Poor regeneration of Brown Oak (Quercus semecarpifolia Sm.) in high altitudes: A case study from Tungnath, Western Himalaya

Abstract

This study was carried out in the timberline zone of Tungnath, Chopta region of the Chamoli District in India at eight altitudinal zones from 2,500 to 3,200 m, where the regeneration of Brown Oak was found to be very low. The data were obtained during the rainy season (August-September, 2016) by making counts of mature trees, saplings and seedlings in survey plots (50 × 50 m) at each of the eight altitudes. The results show a low regeneration of Brown Oak (Quercus semecarpifolia Sm.). Three of the eight elevation zones (38%) were categorized as having fair regeneration, four (50 %) were categorized as poor, and one site had no regeneration. However, at some elevations, there were substantial numbers of seedlings (such as the highest density of 350,000 ha-1 was at an altitude of 2,800 m). This indicates that at this geographic region of Chamoli, where there is increasing annual temperatures and evidence of reduced precipitation, seedlings (though sometimes abundant) fail to survive and mature into saplings; thus, creating a threat to the survival of the Brown Oak in the near future unless remedial action is taken to ensure its conservation.   Key words: Biogeography, climate change, ecology of Tungnath forests, human livelihood, seedling survival, tree conservation.