On Forest Resources of Darjeeling District
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For Official Use Only REPORT ~, ON FOREST RESOURCES OF DARJEELING DISTRICT FOREST SURVEY OF INDIA EASTERN ZONE CALCUTTA 1997 For olnclal use only REPORT ON FOREST RESOURCES OF DARJEELING DISTRICT FOREST SURVEY OF INDIA EASTERN ZONE CALCUTTA 1997 PART -I (MAIN REPORT WITH MAPS,CHARTS & DIAGRAMS) PREFACE This report presents information and data on Stale of Forest Resources in Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The report is based on forest inventory carried out by the Forest Survey Of India in 1992-93. It gives the details of the area surveyed, methodology adopted, results/ findings and comparison with fast survey results. The last inventory was carried out. during 1974 in high forest areas of Singalila and Tonglu ranges of the district. Another plantation survey was carried out in Darjeeling and Kalimpong Divisions in the year 1981-83, with a different emphasis. Thus, the present report pertains to the first complete inventory of forest resources in the district. The recorded forest area of Darjeeling district is 1204 sq.kms., constituting 38.23% of the total geographical area. The per capita forest area in the district is only 0.0926 ha. The total growing stock of forest in the entire district is estimated at 14.98 million cubic meters. The number of stems per hectare is estimated at 238. The growing stock of these forests is 124.48 m 3/ha. The staff of Eastern Zone of Forest Survey Of India who were entrusted with carrying out the inventory work and bringing out the report in this form, deserve appreciation. The cooperation and help extended by State Forest Department, West Bengal, is thankfully acknowledged. It is hoped that the report will provide necessary inputs for the forest resource management and development planning in the area. ( Dr. S.N. Rai ) Director. CONTENTS Para Page No. ~ FOREST INVENTORY AT A GLANCE (DARJEELING DISTRICT) CHAPTER: I INTRODUCTION: General 1.0 1 Situation and boundary of project area 1.1 1 Brief history of the area 1.2 1 Physical features 1.3 2 Geology, rock and soil 1.4 3 Climate, rainfall,temperature and humidity 1.5 4 Forests 1.6 5 Forest cover 1.6.1 6 landuse categories 1.7 7 Area,populalion and socio-economic profiJe 1.8 8 CHAPTER: II DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY: Maps 2.1 13 Gridding of maps 2.2 13 Precision and accuracy ot survey 2.3 14 Marking of plot centre 2.4 14 laying out of the plot 2.5 14 Data collection 2.6 14 Plot approach form 2.6.1 15 Plot description form 2.6.2 15 Plot enumeration form 2.6.3 15 Sample tree form 2.6.4 16 Bamboo enumeration and bamboo weight 2.6.5 16 CHAPTER: III DATA PROCESSING AND COMPILATION: Data processing 3.1 17 Manual processing 3.1.1 17 Processing on Electronic Computer 3.1.2 17 Are a 3.2 18 Calculaliuon of growing stock 3.3 18 . Volume table 3.3.1 18 Tree volume 3.3.2 19 Plot volume 3.3.3 20 Stand tables 3.4 20 Analysis of growing stock 3.5 20 Err a r computation 9. 6 20 ( ii) Para Page No. No. CHAPTER: IV RESULTS OF THE INVENTORY: P.D.F.Analysis (Analysis of Plot Description Form) 4.1 21 Distribution of forest by landuse classes 4.1.1 22 Distribution of forest area by legal status 4.1.2 22 Distribution of forest area by topography 4.1.3 23 Distribution of forest area by aspect 4.1.4 23 Distribution of forest area by slope 4.1.5 23 Distribution of forest area by rockiness 4.1.6 24 Distribution of forest area by soil consistency 4.1.7 24 Distribution of forest area by soil texture 4.1.8 25 Distribution of forest area by soil erosion 4.1 .9 25 Distribution of forest area by origin of stand 4.1.10 25 Distribution of forest area by crop composition 4.1.11 26 Distribution of forest area by size classes 4.1.12 26 Distribution of forest area by regeneration 4.1.13 27 Distribution of forest area by injuries to crop 4.1.14 27 Distribution of forest area by fire incidence 4.1.15 27 Distribution of forest area by grazing incidence 4.1.16 28 Distribution of forest area by plantation potentiality 4.1.17 28 Distribution of forest area by canopy layer 4.1 .18 28 Distribution of forest area by degradation status 4.1 .19 29 Tree density study 4.2 29 Stratum I upto 900 m.altitude, high forest 4.2.1 29 Stratum II 901 to 1500 m.altitude, high forest 4.2.2 30 Stratum III 1501 to 2400 m.altitude,high forest 4.2.3 31 Stratum IV 2400 m.and above altitude,high forest 4.2.4 31 Stratum V plantation forest 4.2.5 32 Total stems 4.3 32 Volume studies 4.4 34 Stratum I upto 900 m altitude 4.4.1 34 Stratum II 901 to 1500 m altitude 4.4.2 34 Stratum III ,1501 to 2400 m altitude 4.4.3 35 Stratum IV, 2401 m and above altitude 4.4.4 35 Stratum V, Plantation ,irrespective of altitude 4.4.5 36 Distribution of volume by different dia.classes 4.4.6 36 Total volume 4.5 37 Error calculation 4.6 38 (i ii) Page No. CHAPTER: V SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 39 COMPARISON WITH PAST SURVEY RESULTS 40 BIBLIOGRAPHY 42 LIST OF TOPOSHEETS USED IN DARJEELING DISTRICT 43 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS 44 LIST OF MAPS. DIAGRAMS AND CHARTS 1. Map of India showing project area in Darjeeling District. (Map No.1.) 2. Map of West Bengal showing project area in Darjeeling District. (Map No.2) 3. Inventory Design( Diagram No.1) 4. Darjeeling District showing grids,roads and rivers.( Map No.3) 5. Darjeeling District, Grids surveyed showing strata.(Map No.4) 6. Darjeeling District,Grids surveyed showing landuse classirication.( Map No.5) 7. Pie chart showing distribution of forest area by land use. 8. Pie chart showing distribution of forest area by crop composition. 9. Pie chart showing distribution of forest area by size classes. 10. Bar charts showing distribution of total stems and total volume by diameter classes (altitude 900 m and below, 901 m to 1500 m, 1501 m to 2400 m, 2400 m and above, Plantation irrespective of altitude ). FOREST INVENTORY AT A GLANCE (DARJEELING DISTRict) 1. Geographical area 3149 sq.km. 2. Forest area 1204 sq.km. 3. a) Percentage of forest area to the geographical area: 38.23 b)Percentage of the forest area of the district to lotal forest area 10.14 of the Stale 4. a) Percentage of dense forest area to the total forest area of the district( canopy density 70% and above) 22.31 b) Percentage of rT'lOderately dense forest area to the total forest area of the district (canopy density 30-69%) 43.85 c) Percentage of open forest area to the total forest area of the district (canopy density 5-29% ) 21.54 d) Percentage of scrub forest area to the total for.est area of the district 3.08 e) P~rcentage of balTlboo brakes area to the total forest area of the district Negligible. f) Percentage of area of young plantation of foreslry species to the tolal forest area of the district 3.85 g) Others(grass land, barren land, habitation, water l;>odies etc.within forest area) 5.37 5. Tree data: i) No.of stemslha.(in 80S;) 237.748 ii) Total stems('OOO nos.) 28624.948 iii) Volume/ha.(in m3). 124.482 iv) Total volume('OOO m3) . 14987.697 CHAPTER: f INTRODUCTION 1.0 General: Assessment :of forest resources, both. ql!~n~itative and qualifative, is made by' Forest 'Survey of Ifldia. at periodical intervals ~y , carrying out ground inventory. This 'exercise gives information on Jorest· resoUrces within specified limits of ,precision so ,as, tq ~nsure t~at the, data/information are useful for ,State and National leVel plal1ning.. N~JI;JJ~lIy, these outputs integrated together, form the basis of.de'ielop!11el}t p.L~Dning and management of this important resource in the largerJnter~~ts of society· and nation as a whole. Inventories are carried out as per statistical design aaopted arid this design depends on. 'several aspects, suc!). ·a~ objectives of inventory, priorities assigned, nature of p~oblems to. be solved. The pres,e~t inventory of Darjeeling district was 'und~rt~,k~n by r9res, ~urvey ) of India, Ea'stern Zone, Calcutta in the year 1992~~3. _ 1.1 Situation and boundary of project 'area: The project area is' the foresf.area(r,ecorded as 1204 sq.km.) of 'Darjeeling ,district within the limits 'of 260 27' and 270 13' north latitud~s a~d 8r59' and 88°53~ ,east longitudes. The .district is bO,u'nded ,by N~pal on soUth-West, o'n the south by West Qinajpur inte[c;epted .RY ~t'le Mahananda 'river and on the ea'st by Bangladesh and Jalpaiguri district. The surveyed area falls in three forest division's viz.Oarjeeling forest div'ision, Kalimpong forest divn.,and Kurseong forest division. '1.2 Brief history of tho nrea : 'The' name Oarjeeling is thought to be a derivation of "Oprjeli[lg", meaning the place of the Dorje, ·the majestic thunaer.b.olt of I.he ,1amaist religion', In fact, the Jamcius Buddhist' Mona~tery 'standing at the, top .of the observatory hill was' knqwn by.