Akhlaq Amin Wani

Abstract

Forest cover assessment in India is being carried out using satellite remote sensing for more than two decades. However, the classification system, scale and methodology make it difficult to collate this information at regional scale. In the present study an attempt has been made to map forest cover of Central India on 1 : 50000 scale using satellite data of 1970s. Landsat MSS data of 1970s has been used for mapping through systematic sampling. The area calculated in sampling grids of size 5'x 5' has been extrapolated to the whole area. The total forest cover of the zone through extrapolation in 1970s was 1,03,655.79 km². This attempt to assess the forest cover of Central India Zone has been an initiative of getting to know about the past. It gives an estimate of the forest lost or gained within the biogeographical Zone. While compiling the data of forest cover (from 1991- 2001) of the Central India Zone from Forest Survey of India, the apex body of forest monitoring in India and comparing it with the area calculated form the present study, it has been realized that there is no regular trend in the forest cover percentage from 1970s till 2001.

Keywords

Forest Cover, Remote Sensing, GIS, Landsat MSS, Central India Zone

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Bilal Ali Khaki ¹, Akhlaq Amin Wani ², D. R. Bhardwaj ³, V. R. R. Singh ⁴

Affiliations
1 Department of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing, Bemina, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, IN
2 Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Benhama, Ganderbal, Jammu & Kashmir, IN
3 Department of Silviculture and Agroforestry, Dr. Y.S. Parmar, U.H.F. Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, IN
4 Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, IN

Abstract

Trees are known to maintain soil organic matter and nutrient cycling through the addition of litter and ischolar_main residues into the soil. There is a large potential of sequestering carbon in soil and vegetation by adopting suitable agroforestry systems. The present investigation was conducted during January-June 2007 at Poanta valley of Himachal Pradesh, located at an elevation of 350 m amsl. Six agroforestry systems were selected viz. hortipastoral system (HP) (Mango + natural grasses), silvi-pastoral system (SP) (Dalbergia sissoo+ natural grasses), agri- silviculture system (AS) (Sal + wheat), horti-silvipastoral (HSP) (Mango+ Poplar + natural grasses), Pure Forest (F) (Sal), natural grass land (NG) (pure grasses). At 0-20 cm depth, soils under natural grassland was having higher bulk density (1.28g cm^-3 ) among all the systems while lowest bulk density (1.16 g cm^-3 ) was observed under forest. In 20-40 cm depth, the results also showed significant variation at 5% level of significance. Soil organic carbon (SOC) at the soil depth 0-20 cm was highest under forest (3.64 %) while silvi-pastoral system showed the lowest (1.30 %). In general, SOC pool in the 0-20 cm layer was quite higher than that of 20-40 cm layer. The total SOC pool for different Agroforestry system followed the decreasing order as PF (1373.7 Mg ha^-1) > HSP (719.6 Mg ha^-1) > AS (697.3 Mg ha^-1) > NG (696.5 Mg ha^-1) > HP (646 Mg ha^-1) > SP (599.10 Mg ha^-1).

Keywords

Soil Organic Carbon, Agroforestry, Horti-Silvipastoral, Silvi-Pastoral, Agri-Silvicultural.

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