Soil Physico-Chemical Properties in Different Forests of Tehri & Pauri-Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India
Murari Chiluveri *
Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (A Central University), Uttarakhand, India.
Prashanth Vempally
Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (A Central University), Uttarakhand, India.
Munesh Kumar
Department of Forestry & Natural Resources, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (A Central University), Uttarakhand, India.
M. A. Shakith
Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (A Central University), Uttarakhand, India.
Sushanth Thalari
Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (A Central University), Uttarakhand, India.
Manoj Chandra
Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (A Central University), Uttarakhand, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Garhwal Himalaya is part of the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot and represents the western Himalayan landscape of the Indian Himalayas. The aim of the present investigation was to analyze soil properties in different forest areas across different altitudes of the Garhwal Himalayas, i.e., Quercus leucotrichophora Forest (>1900 m), Anogessious latifolia Forest (1300 m), Mixed Forest (900 m), and Shrub-dominated Forest (600 m). Physical and chemical properties of the soil were estimated using all the standard procedures, such as the Walkley-Black method for SOC and the Kjeldahl method for Nitrogen, in the department laboratory of HNB Garhwal University. The results of this study revealed that the high-altitude temperate Quercus luecotrichophora Forest has dominated in all soil properties and has greater potential to store soil organic carbon stock and Nitrogen (29.64 ± 3.48 t ha-1) (Nitrogen 254.22 ± 27.16 kg ha-1) than sub-tropical Anogeissus latifolia Dominated Forest, Mixed Forest, and Shrub Dominated Forest with SOC stock values of 18.34 ± 2.90, 14.52 ± 2.27, and 10.74 ± 1.57 t ha-1 and Nitrogen values of 205.47±7.10, 197.07±1.50, 193.79±8.15.
Keywords: Garhwal Himalaya, Quercus luecotrichophora, Anogeissus latifolia, forests, carbon sink, climate change, soil physico-chemical properties