PJB-2019-410
Quantitative description, present status and future trend of conifer forests growing in the Indus Kohistan region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Adam Khan, Moinuddin Ahmed, Afsheen Khan, Muhammad Faheem Siddiqui, Mohib Shah and Ali Hazrat
Abstract
Forest structure unlocks our understanding of species distribution, function, history, and future prospects of an ecosystem. In this study, for determination of present status and future trend, the conifer forests of Indus Kohistan were quantitatively analyzed. Cedrus deodara, Pinus wallichiana, Abies pindrow, and Picea smithiana were the most common species, whereas Taxus wallichiana and Pinus gerardiana were observed in two and one sampling stands respectively. The Pinus wallichiana-deodar located in Semo dara forest occupied the highest density (461 plants ha-1), whereas the highest basal area was occupied by Kolai forest (192.42 m2ha-1) with similar floristic composition. The lowest density (215.71 plants ha-1) and basal area (45.71 m2ha-1) occupying forests were recorded from the Sharakot and Pattan sampling sites respectively. The pure forest of Cedrus deodara demonstrates a maximum number of trees in the medium and large size classes. Abies pindrow was observed in 11 sampling sites, showing the size class distribution in a haphazard way, whereas Picea smithiana showed a uniform distribution. Most of the forests revealed bell shape structures, indicating the highest individuals in the medium size classes, while fewer individuals in the small and old size classes. The gaps in the size class distribution indicating anthropogenic disturbance. Our findings show that regeneration potential and deforestation in the Indus Kohistan region are at an alarming rate, which needs prompt action for protection
To Cite this article:
Khan, A., M. Ahmed, A. Khan, M.F. Siddiqui, M. Shah and A. Hazrat. 2021. Quantitative description, present status and future trend of conifer forests growing in the Indus Kohistan region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Pak. J. Bot., 53(4): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2021-4(10)
Download
