Impact of climate change on natural regeneration status of forest landscape in Damoh region of Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

Climate change is a reality which is also caused by human activities that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability. To quantify the changes in natural regeneration due to natural climate variability, a study was conducted in Damoh Forest Region covering over five decades. Out of 686 forest compartments in Damoh Forest Division, 42 forest compartments were studied covering 6.12% of the area. Changes in natural regeneration status were determined into three classes i.e. ‘improvement’, ‘deterioration’ and ‘unchanged’. Different categories of natural regeneration were termed as profuse, adequate, inadequate and poor. ‘Adequate’ regeneration has been recorded in the latest compartment history for only one compartment (compartment no. PF 236) of Damoh Forest Range. In the latest compartment histories of all the remaining 41 studied compartments, the regeneration status has been recorded as ‘inadequate’. There is no compartment having ‘profuse’ or ‘Poor’ category of regeneration status. Thus, natural regeneration in the study area is generally ‘Inadequate’. Out of 42 forest compartments, improvements in natural regeneration was found only in 06 compartments (14.28%), deterioration was observed in as many as 27 compartments (64.28%) and unchanged status of natural regeneration was found in 09 compartments (21.42%). Thus, there has been deterioration in the regeneration status in majority of the studied compartments. Both, climate and non-climatic factors might have been responsible for this deterioration. Restocking of forest is needed by seed sowing or planting of seedlings after timber harvest among climatic factors erratic and deficient rainfall could be the main factor.