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Ecology of Treeline Vegetation in Western Himalaya: Anthropogenic and Climatic Influences

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Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Functions and Challenges in the Face of Global Change

Abstract

A landscape level survey of vegetation structure and composition was conducted along the treeline ecotone in Western Himalaya in the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. We used a combination of field surveys and remote sensing data (Landsat MSS and TM images) to quantify the extent and distribution of various classes of forests, forest cover, patterns of vegetation structure and composition and recent changes in forest cover along the treeline ecotone. Total area under the treeline ecotone (3000–4000 m) in these states comes to ca. 11587 km2, of which Himachal Pradesh has higher representation (6818.4 km2). In terms of extent, conifers (Abies and Pinus) occupy the largest cover followed by brown or Kharsu oak (Quercus semecarpifolia) and birch (Betula utilis). Mean tree density was 553 individuals ha−1 which ranged between 440 and 690 individuals ha−1. Average elevation of the treeline was approximately 3615 m above mean sea level, and the maximum altitude of tree growth was 4200 m. Time series analysis of remote sensing data reveals that there has been no altitudinal shift in the upper treeline during the last 40 years, although forest canopy cover has increased or decreased significantly within a protected area and outside, respectively.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the director(s) of Wildlife Institute of India and Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, Dehradun, for the institutional support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

    Ishwari Datt Rai & G. S. Rawat

  2. Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

    Gajendra Singh & Arvind Pandey

Authors
  1. Ishwari Datt Rai
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  2. Gajendra Singh
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  3. Arvind Pandey
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  4. G. S. Rawat
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. S. Rawat .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Satish Chandra Garkoti

  2. Baruch Inst. of Coastal Ecology & Forest Science, Clemson University, Georgetown, SC, USA

    Skip J. Van Bloem

  3. School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA

    Peter Z. Fulé

  4. School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Rajeev L. Semwal

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Rai, I.D., Singh, G., Pandey, A., Rawat, G.S. (2019). Ecology of Treeline Vegetation in Western Himalaya: Anthropogenic and Climatic Influences. In: Garkoti, S., Van Bloem, S., Fulé, P., Semwal, R. (eds) Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Functions and Challenges in the Face of Global Change. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8249-9_9

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