Dakshina Kannada

The forests of Dakshina Kannada are of the evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous type. Tropical evergreen forests are confined to the higher elevations. The canopy is unbroken, extremely dense and almost evergreen. The important species are Dipterocarpus indicus , Hopea parviflora , veteria indica , and artocarpus fracinifolicus and mangefera indica. Semi-evergreen forests occur on the Ghat slopes below the evergreen forests. Epiphytes and ferns are abundant. The undergrowth is very dense and the dominant species are Terminalia paniculata, langerstroemia lanceolata , Cinnamon species etc. Southern bamboo brakes are found in the drained hollows in the evergreen tract. Canebrakes occur in the evergreen and semi evergreen areas where the soil is permanently wet and rich in clay and humus. Lateritic semi-evergreen forests occur in the soils characterised by the presence of Xylia xylocarpa. Moist mixed deciduous forests is found in the Ghat forest towards the western part of the district. The important species are Terminalia paniculata , Bombax ceiba , Mangifera indica , Dalbergia latifolia , Xylia xylocarpa etc. Secondary evergreen dipterocarp forests occur in the coastal plains below the Western Ghats with an even and typically dense canopy. Hopea parviflora grows gregariously. Vateria indica , Diospyrosa microphylla are also found.

The extent of forest cover of this district is given in table 22

Table 22: Forest Cover of Dakshina Kannada District

The forests of this district are managed under two divisions- Mangalore and Kundapur.

Mangalore division

The forests of this division are spread across the revenue taluks of Mangalore district. Forests account for 23% of the total land area in the division. The forest types found in this division vary from coastal scrub type to wet evergreen Ghat forests. They are unevenly distributed, being mostly confined to a continuous stretch of area along the western slope of the Ghats and are being scarce in the densely populated areas towards the coast. The productivity per hectare is low which is inherent due to heterogeneous character of these forests where only certain species are valuable. The forests of this division were originally of evergreen type, but degradation has led to gradual changes in the vegetation types encouraging the growth of secondary deciduous species. The semi-evergreen forests are intermediate between the evergreen and the moist deciduous forests. The commonly found species are Terminalia Paniculata , Diospyros species, Lagerstroemia lanceolata , Lophopetalum wightianum , Machitus macarantha , Cinnamonum species, Hopea Parviflora , Mangifera indica , Artocarpus hirsuta , Holigarna arnottina etc. The reserve forests of Charmady, Subramanya, Kidu, Konaje, Bagimale, Mundaje, kapu, Kombar, Mujur, Kilarmale, Nalkur, Shirady-Shisshila, Miyar, Pandur etc are major evergreen to semi-evergreen forests. These forests are located on the crest of the Western Ghats.

The southern secondary moist mixed evergreen forests extend in the western part of the division. The common trees of this forest type are Terminalia paniculata , Bombax ceiba , Mangifera indica , Dalbergia latifolia , Adina cordifolia, Dillenia pentagyna, Schleichera oleosa, Alstonica Scholaris , Xylia xylocarpa , Lagerstroemia lanceolata . Bamboos are absent in this forest type. Semi-evergreen forests occur on lateritic soils and are characterized by the presence of Xylia xylocarpa. Other species are Pterocarpus marsupium , Terminalia species, Careya arborea etc.

West Coast secondary evergreen forests are found on the plains below the Western Ghats. Hopea parviflora grows gregariously in this region. Scrub type of forests is confined towards the coast. The trees are of deciduous nature and stunted growth, forming open scrub forest. Canebrakes and bamboo brakes are also found in this region. To meet the fuel demand of the local population, fuel wood plantations are also raised outside the forest department comprising of Acacia auriculiformis and Casuarina covering 3331.59 ha. The rotation age fixed for Acacia auriculiformis and Casuarina is 9 years.

Kundapur division

The forests of this division lie mostly within Udupi district. Small portion of Venoor and Mudbidere ranges come under Belthangady and Mangalore taluks of Mangalore district. West coasts tropical evergreen forests are confined to the higher elevations in the Ghat region. The major areas in this type, especially those in Meginavalley, Nadibare, Mettukallugudde and Andar reserves, were subjected to Kumri cultivation in the past and the present crop consists of secondary re-growth of softwood evergreens. The semi-evergreen type of vegetation is confined to the Ghat slopes, below the evergreen zone. Some of the important species of this region are Dipterocarpus indicus , Poeciloneuron indicum , Calophyllum tomentosum , Hopea parviflora , Machilus macarantha , Palaquium ellipticum , Acrocarpus fraxinifolius , Bischofia javanica , Eugenia gradneri etc. West Coast secondary evergreen forests, Lateritic semi-evergreen forests, Southern secondary moist mixed deciduous forests, lateritic scrub forest and dry grasslands are also found in this region. The total extent of fuelwood plantation in this division is 3363.46 ha. This includes only pure Acacia and Casurina plantations.

The limits of Dharwad forest division are the same as that of the revenue district extending over the taluks of Dharwad, Hubli, Khalghatgi, Kundgol and Navalgund. The rainfall varies considerably from the western boundary of the division towards the east. There is also a gradual change in the composition of the forests. The better forests are found in the western part of the division adjoining to Uttara Kannada districts. Thorny scrub and blank areas with Dodonea viscose and Cassia auriculata are found in the eastern part of the division. The forests in the west (Khalgatgi and Dhundasi ranges) abutting the high forests of the Yellapur division in Uttara Kannada are the best forest of Dharwad division. This forest belt extends along the boundary of Uttara Kannada district as a narrow belt up to Hanagal range of Haveri division.

Small patches of secondary dry deciduous forests are also found scattered in this division, though they are not very distinct. Tree growth is abundant in-groups and is separated by grassy blanks and Lantana patches. Inventory results have shown poor growing stock, low basal area and unsatisfactory regeneration status of these forests. About 1366.06 ha of plantations are raised in this division to meet the fuel wood demand of the people.

Most of the areas in the districts are almost treeless. The distribution of the forests is generally scattered and found in patches. These forests are mostly situated on hills and undulating countryside, which are considered unfit for cultivation. The floristic composition of the forest covers mainly Shirahatti, Mundargi and Gadag Kappat hill ranges. The forests of this region are mostly of the Southern Forest types, according to the Champion and Seth classification. The species that are found are Acacia lantronum , Acacia leucophloea and also Acacia arabica.

Haveri

The limits of Haveri forest division are the same as that of the newly formed haveri district comprising of Haveri, Rannebennur, Byadgi, Hirekerur, Hanagal, Shigoan and Savanur taluks. The distribution of forests in this division is uneven. The forests in the west in Hanagal taluk abutting Uttara Kannada district are the best in the division. In Hirur section, Hanamanhoppa beat has good dry deciduous type of forests comprising of Terminalia tomentosa, Lagerstroemia lanceolata , Pterocarpus marsupium , Terminalia paniculata and Tectona grandis . On moving from west to east in the division mixed deciduous forests are found. They are stunted and occur in Hanagal range and small areas of Hirekerur range. In the Hirur section of the Hanagal range dry deciduous type of forests comprising of Terminalia tomentosa , Anogeissus latifolia , Adina cortifolia , Terminalia paniculata and Tectona grandis are found. The eastern part of the division comprising of Ranebennur, Haveri and Byadgi ranges receive very less rainfall and are subjected to extreme biotic pressures. The forests in these regions are essentially scrub forests. The species found in these forests are Acacia latronum , Acacia leucophloea and occasionally Arabica arabica . The Boswellia forests are found to a limited extent in Hirekerur range. They are confined to the upper slopes and ridges of hill ranges. Secondary dry deciduous forests are also seen on the once cultivated lands. The species composition is the same except that tree growth is separated by grassy blanks and Lantana patches.

•  A forest inventory study of this area revealed that:

•  Most of the lands were degraded

•  Shift in vegetation from dry deciduous type to scrub type

•  Regeneration is unsatisfactory

The species wise composition of these forests is given in table 21.

Table 23: Species-wise Composition of forests in Haveri Division

(Haveri Division Working Plan)

To improve the degraded lands, afforestation has been taken up on a large scale by the State Forest department, covering a total area of 12155.135 ha of forest area, 2177.82 ha of non-forest Government lands. The prime objectives are to bring the open lands under vegetation (check soil erosion), to improve land productivity and also encourage people's participation.

To sustain productivity, the rotation period for Eucalyptus and Acacia plantations have been fixed to be 10 years and 8 years respectively.

The total area of bamboo bearing forests is 1600.ha, mostly composing of the species Bambusa bambos . A felling cycle of 10 years has been prescribed.

Gulbarga

The limits of this forest division are the same as that of Gulbarga revenue district except for thirty villages of Chincholi taluk, which are included in the neighbouring Bidar forest division. Southern mixed dry deciduous forests are confined to the Chincholi range in the Northeast of the district. Some important species of this region are Terminalia tomentosa , Diospyros melanoxylon , Azadirachta india , Pterocarpus marsupium etc. Inventory results reveal fairly dense forest to be concentrated around Chincholi, Antawaram, Lachmasagar, K.Sangapur, Shadipur, Buruguddi and Dharmasagara reserved forests of Chincholi range. The canopy density in Chincholi forests is around 40%. Tectona grandis , Anogeissus latifolia , Madhuca indica, Boswellia serrata form the major stand. Open scrub forests are found on Ashnal, Sankanoor, Yergola, Chintalpalli, Nazarapur, Minaspur and Kompalli forest blocks in yadgiri, Shorapur and Gulbarga ranges. These forests are burnt annually to extend the area under cultivation. The southern tropical thorn forests are open low forests in which thorny and hard wood species predominate, Acacia species being particularly characteristic. Southern thorn forests are spread over Yadgir, Gulbarga and Chincholi ranges. Acacia catechu is the predominant species.

Growing stock inventory carried out in the natural forests and plantations of the division reveals a canopy density of 40% in Chincholi forests constituted by Tectona grandis, Anogeissus latifolia , Madhuca indica and Boswellia serrata . The estimated growing stock of these forests is 14.679 cum/ha. The average number of stems per hectare is 462 with a basal area of 5.192 m 2 /ha. The forest blocks in Yadgiri, Shorapur and Gulbarga were reported to be in a highly degraded. The average growing stock in these forests is 0.680 cum per hectares. Average number of stems per hectare is 172 with an average basal area of 0.487 meters per hectare.

As an effort to increase the forest cover, social forestry was initiated since 1984, with plantations being raised in the C and D type lands. The total extent of plantations raised in the district till ‘99 is 23,422.285 ha. The yield of these plantations is not exactly known. The plantations existing are not uniform in distribution, stocking and yield. The average growing stock is low at 2.00 cum./ha. The extractable volume is estimated to be around 10,150cu.m. Eucalyptus is the major constituent of the extractable volume at 9200 cu.m, followed by Acacia auriculiformis at 550 cu.m. Under the afforestation programme, highly degraded forests are to be replanted with species of Azadirachta indica, Eucalyptus,Acacia, Ficus etc.

Madikeri

Madikeri forest division comprises of madikeri, Bhagamandala, Sampaje, Somvarpet, Kushalnagar and Shanivarasanthe ranges coming under the Madikeri and Somvarpet taluks of Kodagu district. The forests of the Madikeri division are mostly confined to the hilly regions. In parts of Madikeri and Somvarpet taluks, there are fairly good forests in the plains and are mostly moist deciduous to dry deciduous. These are valuable forests of Teak and associates. According to Champion and Seth classification, evergreen, semi evergreen and moist deciduous forests are found in this region. Thorn forests are distributed at the fringes of Madikeri division, along the district boundaries of Hassan and Mysore district. Acacia and Euphorbia species predominate.

As per the survey conducted by the Forest Survey of India the following points were brought out:

•  Around 92.6% of the forest is natural forest of seed origin while 6.78% is man made forest.

•  Regeneration is absent in 17.24% of the area and is inadequate 32.18% of area.

•  Bamboo is present in 440 km 2 , out of which 30 km 2 is dense pure crop.

•  The growing stock of the district is 179.58 cum/ha.

•  The contribution of the species viz. Tectona grandis (5.44%), Veteria indica (3.52%), Terminali cremulata (3.21%) and Langerstroemia lanceolata (3.21%) is more than 3% of the growing stock.

A total of 2922.82 ha of teak plantation is found in this division. The rotation of teak in this area is fixed as 120 years and 6 thinning are prescribed at the age of 6 th , 12 th , 20 th , 28th, 38th, 48th, and 50 th years. The extent of Bamboo in this division is 13487.55 ha. For which a felling cycle of 3 years has been prescribed. Plantations of Eucalyptus, Acacia, Casuarina, Silveroak and Cashew are also raised in this division. These plantations are raised in both forest and non-forest lands. The MAI in volume the mixed plantation varies from 1.3cum/ha-3.5cum/ha. The MAI in diameter varies with age and locality from 0.4cm/year to 0.8cm/year. Till the 80's Eucalyptus was the major fuelwood species. Since then Casuarina , Acacia auriculiformis and silveroak are used. A rotation period of 10 years is prescribed for these plantations, and 12 years for Eucalyptus plantations. This division also has 4229.62 ha of Devarakadus, which are under the threat of encroachment as the areas are suitable for the cultivation of coffee.

Virajpet

The forests of this division extend over the taluks Virajpet and Somvarpet taluks of Kodagu district. In this division, four types of forests are prevalent. Moist Tropical Wet Evergreen forests are found mainly in the Kerti and Padinalknad reserved forests. The predominant species are Dysoxylum malabaricum , Dipterocarpus indicus , Hopea parviflora , Mesua ferrea , Sterculia alata , Canarium strictum , Calophyllum tomentosum , Vateria indica etc.

Moist tropical semi-evergreen forests are found on the foothills of the Ghats. The common tree species are Xylia xylocarpa , Terminalia paniculata , Langerstroemia lanceolata , Hopea parviflora etc. The moist deciduous forests occur in the Devamachi and Mavukal reserved forests. The important species found are Bambusa bamboos , Dalbergia latifolia , Terminalia paniculata, Terminalia tomentosa , Tectona grandis , Bombax ceiba and Anogeissus latifolia and Xylia xylocarpa . The dry deciduous forests are found in the degraded portions of Devamachi and Mavukal reserved forests. Main species of this type are Anogeissus latifolia , Terminalia chebula, Terminalia tomentosa , Terminalia paniculata and Zizyphus xylocarpus.

•  The inventory of forest resources carried out by the Forest Survey of India reveals that

•  75% of the area is covered with dense forest and about 15% is covered with open forests with canopy density 5%to 30%.

•  Miscellaneous crop composition exists for 90.96 %.

•  The forests of the district contain 31.25% big timber, 15.34% small timber, 9.09% pole crop, 42.61% mixed size classes and 1.7-% regeneration crop.

•  In 17.24% area regeneration is absent and in 32.18% it is inadequate.

•  Tectona grandis , Vateria indica , Terminalia crenulata and Lagerstroemia lanceolata contribute to the growing stock.

•  The composition of the crop in the district is 90.96% miscellaneous, 8.47% teak and 0.56% bamboo.

•  The average green growing stock of bamboo per hectare comes to about 13.3 tonnes. About 13.7% of the total growing stock consist of dry and damaged culms.

The total area of Teak plantation in this division is 2309.4 ha.

The limits of this forest division coincide with that of Kolar district. The forests of this division are of the dry deciduous (40% of the forest area) and scrub type. Poor quality bamboo is present in some pockets. Grass is conspicuous, herbs are scattered and climbers are few. The common trees found in this region are Anogeissus latifolia , Terminalia tomentosa , Chloroxylon sweitenia , Santalum album , Melia composita, Acacia catechu , Hardwickia binata, Cassia fistula , Diospyros montana and Diospyros melanoxylon .