Regeneration Status of Pterocarpus santalinus L.f. (Red Sanders) Dominated Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest of Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh, India
Pendela Surath Kumar *
Department of Forest Ecology & Environment, Institute of Forest Biodiversity, Hyderabad, India.
Sudhakar Reddy Chintala
Forest Biodiversity and Ecology Division, National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad, India.
Swapnendu Pattanaik
Forest Genetic & Tree Breeding Division, IFB, Hyderabad, India.
M. Chiranjeeva Reddy
Department of Silviculture and Agro Forestry, FCRI, Mulugu, Telangana, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Tropical dry deciduous forest regeneration dynamics are essential markers of biodiversity and ecological health. This study assesses the regeneration state of tree species in the Rajampet range, identifying a variety of patterns impacted by both natural and man-made influences. The study documented a total of 1391 adult individuals, 617 saplings, and 1646 seedlings from 67 species. Pterocarpus santalinus and Chloroxylon swietenia, two dominant species, showed "fair" regeneration potential, while Phyllanthus emblica and Azadirachta indica showed "good" regeneration potential. Nevertheless, a few species showed no regeneration, such as Bauhinia racemosa and Albizia amara. Overall Rajampet range regeneration is classified as 32.31 percent of species as "fair," 9.28 percent as "new," 15.38 percent as having "good" regeneration, and 43.08 percent as lacking.
Keywords: Regeneration, biodiversity, ecological health, dominant