considered a prominent indicator of climate change. Field-based observations are limited in coverage to understand regional patterns and to be used as inputs in ecological models for generalization. This study standardizes the terminology by defining the rules for the interpretation of timberline through auto-extraction methods and proposes a harmonized approach to regional-scale mapping of timberline by incorporating field-based observations. At rare locations in the state of Sikkim, high-altitude timberline may occur much below (~2620 m) or much higher altitude (~4390 m) than the normal range reported from field observations. Change analysis for timberline (upward or downward shift) in the Sikkim Himalaya indicates that the majority of the timberlines (76.5%) remained stationary in last three and half decades (1977–2015). The mean upward shift of timberline was 100 m ± 89 (@ 2.71 m/year) and the mean downward shift was 56 m ± 54 (@ 1.52 m/year). This study reports for the first time a stationary timberline in the Sikkim Himalaya, and the rate of change observed in this study is in tune with the previous studies. A well-harmonized approach, using satellite imagery in conjunction with field observations, can be useful for the regular monitoring of timberline change in order to study the impacts of global warming and biotic pressures at high altitudes.

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Acknowledgement

Authors are thankful to Prof. S. P. Singh for encouragement and guidance to conduct this research. Director, G. B. Pant ‘National Institute of Himalayan Environment’ (NIHE), Kosi-Katarmal, Almora for providing necessary facility. Financial grant for this study was supported by National Mission on Himalayan Studies, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India. The LISS data provided by the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) Hyderabad, and Landsat data from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) are duly acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE), Ladakh Regional Centre, Leh, Ladakh (UT), India

    Priyanka Sah, Avantika Latwal & Subrat Sharma

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  1. Priyanka Sah
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  2. Avantika Latwal
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  3. Subrat Sharma
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Central Himalayan Environment Association, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

    S P Singh

  2. Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Zafar Ahmad Reshi

  3. G B Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Sikkim Regional Centre, Pangthang, Gangtok, Sikkim, India

    Rajesh Joshi

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Sah, P., Latwal, A., Sharma, S. (2023). Challenges of Timberline Mapping in the Himalaya: A Case Study of the Sikkim Himalaya. In: Singh, S.P., Reshi, Z.A., Joshi, R. (eds) Ecology of Himalayan Treeline Ecotone. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4476-5_6

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