Altitudinal variation of woody vegetation in Tirthan valley of great Himalayan national park at Kullu, Himachal Pradesh

A study of woody vegetation in the Tirthan Valley of Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh, revealed distinct altitudinal patterns. Tree density increased with elevation, peaking at 816.67 individuals per hectare in the upper zone (2500-3000 m), while shrub density decreased from 2866.67 to 1233.33 individuals per hectare across lower, mid, and upper zones. Dominant tree species varied by elevation: Pinus wallichiana in the lower zone (IVI 58.7), Picea smithiana in the mid zone (IVI 50.43), and Quercus semecarpifolia in the upper zone (IVI 70.79). Shrub dominance shifted from Desmodium triflorum to Indigofera heterantha and finally Rosa sericea. The research employed a stratified sampling approach, with 12 quadrats per elevation zone for trees and sub-quadrats for shrubs, identifying 58 tree and 98 shrub species. This study contributes to understanding altitudinal vegetation dynamics in high-altitude ecosystems.

Mohapatra, S. R., Sankhyan, Dr. H., Thakur, Dr. S., Naik, S. B., & Samantara, K. (2020). Altitudinal variation of woody vegetation in Tirthan valley of great Himalayan national park at Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. International Journal of Chemical Studies, 8(1), 1282–1288. https://doi.org/10.22271/chemi.2020.v8.i1r.8433