Forest observational studies in India: Past developments and considerations for the future

Tewari, VP and Sukumar, R and Kumar, Rajesh and von Gadow, K (2014) Forest observational studies in India: Past developments and considerations for the future. In: FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, 316 (SI). pp. 32-46.

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Abstract

Long term forest research sites in India, going by different names including Linear Tree Increment Plots, Linear Increment Plots, Linear Sample Plots and Permanent Preservation Plots, cover diverse plant communities and environmental conditions. Presently, some of these long-term observational studies are functional, some are disturbed and others have almost been lost. The accumulated data will become increasingly important in the context of environmental modelling and climate change, especially if the plots and data can be maintained and/or revived. This contribution presents the history and current state of forest research plots in India, including details of locations and re-measurements. We provide a brief introduction of the National Forest Inventory (NFI), Preservation Plots in natural forests, the 50-ha Mudumalai Forest Dynamics Plot as part of the Centre for Tropical Forest Science and Smithsonian Institution Global Earth Observatories network (CTFS-SIGEO), and research plots established in plantations for tree growth studies and modelling. We also present some methodological details including assessment and analysis for two types of observational studies, the Tree Count Plots (TCP) and Tree Re-measurement Plots (TRP). Arguments are presented in favour of enumeration and analysis methods which are consistent with current approaches in forest ecological research. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
Publisher:	ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
Additional Information:	Copyright for this article belongs to the ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV, NETHERLANDS
Keywords:	Preservation plots; Tree count plots; Tree re-measurement plots; Forest density and competition; Forest structure and diversity; Ecosystem dynamics
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences
Date Deposited:	13 May 2014 11:35
Last Modified:	13 May 2014 11:35
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/48979

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