Plant Science Research, Vol. 36, 2014

Dominance of Shorea robusta Gaertin. f. in Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary

Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary spreads in Mayurbhanj district with an area of 2271.78 km2. The Sanctuary is having hilly terrain dominated by tree species. An analysis of tree species in four different types of forests within Sanctuary revealed that Shorea robusta, Gaertin f. (Sal) is the most dominant species in all forest types out of 168 tree species under 48 families. Sal is climax tree species in the forests of present study as in the case of many Sal forests of India. The frequency of individuals and number of species was maximum in the lower GBH class. The distribution of girth classes show classical negative exponential pattern which is a common feature found in the pristine forest. The present study reveals that the intensive management of forests for fodder species and grass lands are required for the wildlife management and conservation.