S. S. BIR, G. S. CHATHA Forest Vegetation Characteristics of Indian Hills Palni Hills (South India)

Annotation

With the ever decreasing vegetation cover in India, the study offorest elements from evolutionary view point becomes imperative. Thebeginning in this direction was made by P.N. Mehra and his studentsfrom Panjab University, Chandigarh when during the sixties, theyinvestigated the broad leaved tree elements of Kumaon region inwestern Himalayas and Assam/Meghalaya region in easternHimalayas. The outstanding contributions made by this team promptedother workers to undertake such studies in the future years. One activegroup established itself at Punjabi University, Patiala and woodyelements of Garhwal Himalayan and central Indian forests wereinvestigated. Such studies were extended to south Indian regions by usin the year 1980. As a consequence of intensive survey of Palni hillsforests for four years, the present account dealing primarily withwoody taxa has been compiled with a view to making a permanentrecord of the fast disappearing forest systems of India All this isintended to make an imprint on the minds of botanists, foresters,naturalists and conservationists in respect of the richness of our forests.