An Ecological Audit of Teak Plantations in West Chandrapur Project Division

Abstract

The practice of clear felling of natural forests to establish teak plantation was suspended fearing loss of plant diversity. Ecological audit of teak plantations older than ten years was taken up by critical appraisal of teak plantation vis-a-vis bench marks like adjoining miscellaneous forests, forest nut subjected to clearfelling and forests in the Tadoba National Park. The study encompasses assessment of species spectrum, regeneration status, analytical characters like frequency, density and abundance and basal area. Community coefficient of above said communities has been worked out and compared. The study reveals that earlier apprehensions were ill-founded. This is attributed to safety measures like retention of original crop as section lines, retention of fruit trees in the clearfelled areas.