This document provides an introduction and overview of forests in India. It defines forests and describes different classification systems for forests based on factors like age, growing stock, and species composition. It then outlines the major forest types in India according to the Champion and Seth classification system from 1935, including tropical wet evergreen forests, tropical moist deciduous forests, tropical dry deciduous forests, and various Himalayan forest types. It concludes by discussing the importance and distribution of forests in India, as well as some problems related to forest development.

1. Introduction to forestsIntroduction to forests
Vivek SrivastavaVivek Srivastava

2. Forest
• Forest is defined as a plant community
predominantly of trees and woody
vegetation, usually with closed canopy.
• Legally it is defined as an area proclaimed
to be forest under forest law.
• Also it is defined as area set aside for the
production of timber and other forest
produce, or maintained under woody
vegetation for certain indirect benefits.

3. • Principal species
• Accessory species
• Auxiliary species

4. Forest classification- On basis
of age
• Even aged
• Uneven aged

5. Forest classification- On basis
of growing stock
• Normal forest
• Abnormal forest

6. Forest classification- On basis
of regeneration
• High forest
• Coppice forest

7. Forest classification- On basis
of species composition
• Pure
• Mixed

8. Forest types of India- Champion
and Seth classification- 1935
• Five major groups
• 16 groups
• Further sub groups

9. 1. TROPICAL WET EVERGREEN
2. TROPICAL SEMI EVERGREEN
3. TROPICAL MOIST DECIDUOUS
4. LITTORAL AND SWAMP
5. TROPICAL DRY DECIDUOUS
6. TROPICAL THORN
7. TROPICAL DRY EVERGREEN
8. SUB TROPICAL BROAD LEAVED
9. SUB TROPICAL PINE
10.SUB TROPICAL DRY EVERGREEN
11.MOUNTAIN WET TENMPERATE
12.HIMALAYAN MOIST TEMPERATE
13.HIMALYAN DRY TEMPERATE
14.SUB ALPINE
15.MOIST ALPINE
16.DRY ALPINE

10. Point of economy :
Forest lands can be utilized as grazing
grounds for livestock. Great demand for timber
which resulted into development of commercial
forestry. Many products like charcoal wood,
pulp and matchwood, canes, rose wood, sandal
wood, lac, resins, honey, herb, fruits, dyes, tans,
kendu are obtained from forest which highly
commercial value both conservation and
development of forest resource is as important
as agriculture and industry.

11. FOREST TYPES
AND THEIR
DISTRIBUTION IN
INDIA

12. Forest Types :
Terrain, climate, soil and water conditions
greatly influence the character and type of
vegetation. The Himalayan region, possesses a
variety of vegetation with a distinctive character of
alpine type at higher altitudes and this region is
clearly distinguished from the rest of the country.
Climatic factors mainly temperature and rainfall
determine which plant community can flourish in a
specific habitat. Soils and drainage considerably
introduce modifications, and thus we have edaphic
types such as the tidal forests.

15. Tropical moist deciduous

17. Tropical dry deciduous forests

19. Thorn forests.

21. Tidal forests.

23. The Himalayan Temperate and Alpine
forests

25. Tropical wet evergreen
• Maharashtra, TN, Kerala, Karnataka,
Andaman's, NE India, WB , Assam and
Orissa
• Dipterocarpus, Mesua, Hopea,
Artocarpus, Mangifera, Syzygium

26. Tropical semi evergreen forest
• Western Ghats, Karnataka, Kerala,
Andamans, WB, Assam, Coastal parts of
Orissa
• Kylia, Terminalia, Hopea, Dipterocarpus

27. Tropical Moist deciduous
• Andamans, Gujrat, Karnataka, TN,
Maharastra, M.P, Kerala
• Teak, Grewia, Lagestromia, Terminalia,
Adina, Sal

28. Littoral and Swamp forest
• Coastal regions, Estuaries of rivers
• Casuarina, Manikara, Calophyllum,
Pongamia, Rhizophora, Avicinnia,
Xylocarpus

29. Tropical dry deciduous
• MP, Gujrat, Maharastra, A.P, Karnatka,
T.N, HP, UP, Bihar, Orissa , Rajasthan
• Teak, Terminalia, Anogeissus latifolia,
Diospyros, Acacia catechu.

30. Tropical thorn forest
• Dry peninsular India, M.P. Semi and arid
areas of Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujrat, Up
and MP
• Acacia catechu, Acacia nilotica, Albizzia,
Prosopis

31. Tropical dry evergreen forest
• Coastal belt from Tirunelveli to nellore
• Azadiracta indica, Canthium, Syzygium

32. Subtropical Broadleaved hill
forest
• South India hills, Eastern Himalayas and
Khasi hills
• Wightiana, Canthium, Syzygium,
Mangifera

33. Sub tropical pine forest
• Central Himalayas, Manipur hills
• Chir, Deodar, Kail, Quercus,
Rhododendron

34. Sub tropical dry evergreen
forest
• Himalayas
• Acacia modesta, Olea cuspidata,

35. Montane wet temperate forest
• Hills of TN and Kerala
• Larger stroemia, Syzygium,
Rhododendron, Michelia

36. Himalayan moist temperate
• Himalayas
• Quercus incana, Q.dilatata, Chir pine

37. Himalayan dry temperate
• Kashmir, HP, Uttarakhand, Sikkim,
Arunachal Pradesh
• Pinus sp. Blue pine, Deodar

38. Sub alpine forest
• Himalayas
• Abies densa, Abies spectabilis, Junipers,
Spruce

39. Moist Alpine
• Above 3400m Altitude
• Rhododendron, Birch

40. Dry Alpine
• Xerophytic conditions
• Junipers, Wallichiana,

41. Importance of natural vegetation and forests :
Forest constitute one of the most important basic
natural resources of the country.
Ecological view :
Forests help in occurrence of rainfall, promote soil
conservation in catchment areas, regulate runoff, improve
moisture holding capacity of the soils and maintain
ecological balance.

42. Distribution of Forest Lands :
According to 2000-01 statistics, the
forest land occupied about 675538 Sq.K.m. which
accounts for 20.55% per cent of the total
geographical area of the country. The largest
area forest land 77265 Sq.K.m. is seen in Madhya
Pradesh while the lowest 1745 Sq.K.m is in
Haryana.
Highest concentration of forest land
is registered I Arunachal Pradesh state with 62.1
per cent of its geographical area while the lowest
concentration is in Haryana state with 3.8 per
cent. The Andaman and Nicobar islands are also
found with high concentration of forest cover.

43. Development of Forests :
Problems:
The continuous chaotic growth of population
and greed of the present man’s short sighted and
unplanned commercial and subsistence gathering
activities like indiscriminate lumbering, charcoal
burning, firewood collection, over grazing and
jhumming type of cultivation and annual forest fires
have been causing considerable damage to forest
wealth system in our country. Forests in India have
been degenerated and degraded into barren and
unproductive lands. To alleviate this serious concern,
the development of different kinds of forests on war-
foot lines is an important means at this end.