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Sivaram, M.
- A Habitat Suitability Index Model for Nilgiri Tahr (Hemitragus hylocrius Ogilby) in Eravikulam National Park, Kerala
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Indian Forester, Vol 133, No 10 (2007), Pagination: 1289-1304Abstract
The Nilgiri tahr, Hemitragus hylocrius Ogilby, is an endangered mountain goat distributed in southern Western Ghats of Peninsular India. Monitoring tahr habitats and selection of sites for management interventions and reintroduction of the tahr in their natural environment require an understanding of habitat suitability and hence this study was undertaken. The estimated tahr population in Kerala was around 1,000 individuals on 11 sites. The Eravikulam National Park (ENP) was chosen for developing the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) model since it has the sole viable population of about 700 individuals. Based on the habitat utilization, the ENP was divided into different blocks. The relational trends between block-wise tahr density and the critical habitat variables viz., altitude, extent of cliff and availability of principal food species were examined through correlation analysis for evolving habitat suitability criteria. This formed the basis for deriving suitability indices, ranging from 0 to 1, which were subsequently used for developing the HSI models. In order to find out how well the HSI models captured variation in tahr density, they were subjected to regression analysis. The analyses indicate that the HSI models were satisfactory considering the limited number of factors involved. However, the models should be evaluated in other habitat conditions especially in fragmented habitats considering their degradation factors such as human disturbance, grazing pressure.
- Impact of Indarbela quadrinotata on the Growth of Casuarina equisetifol1a
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Indian Forester, Vol 136, No 2 (2010), Pagination: 182-186Abstract
Several insect pests are associated with Casuarina equisetifolia L. in India. Among them, the bark eating caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata Walker (Metarbelidae: Lepidoptera) has attained serious pest proportions in Tamil Nadu State, which is located in the southern part of the country. The impact of I. quadrinotata on the growth of C. equisetifolia was studied in selected plantations of this species, located in three agro-climatic zones of the State. The data generated suggest that I. quadrinotata has the potential to reduce the growth of the trees significantly.Keywords
Casuarina equisetifolia, Caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata, Insect Pests, Tamil Nadu- Tree Allometric Equations in South Asia
Abstract Views :236 |
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Affiliations
1 Soil Science Department, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Thrissur, Kerala, IN
2 Statistics Department, National Diary Research Institute, Banglore, IN
3 Forest Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Vialedelle Terme di Caracalla, Rome, IT
4 Statistics Department, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, IN
1 Soil Science Department, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Thrissur, Kerala, IN
2 Statistics Department, National Diary Research Institute, Banglore, IN
3 Forest Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Vialedelle Terme di Caracalla, Rome, IT
4 Statistics Department, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, IN
Source
Indian Forester, Vol 142, No 1 (2016), Pagination: 1-7Abstract
Estimation of volume, biomass and carbon stocks support several applications from the commercial exploitation of timber to global carbon cycle. Especially in the latter context the estimation of tree biomass with sufficient accuracy is essential to determine annual changes of carbon stored in particular ecosystems. Under the aegis of UN - REDD programme an extensive database on tree allometry in South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) was prepared by extensive and exhaustive literature collected from the region by institutional visits, bibliographic databases and FAO reports. An evaluation of this data on tree allometry in South Asia shows that there exists a total of 4456 equations on volume, biomass, BEF, carbon and other growth variables for 375 species belonging to 96 families and 275 genera. Proportionate allocation of allometric models for different species in the collected documents is not homogenous with commercially important ones capturing more percentage share of equations. Vague description of tree components and output terms reduces the quality of allometric equations developed in the region. Also the geographical distribution of these allometric equations is highly skewed and conscious efforts should be taken to unearth documents on allometry in the neglected life zones.Keywords
Tree Allometric Equation, Estimation of Volume, Biomass, Carbon Stock, South Asia.- Error Propagation in Forest Biomass Assessment
Abstract Views :185 |
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Authors
Affiliations
1 Southern Regional Station, National Dairy Research Institute, Bangalore (Karnataka), IN
2 Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, IN
3 Food and Agricultural Organization, Rome, IT
1 Southern Regional Station, National Dairy Research Institute, Bangalore (Karnataka), IN
2 Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, IN
3 Food and Agricultural Organization, Rome, IT
Source
Indian Forester, Vol 142, No 1 (2016), Pagination: 62-67Abstract
Forest biomass is the basis for the estimation of carbon storage and emission due to forestry sector. Though the total forest biomass includes aboveground and belowground biomass, this paper deals with the issues related to aboveground biomass. The total aboveground biomass is estimated through a number of variables measured across various components of trees using non-destructive methods. The techniques employed range from simple measuring tape to regression models to satellite imageries. The total error in biomass estimates is the sum of errors in the variables propagated in a hierarchical fashion. The knowledge of prediction errors helps to know the quality of biomass and subsequently bio-energy and carbon estimates. In this paper, various sources of error in biomass estimation, error quantification and error propagation are discussed. The sources of error include tree measurements, sampling strategy, choice of an allometric model and satellite imageries.In South Asia, the standard errors of co-efficient of biomass equations and R2 are often depicted as indicators for the quality of volumeand biomass equations. The Studies on error propagation in biomass estimates are scarce. Monte Carlo analysis, Pseudo-meta-analysis and Bayesian model averaging have been investigated to address the issues of error propagation in biomass estimation. Among these Bayesian model averaging appears to be a promising technique.Keywords
Biomass, Error Propagation, Allometric Equation, Monte Carlo Analysis, Pseudo-Meta-Analysis and Bayesian Model.- Status of Forest Biomass and Carbon Stock Assessment in South Asia
Abstract Views :181 |
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Authors
Affiliations
1 Southern Regional Station, National Dairy Research Institute, Bangalore, IN
2 Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Kerala, IN
3 Food and Agricultural Organization, Rome, IT
1 Southern Regional Station, National Dairy Research Institute, Bangalore, IN
2 Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Kerala, IN
3 Food and Agricultural Organization, Rome, IT
Source
Indian Forester, Vol 142, No 1 (2016), Pagination: 81-85Abstract
In this paper, the status of forest biomass and carbon stock assessment in South Asia has been reviewed based on the reports of Forest Resource Assessment (FRA) -2010 published by FAO. The quality of the data reported to FAO is medium to high. The countries heavily depend on growing stock volume from National Forest Inventory reports for biomass and carbon estimation. While the National Forest Inventory is being carried out in India at regular intervals, other countries are attempting or in the process of undertaking periodic forest inventory. Besides updating the existing database of volume and biomass allometric equations, the regional/country specific biomass and carbon conversion factors are required to improve the present biomass and carbon estimates.Keywords
Forest Biomass, Carbon Stock, South Asia.- TMIS:A Decision Support System for Monitoring and Forecasting Prices of Timber Logs
Abstract Views :208 |
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Authors
Affiliations
1 Southern Regional Station,ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bangalore, IN
2 Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, IN
1 Southern Regional Station,ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Bangalore, IN
2 Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, IN
Source
Indian Forester, Vol 142, No 4 (2016), Pagination: 346-354Abstract
The timber market in developing countries is unorganized and there is no proper system available to track the timber market trends. The aim of the study was to develop a computer based decision support system to monitor the timber prices. This system is called as Timber Market Intelligence System (TMIS). In order to monitor the prices of various timber species, timber price indices were constructed using three approaches viz., Laspeyre's, Pasche's and Fisher's Price Index and implemented in TMIS. The price forecast models were also incorporated. The TMIS was demonstrated using the timber price data of Timber Sales Depots of Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department for the period 2005 to 2009. The results indicated that one of the three price index approaches is sufficient to track the teak prices. A simple aggregate price index was found useful in the case of other species Artocarpus hirsutus, Grewia tiliifolia, Xylia xlocarpa, Terminelia paniculata, Terminelia bellirica, Terminelia tomentosa and Largerstroemia microcarpa. The maximum growth in teak prices was observed during the period 2006 to 2007 and only a marginal increase was observed from the year 2008 onwards. The annual growth rate in the prices of teak was lower as compared to other timber species.Keywords
Timber Market Intelligence, Timber Price Index, Timber Depots.- Evaluation of Line Transect Sampling Technique in Estimating Elephant Abundance in Forests Using Dung Survey
Abstract Views :600 |
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Authors
Affiliations
1 Southern Regional Station, National Dairy Research Institute, Bangalore, IN
2 Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Thrissur District 680 653 Kerala, IN
1 Southern Regional Station, National Dairy Research Institute, Bangalore, IN
2 Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Thrissur District 680 653 Kerala, IN
Source
Indian Forester, Vol 142, No 10 (2016), Pagination: 959-964Abstract
Line transect sampling technique is widely applied for estimating the biological population in forests. Recently, this technique has been in use for the estimation of elephant abundance using dung survey. The method of transforming dung count into elephant density requires dung density, which is corrected by defecation and decay rate. In this paper, the performance of the line transect sampling technique (LTS) in dung surveys with particular reference to variation in the number of detections of dung piles caused by annual rainfall variability was evaluated. The data set for this purpose was from the estimation of elephant population in the State of Kerala during the years 2005, 2007 and 2010, covering about 9000 km2. The study showed that the presence of dung piles and its detection probability were dependent on the level of rainfall in the two months preceding the date of dung survey. However, the LTS could provide comparable dung density estimates under the highly varying number of dung piles present in the area due to differences in the annual rainfall pattern.Keywords
Distance Sampling, Detection Probability, Elephant Density, Rainfall Variability.References
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