LAUSR

Natural forest resources of moist temperate forests of Himalayas are severely threatened due to over exploitation by rural population for their domestic usage. Six forest sites were selected to examine the anthropogenic impacts on natural forests in which 3 sites were disturbed and 3 were control sites with natural vegetation without any disturbance. Total 102 species were recorded belonging to 42 families and the most dominant family was Lamiaceae followed by Poaceae. Dominant tree species of the area were Abies pindrow having IVI 90.94 and Pinus wallichiana has 69.51 IVI respectively. The shrub layer was dominated by Viburnum grandiflorum having IVI (29.2) followed by Berberis lycium (16.91) while herb layer was dominated by Fragaria nubicola (14.93), Bupleurum falcatum (12.69) and Impatiens bicolor (12.20). Average Simpson's diversity was 0.962; average Shannon diversity was 3.63; average species richness was 1.48; average species evenness was 0.91 whereas average maturity index was 42.18. Average tree density was 410/ha; average stump density was 360/ha; average stem to stump value was 2.08 whereas average regeneration rate was found to be 263.33/ha. The quantified structural forest attributes reveal a severe intensity of human pressure on the local forests. There is a serious threat to the ecosystem services provided by the local forest reserves and reflect the need of immediate merasures for the conservation and sustainable use of the forest resources.