Question

Which are the most widespread forests in India?

Answer 1

Hint: India’s forests cover 23.28 percentage of the total land in India. There is a difference between forest area and forest cover because they are two different concepts. Forest area and forest cover varies from state to state.

Complete answer: The vegetation that has been left undisturbed for a very long period of time so that species gets themselves adjusted to the climate and soil is known as Natural vegetation. The forests that are found in India are: The Tropical Evergreen forests, Deciduous forests, Dry deciduous forests, Mountain forests, Tidal or Mangrove forests,Semi desert or desert vegetation.
The most widespread forests in India are the tropical deciduous forests. These forests are spread over areas that receive rainfall of 70-200 cm. These forests are divided into moist and dry on the basis of availability of water.
1. The Moist deciduous forests are found in areas with a rainfall of 100-200cm. The areas in which they are found includes: the foothills of the Himalayas, eastern slopes of the Western Ghats and Orissa.. Examples of trees are: Teak, Sal,mahua, amla, semul.
2. The Dry deciduous forests are found in areas of 70-100 cm of rainfall. The forests can be found in the rainier areas of the Peninsular region,and in the plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The trees include: Bel, Amaltas, Khair, axelwood and others. The leaves shed during the dry season leaving the forests naked like a grassland.

Note: The forests are very complexly related to human life and environment. They provide several benefits either directly and indirectly for the society as well as the economy. Therefore it is important for saving these forests for the wellbeing of the humankind. In 1952 the first post independence Forest Policy was drawn to preserve the forests of India.