Vegetation Dynamics in Treeline Ecotone of Langtang National Park, Central Nepal

Gaire, Narayan Prasad; Dhakal, Yub Raj; Lekhak, HD; Bhuju, Dinesh Raj; Shah, Sameena

doi:10.3126/njst.v11i0.4132

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Lower belt of the forest was occupied by Abies spectabilis and Larix himalaica in our study site but in the dry Manang valley, central Nepal, lower belt was dominated by Abies spectabilis and Pinus wallichiana Lekhak 2007, Shrestha et al 2007). In a study, Gaire et al (2010) recorded six tree species from treeline ecotone of Langtang National Park, which is greater than our observation from Himalayan treeline.…”

Section: Community Structurecontrasting

confidence: 50%

Forest Structure and Regeneration Pattern of Betula Utilis D. Don in Manaslu Conservation Area, Nepal

2014

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Forest structure and regeneration of Betula utilis (D. Don) was studied in birch forest located in Samagaun valley (3500 -4000 m) of Manaslu Conservation Area. Vegetation sampling was done by quadrat method. Altogether 40 quadrats were sampled to determine the Importance Value Index (IVI) of tree species, and distribution pattern of seedlings and saplings. Regeneration was assessed by density -diameter curve. Four tree species were recorded from the forest. Betula utilis was the dominant tree species with the highest Importance Value Index (173.22) in mixed Betula forest and 262.96 in pure Betula forest and Abies spectabilis was the co -dominant species (65.95) in mixed Betula forest while Rhododendron campanulatum was the co-dominant species (37.03) in pure Betula forest. Density of Betula utilis increased with increase in elevation where as density of other tree species decreased with increase in elevation. Mixed Betula forest at lower elevation was young. The density diameter curve of the tree population of Betula utilis, both on mixed and pure forests, deviated slightly from the typical reverse J shaped structure and hence did not show the sustainable regeneration. The sapling density was higher than seedling density. The distribution of seedlings and saplings were not uniform among the sampling plots.

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Section: Community Structurecontrasting

confidence: 50%

Forest Structure and Regeneration Pattern of Betula Utilis D. Don in Manaslu Conservation Area, Nepal

2014

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“…Based on size class structure, the woody species can demonstrate three types of regeneration: unimodal, sporadic, and inversely J-shaped (Wangda and Ohshwa 2006). Gaire et al (2010) observed an inversely J-shaped size class distribution in the treeline ecotone of Langtang National Park. Maren et al (2015) found almost similar regeneration condition based on the dbh class distribution (inversely J-shaped) of Pinus wallichiana and Juniperus indica in the forests situated on the north and the south-facing slopes in the Manang Valley.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…The currently recorded tree density at the upper site was found to be both higher as well as lower than the one recorded in some other studies in the Himalayan region. Gaire et al (2010) found the average tree density of 734 stem/ha and the average basal area of 20.56 m 2 /ha in the treeline ecotone of Langtang National Park. In another study, Bhuju et al (2010) recorded a density of 445 stems/ha and total basal area of 11.2 m 2 /ha from the treeline region while a density of 1,034 stems/ha and a basal area of 18.6 m 2 /ha from the treeline region of the Sagarmatha National Park.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 89%

Population structure and distribution of Abies spectabilis (D. Don) in Central Nepal Himalaya: A comparison with the total woody vegetation of the forests at the three different elevation ranges in Manang District

Kharal

Bhuju

Gaire

et al. 2015

Banko

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Population structure and distribution of vegetation are often affected by elevation induced climate variation in the Himalaya. This research aims at assessing the population structure and distribution of Abies spectabilis in three different elevation sites within the forests areas in Manang District of central Nepal. Vegetation sampling was conducted during Sept-Oct 2012 and the population information of all the woody vegetation from a total of 59 concentric circular sampling plots of 10 m radii along the transect line were collected. The middle elevation site was characterized by the highest density of seedlings (15,044/ha), saplings (1,629/ha), poles (272/ha) and trees (179/ha) of all woody vegetation. In this elevation, the highest proportion was contributed by A. spectabilis (54%) at combined-level in spite of the lack of large-sized stems (dbh > 70 cm). The proportion of A. spectabilis stem was nearly one-fourth of all the woody vegetation while its lowest proportion (15.5%) was found at the lower elevation at combined-level. On the contrary, its basal area proportion was nearly the half of all the woody vegetation at the lower elevation site, nearly one-third at the middle elevation site and less than 10% at the upper elevation site. There was a significant variation in mean density and basal areas of all stem categories among the sampled sites except the seedling density of all the woody vegetation between the lower and the middle elevations. The stem distribution of all the woody vegetation including A. spectabilis demonstrated the characteristics of normal (sustainable) forest in Manang District. The presence of only small-sized trees with good recent regeneration of A. spectabilis in the upper treeline ecotone revealed stand densification as well as its potential for upward migration in response to environmental change including climate change in future.Banko Janakari; A Journal of Forestry Information for Nepal Vol. 25, No. 1Page: 3-14

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“…Forests that have a bell-shaped DBH distribution lack old and young trees [81][82][83]. Therefore, such forests are unsustainable and reflect population decline caused by external disturbances [84,85]. An inverse J-shaped DBH distribution appears because of high initial mortality of young trees [85].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of Abies nephrolepis Seedlings in Relation to Environmental Factors in Seorak Mountain, South Korea

Kim¹,

Lim

Yun

2019

Forests

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We present novel evidence of environmental drivers of seedling density in Abies nephrolepis, an alpine and subalpine tree species. Continuous monitoring of natural conditions is required to understand forest ecosystem dynamics. We investigated Abies nephrolepis seedling dynamics in relation to biotic and abiotic factors. The survey, which included the measurement of trees and seedlings, was carried out from March to October in 2016 and 2018. Monitoring sites in the coniferous forests of Seorak Mountain were divided into 27 quadrats. We analyzed relationships using simple and multiple linear regression. The majority of Abies nephrolepis individuals had a diameter at breast height less than l0 cm, and the number of seedlings increased over the study period. This reflects survival and growth due to successive annual mast seeding events. Aspect direction (R2 = 0.201, p < 0.05), rock exposure (R2 = 0.364, p < 0.001), canopy openness (R2 = 0.322, p < 0.05), herbaceous cover (R2 = 0.268, p < 0.01), and basal area (R2 = 0.199, p < 0.05) show significant linear relationships with seedling density. Seedling density was positively related to rock exposure, canopy openness, and species richness, and there was a negative relationship between herbaceous cover and basal area (p < 0.0001). The relative importance of predictor variables was as follows: Rock exposure (40.3%), canopy openness (30.2%), basal area (13.9%), herbaceous cover (11.5%), and species richness (4.1%). Seedling density was most strongly influenced by the presence of large rocks, which provide shelter from harsh winds and a substrate for moss. We conclude that appropriate canopy openness creates a synergistic relationship. We found a positive association between the Abies nephrolepis seedling density in subalpine forests and certain physical environmental factors. Therefore, environmental gradients about the roles of rocks and canopies apply, even in this habitat.

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Vegetation Dynamics in Treeline Ecotone of Langtang National Park, Central Nepal

Cited by 15 publications

References 16 publications

Forest Structure and Regeneration Pattern of Betula Utilis D. Don in Manaslu Conservation Area, Nepal

Forest Structure and Regeneration Pattern of Betula Utilis D. Don in Manaslu Conservation Area, Nepal

Population structure and distribution of Abies spectabilis (D. Don) in Central Nepal Himalaya: A comparison with the total woody vegetation of the forests at the three different elevation ranges in Manang District

Dynamics of Abies nephrolepis Seedlings in Relation to Environmental Factors in Seorak Mountain, South Korea

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