Structure and Function of Oak Forests in Central Himalaya. I. Dry Matter Dynamics

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Abstract
The present study deals with structure and functioning of three areas of Himalayan oak forest. Low- and mid-altitude oaks, namely Quercus leucotrichophora, and Quercus floribunda, form predominant evergreen forests in Central and Western Himalaya. The total tree basal cover ranged between 33·89 m2 ha−1 (Q. floribunda site) to 36·83 m2 ha−1 (Q. leucotrichophora site). The density ranged between 570 and 760 individuals ha−1. Allometric equations relating biomass of different tree components to GBH (girth at breast height) were significant with the exception of leaf biomass in Q. leucotrichophora and Rhododendron arboreum. Total vegetation biomass (29·40−467·0 t ha−1) was distributed as 377·1 t ha−1 in trees, 5·40 t ha−1 in shrubs and 1·23 t ha−1 in herbs. Total forest floor biomass ranged between 4·6 and 6·2 t ha−1. Of the total annual litter fall (4·7−4·8 t ha−1), 77·5 % was contributed by leaf litter, 17·8 % by wood litter and 4·7 % by miscellaneous litter. Turnover rate of tree litter varied from 0·66 to 0·70. Net primary production of total vegetation ranged between 15·9 and 20·6 t ha−1 yr−1, of which the contribution of trees, shrubs and herbs was 81·2 %, 8·6 % and 10·2 %, respectively. A compartment model of dry matter on the basis of mean data across sites was developed to show dry matter storage and flow of dry matter within the system.