• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.194-199
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• 2013

The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of transitional boundary on community composition and soil carbon stock. Five vegetation types were recognized horizontally along the transitional strip based on the dominance of tree species i.e., Pure Anogeissus latifolia forest (P.AL), mixed Pinus roxburghii and Lannea coromandelica forest (M.PR&LC), pure Pinus roxburghii forest (P.PR), mixed Pinus roxburghii and Lannea coromandelica (M.PR&LC) and pure Anogeissus latifolia forest (P.AL). The results revealed that Anogeissus latifolia was reported dominant tree in the outer transitional boundaries of the forest, which reduced dominance of trees towards middle where Pinus roxburghii was found dominant. The soil carbon stock was reported higher in the Anogeissus latifolia dominant forest and reduced with the dominance of Pinus roxburghii in the middle site. Both the species are growing close to one another and competing for survival, but the aggressive nature of Anogeissus latifolia particular in this region may change new growth of Pinus roxburghii and will enhance soil carbon stock. But high anthropogenic pressure on Anogeissus latifolia tree species could be limited chance to further its flourish.

• CELLMED
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.37.1-37.4
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• 2012

In the present study, the volatile oil, chloroform extract and methanol extract of the woods of the plants Cedrus deodara and Pinus roxburghii were screened for their antibacterial and antifungal activities against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus clavatus using the Agar diffusion method. The susceptibilities of the microorganisms to the extracts were compared with each other and with a selected standard antibiotic. It was observed that the volatile oil and chloroform extracts showed the significant antibacterial activities while the least antibacterial activity was recorded with the methanolic extracts. The higher Minimum Inhibitory Concentration value of the extracts and oils against fungus suggested that the plants may possess less antifungal activity. Phytochemical analysis and thin-layer chromatography profiling revealed the presence of flavonoids and terpenoids in the oil and chloroform extracts, which could explain the antimicrobial activity. The findings suggest that the Cedrus deodara and Pinus roxburghii have antimicrobial properties and they can be used in the treatment of infectious diseases. However, further work is required in order to isolate the active constituents of the plants responsible for the antibacterial activity.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.207-218
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• 1995

Five non-stratified plant communities, Dichanthium-Artemisia-Themeda, Dichanthium- Plectranthes-Themeda, Plectranthes-Carex-Myrine, Heteropogon- Dichanthium-Dodonaea and Artemisia-Cynodon-Ber-beris were recognized in Girbanr hills, District Swat, during autumn, 1992. The indices of similarity showed that the communities were dissimilar. The percentage of leptophyllous and nanophyllous, terophytic and nanophanerophytic species were higher than other groups. These indicate dry and disturben conditions. Due to autumn season most of the species were entering in dormant stage. There was no tree layer on southern slopes while northern slopes had a poor layer of Pinus roxburghii. Deforestation, uprooting, terrace cultivation and overgrazing followed by erosion are the main ecological problems. The presence of isolated trees of Pinus roxburghii and stunted Olea ferruginea indicate that the original vegetation might have been of chirpine or Olea-Pinus type. The area having resource potential can be changed into a forest or rangeland by proper protection and management. Suggestions in favour of improvement are given.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.6-24
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• 2019

We have investigated the impact of anthropogenic and natural disturbances on regeneration, composition and diversity in some temperate forests of Bhagirathi Catchment Area of Garhwal Himalaya. The forests were categorized on the basis of canopy cover and magnitude of disturbance into highly, moderately and least disturbed classes. The dominant tree species at lower elevation were Pinus roxburghii and Quercus leucotrichophora, while Abies pindrow, Q. semecarpifolia and Rhododenron arboreum were the dominant species at the upper elevational forests. Cythula tomentosa and Indegophera heterentha were the dominant shrub species present in all the forests. Similarly, Circium wallichii and Oxalis corniculata were the dominant herb species found in all forests (except Q. leucotrichophora forest), whereas Thalictrum foliolosum and Viola pilosa were noticed in each forest (except P. roxburghii forest). The tree density values oscillated between $400{\pm}10\;trees\;ha^{-1}$ to $750{\pm}89.1\;trees\;ha^{-1}$ which generally decreased from lower to higher disturbance regimes however, the total basal cover value was highest ($88.1{\pm}23.6m^2\;ha^{-1}$) in highly disturbed forest and lowest ($25.8{\pm}2.2m^2\;ha^{-1}$) in moderately disturbed forest. The shrub and herb densities were maximum in least disturbed forest, while the young regenerating individuals i.e., sapling and seedling were observed increasing from high to low disturbed forests which reflected that the forest fragmentation adversely affected the regeneration. However, A. pindrow and P. roxburghii were found invariably encroaching the habitats of R. arboreum and Q. leucotrichophora at various altitudes, respectively. The Canonical Correspondence Analysis clearly indicated that the elevation and lopping intensity have more impact on trees, while shrub and herbs were more influenced by elevation, canopy cover, light attenuation and soil erosion. Pinus roxburghii was the only species which was affected by heavy litter removal and forest fire.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.219-236
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• 2022

Wood-based nanocomposite electrode materials were synthesized for application in supercapacitors by mixing nanostructured hematite (Fe₂O₃) with highly porous activated carbon (AC) produced from the wood-waste of Pinus roxburghii. The AC was characterized using various instrumental techniques and the results showed admirable electrochemical properties, such as high surface area and reasonable porosity. Firstly, AC was tested as an electrode material for supercapacitors and it showed a specific capacitance of 59.02 Fg^-1 at a current density of 1 Ag^-1, cycle life of 84.2% after 1,000 cycles (at a current density of 3 Ag^-1), and energy density of 5.1 Wh/kg at a power density of 135 Wkg^-1. However, when the AC was composited with different ratios of Fe₂O₃ (1:1, 2:1, and 1:2), there was an overall improvement in its electrochemical performance. Among the 3 ratios, 2:1 (AC:Fe₂O₃) had the best specific capacitance of 102.42 Fg^-1 at 1 Ag^-1, cycle life of 94.4% capacitance after 1,000 cycles (at a current density of 3 Ag^-1), and energy density of 8.34 Wh/kg at a power density of 395.15 Wkg^-1 in 6 M KOH electrolyte in a 3-electrode experimental setup with a high working voltage of 1.55 V. Furthermore, when Fe₂O₃ was doubled, 1:2 (AC:Fe₂O₃), the electrochemical capacitive performance of the electrode twisted and deteriorated due to either the accumulation of Fe₂O₃ particles within the composite or higher bulk resistance value of pure Fe₂O₃.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.78-90
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• 2020

We studied forest structure and composition in the vicinity of Srinagar Hydroelectric Power Project in Alaknanda Valley, Garhwal Himalaya, India to provide baseline data for the management of forests. Eight sites were selected in the vicinity of power project based on elevation and species composition. Density varied from 650 to 340 ind ha^-1 for trees and from 4,360 to 6,480 ind ha^-1 for shrubs. TBC ranged from 35.02 to 54.02 ㎡ ha^-1 for trees and from 0.875 to 2.628 ㎡ ha^-1 for shrubs. On the basis of density and IVI, Pinus roxburghii was found dominant tree species in most of the sites, whereas among the shrubs, Carissa opaca was dominant. Dominance of Pinus roxburghii in most of the sites is an indication towards possible threat to associated species in the area. The dominance-diversity curve of trees showed a geometric distribution, whereas the shrubs displayed log-normal curves. The forest has rich and diverse species composition however; habitat degradation caused by the construction of Power Project might lead to reduction of plant species from the area. The information obtained from this study will be helpful in predicting possible changes in the forest ecosystem properties in near future after completion of the power project.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.264-274
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• 2020

Background: Climate change has altered the various ecosystem processes including forest ecosystem in Himalayan region. Although the high mountain natural forests including treelines in the Himalayan region are mainly reported to be temperature sensitive, the temperature-related water stress in an important growth-limiting factor for middle elevation mountains. And there are very few evidences on growth performance of planted forest in changing climate in the Himalayan region. A dendrochronological study was carried out to verify and record the impact of warming temperature tree growth by using the tree cores of Pinus roxburghii from Batase village of Dhulikhel in Central Nepal with sub-tropical climatic zone. For this total, 29 tree cores from 25 trees of P. roxburghii were measured and analyzed. Result: A 44-year long tree ring width chronology was constructed from the cores. The result showed that the radial growth of P. roxburghii was positively correlated with pre-monsoon (April) rainfall, although the correlation was not significant and negatively correlated with summer rainfall. The strongest negative correlation was found between radial growth and rainfall of June followed by the rainfall of January. Also, the radial growth showed significant positive correlation with that previous year August mean temperature and maximum temperature, and significant negative correlation between radial growth and maximum temperature (Tmax) of May and of spring season (March-May), indicating moisture as the key factor for radial growth. Despite the overall positive trend in the basal area increment (BAI), we have found the abrupt decline between 1995 and 2005 AD. Conclusion: The results indicated that chir pine planted population was moisture sensitive, and the negative impact of higher temperature during early growth season (March-May) was clearly seen on the radial growth. We emphasize that the forest would experience further moisture stress if the trend of warming temperatures continues. The unusual decreasing BAI trend might be associated with forest management processes including resin collection and other disturbances. Our results showed that the planted pine forest stand is sub-healthy due to major human intervention at times. Further exploration of growth climate response from different climatic zones and management regimes is important to improve our understanding on the growth performance of mid-hill pine forests in Nepal.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.37-46
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• 2020

Vegetation carbon sequestration and regeneration are the two major parameters of forest research. In this study, we analyzed the vegetation carbon stock and regeneration of community-managed pine plantation of Kathmandu, central Nepal. Vegetation data were collected from 40 circular plots of 10 m radius (for the tree) and 1m radius (for seedling) applying a stratified random sampling and nested quadrat method. The carbon stock was estimated by Chave allometric model and estimated carbon stock was converted into CO₂ equivalents. Density-diameter (d-d) curve was also prepared to check the regeneration status and stability of the plantation. A d-d curve indicates the good regeneration status of the forest with a stable population in each size class. Diversity of trees was very low, only two tree species Pinus roxburghii and Eucalyptus citriodora occurred in the sample plots. Pine was the dominant tree in terms of density, basal area, biomass, carbon stock and CO₂ stock than the eucalyptus. The basal area, carbon stock and CO₂ stock of forest was 33±1.0 ㎡ ha^-1, 108±5.0 Mg ha^-1 and 394±18 Mg ha^-1, respectively. Seedling and tree density of the plantation was 4,965 ha^-1 and 339 ha^-1 respectively. The forest carbon stock showed a positive relationship with biomass, tree diameter, height and basal area but no relationship with tree density. Canopy cover and tree diameter have a negative effect on seedling density and regeneration. In conclusion, the community forest has a stable population in each size class, sequestering a significant amount of carbon and CO₂ emitted from densely populated Kathmandu metro city as the forest biomass hence have a potentiality to mitigate the global climate change.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.91-108
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• 2015

The study investigates herbage communities along the altitudinal gradient in northwest Himalaya and highlights the effect of trees on its understory floristic diversity and phytosociology. The study was conducted in nine forests at three elevations viz., chir pine (Pinus roxburghii), mixed and khair (Acacia catechu) forests at elevation $E_1$ (850-1150 m), chir pine, mixed and ban oak (Quercus leucotrichophora) forests at elevation $E_2$ (1151-1600 m) and ban oak, mixed and chir pine forests at elevation $E_3$ (>1600 m) in a sub-watershed located in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. These were compared grasslands located adjacent to forests. In all, 20 grass, 3 sedge, 2 forb and 4 legume species were recorded in study sites. Jaccard's coefficient of herbage vegetation was highest between chir pine forests and grasslands, and lowest in khair and ban oak forests. TWINSPAN dendrogram of herbage composition exhibited three subtypes with Apluda mutica, Arundinella nepalensis and Dichanthium annulatum as indicator species. Three groups of plant communities were identified on the basis of their moisture requirement. Peak density and basal area of herbage in forests and grasslands occurred by September. Density and basal area of herbage in grasslands at different elevations ranged from 649.6 to $1347.9tillers/m^2$ and 30.0 to $65.7cm^2/m^2$, respectively, while, in forests it varied from 351.2 to $1005.3tillers/m^2$ and 14.9 to $43.9cm^2/m^2$, respectively. Density and basal area of the herbage in plant communities decreased along the elevation. Under trees in forests the density of herbage decreased up to 77% and basal area up to 62% of their respective values in grasslands.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.120-128
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• 2016

Forest sequesters large terrestrial carbon which is stored in the biomass of tree and plays a key role in reducing atmospheric carbon. Thus, the objectives of the present study were to assess the growing stock, above ground biomass and carbon in trees of Ponda watershed of Rajouri district (J&K). IRS-P6 LISS-III satellite data of October 2010 was used for preparation of land use/land cover map and forest density map of the study area by visual interpretation. The growing stock estimation was done for the study area as well as for the sample plots laid in forest and agriculture fields. The growing stock and biomass of trees were estimated using species specific volume equations and using specific gravity of wood, respectively. The total growing stock in the study area was estimated to be $0.25million\;m^3$ which varied between $85.94m^3/ha$ in open pine to $11.58m^3/ha$ in degraded pine forest. However in agriculture area, growing stock volume density of $14.85m^3/ha$ was recorded. Similarly, out of the total biomass (0.012 million tons) and carbon (0.056 million tons) in the study area, open pine forest accounted for the highest values of 43.74 t/ha and 19.68 t/ha and lowest values of 5.68 t/ha and 2.55 t/ha, respectively for the degraded pine forest. The biomass and carbon density in agriculture area obtained was 5.49 t/ha and 2.47 t/ha, respectively. In all the three forest classes Pinus roxburghii showed highest average values of growing stock volume density, biomass and carbon.