Broadleaved

The high savanna forests corresponding to the general seral type "tropical moist deciduous forests" of Champion and Seth are commonly found in the southern part of the Terai. Scattered trees of the early succession on new riverine soils, belonging almost exclusively to fire hardy species, are often of good height and stand over a very dense and tall grass layer. Among the grasses Themeda spp., Erianthus spp. and Saccharum spp. are characteristic. Common tree species are semal (Bombax ceiba), siris (Albizia procera), gamhari (Gmelina arborea) and gutel (Trewia nudiflora).

Alder forests are almost pure stands, 20 to 30 m high, occurring as strips of varying width interspersed by cultivation along stream sides. The type corresponds to the seral type "Himalayan moist temperate forests" of Champion and Seth. An understorey may or may not be present. Alnus nepalensis and Trema orientalis are characteristic species.

Birch/fir forests, corresponding to "sub-alpine forests" of Champion and Seth, occur above 3 000 m. Small crooked trees or large shrubs with patches of dominant coniferous trees (generally Abies, sometimes Pinus wallichiana) represent the type. The trees tend to be low, branchy and densely leaved. Birch (Betula utilis) is the only typical broadleaved tree to develop a fairly clean bole, all the others have crooked and branchy stems. The conifers rarely reach 30 m height except in sheltered spots and the broadleaved trees are usually 6 to 10 m high. In addition to birch and fir, many species of Rhododendron are often present.

last updated: Wednesday, October 6, 2004