Tree Diversity in the Shola Forests of Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, India

Abstract

Tree species composition and structure of the shola forest ecosystem were studied through 25 random quadrats of size 20 m × 20 m across the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, India. Sixty-five tree species (47 genera and 35 families) were enumerated with a stand density of 1507 (?1 cm DBH) trees in 1 ha area. The Shannon’s, Simpson and Fisher’s alpha diversity indices were 3.654, 0.960 and 15.471 respectively for the area studied. The basal area of trees inventoried was 31.19 m2 ha-1. Seventeen species were endemic (26%) to the Western Ghats. Symplocos cochinchinensis showed dominance in terms of density, followed by Celtis philippensis, Elaeocarpus serratus, Ligustrum robustum, and Cinnamomum malabatrum. Lauraceae was identified as the most speciose family with a total of 11 species, followed by Rubiaceae (6 species). The lower diameter class (?10cm DBH) individuals were having higher proportion (67% (1007 individuals)) than that of the adult class (500 individuals) which indicated that the forest shows a good regeneration potential. However, few species including two endemic species have poor regeneration status. This enlightens that a thorough understanding of those species’ regeneration potential is warranted in order to carry out proper management plans and conservation.