Community structure and regeneration status of Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.) forests of Dadeldhura district, Western Nepal

Bhatta, Suresh Prashad and Devkota, Anjana (2020) Community structure and regeneration status of Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.) forests of Dadeldhura district, Western Nepal. Community Ecology, 21 (2). pp. 191-201. ISSN 1585-8553

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Abstract

Community structure and regeneration are the determinant factors for the sustainability of forests. The present study aims to: (1) know the community structure and regeneration of Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.)-dominated community forests at two developmental stages (age of forests after community management) of Dadeldhura District of western Nepal and (2) know the impacts of management duration on forest regeneration. Vegetation data were collected from 105 square plots (100, 25 and 4 m2 ) applying a nested quadrat method. Forty-two tree species belonging 34 genera and 20 families and 41 shrub species belonging 35 genera and 24 families were recorded. Sal was the dominant species, while Dipterocarpaceae was the dominant family of the forests. Per hectare, there were 4408 plants, 15.4 m 2 basal area, 15,905 seedlings, 1876 saplings and 1287 trees. Seedling, sapling and tree density and size class distribution curve indicate the satisfactory regeneration status of the forest with a stable population. Regeneration was affected by species richness, canopy cover, soil pH and nitrogen. Density and regeneration were higher in the forest at the developmental stage of 20 years than the forest at the developmental stage of 10 years.

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