Assessment of Plant Composition, Diversity and Regeneration Status in Different Altitudes of Narendra Nagar Forest Division, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

The present study assessed plant composition, species diversity and regeneration status along altitudinal gradients in Narendra Nagar Forest Division, Uttarakhand, India. The study was conducted under the Bhagirathi Circle, Garhwal Mandal, across three altitudinal zones: lower altitude (400–800 m), middle altitude (800–1200 m) and upper altitude (1200–1600 m). Vegetation was enumerated using quadrats for trees, shrubs and herbs, and regeneration status was assessed through the occurrence of seedlings, saplings and adult trees. At the lower altitude, 14 tree species, 9 shrub species and 7 herb species were recorded. The middle altitude represented 12 tree species, 7 shrub species and 6 herb species, whereas the upper altitude showed comparatively lower numbers of trees, saplings and seedlings. The Simpson diversity index was higher for the herb and shrub layers at the lower and middle altitudes, while at the upper altitude it was highest for the tree layer (0.38), followed by the herb (0.24) and shrub layers (0.20). The Shannon diversity index showed higher values for the tree, shrub and herb layers at the lower and middle altitudes than at the upper altitude. Regeneration varied among species and sites, indicating the need for altitude-specific conservation and management attention in the studied forest division.