Variation in species composition and soil physico-chemical properties on high mountain forests in Garhwal Himalaya

The present study was carried out on ridge top forests (RTFs) in high mountain region. We aimed to assess the relation between forest composition and edaphic factors on different RTFs. On the basis of elevation and forest composition we have selected six dominant RTFs for study purpose. A total of 15 woody tree species belonging to 13 genus and 9 families occurred in studied RTFs. The mean stand stem density was 605.6 +/- 48.71 stem ha(-1) (significantly different and ranged between 463 +/- 85.1 to 787 +/- 194 stem ha(-1)) and mean Total Basal Cover (TBC) was 68.9 +/- 5.32 m(2) ha(-1) (significantly different and ranged from 51.4 +/- 21.0 to 89.7 +/- 0.4 m(2) ha(-1)). TBC was highest in Quercus semecarpifolia RTFs (89.7 +/- 0.4 m(2) ha(-1)) and lowest in Pinus roxburghii RTFs (51.4 +/- 21.0 m(2) ha(-1)). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was done with 14 soil properties in six RTFs to identifying principal components. RTFs, forest structure and composition, species richness (SR), stand density (SD) and total basal cover (TBC) were significantly affected by water holding capacity (WHC), bulk density (BD), soil pH and soil organic carbon (SOC). Results highlighted that Quercus spp. habitats on ridge tops in the high mountain region are positively affected as compared to Abies sp. and Pine forest.