1.
Deciduous
2. Coniferous
3. Khair
4. Myrobalan
Answer
Coniferous
Answer the following questions
Question 1
What do you mean by the term 'Natural Vegetation'?
Answer
Natural vegetation refers to the plant community which has grown naturally
without any human assistance and has not been disturbed over a long
time, so as to allow its individual species to adjust themselves fully to the
climate and soil conditions.
Question 2
State the relation between climate and natural vegetation of a place.
Answer
Natural vegetation of a place closely related to the climate of that place
more importantly on the rainfall at that place. The areas having high rainfall
have dense evergreen forest while areas with very less rainfall have thorny
desert vegetation. Similarly, the cold places where snowfall are common
have coniferous trees.
Question 3
How important are trees to man?
Answer
Trees are very important to man due to the following reasons:
1. Trees provide timber for house-making and furniture, fuel, fruits, herbs,
honey, bamboo, canes and fibres.
2. Trees help to purify the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and other
pollutants, and releasing oxygen.
3. Trees can help to reduce soil erosion by holding the soil in place with
their roots. They also prevent floods.
4. They provide raw material to many industries, e.g., paper.
5. Trees can also provide food, medicine, and other resources for
humans.
Question 4
What is the percentage of forest cover on land in India?
Answer
The percentage of forest cover on land in India is 21.02%.
Question 5
Why is there shrinkage of forest cover in India? What precautions can be
taken to reduce this shrinkage?
Answer
There is shrinkage of forest cover in India due to following reasons:
1. Urbanization/Industrialization.
2. Increasing population.
3. Conversion of forest land to agricultural land.
4. Faulty agricultural practices like Jhooming cultivation or shifting
agriculture.
5. Unauthorized cutting of trees by timber merchants.
6. Increased demand for forest products.
7. Construction of multipurpose river valley projects.
8. Forest fires.
Precautions that can be taken to reduce this shrinkage are:
1. Stopping unauthorized deforestation.
2. Promoting afforestation in lands unfit for agriculture.
3. Following reafforestation at the places from where trees have been
cut.
4. Measures should be taken to avoid forest fires.
5. Strict regulation to avoid encroachment of forest land.
6. Using alternative sources of energy and avoiding felling of trees for
firewood.
Question 6
Name a few important forest products.
Answer
A few forest products are furniture, fuel, fruits, herbs, honey, bamboo,
canes, fibres and lac.
Question 7
What are the factors that influence the natural vegetation of a place?
Answer
The factors that influence the natural vegetation of a place are:
1. Rainfall
2. Relief
3. Temperature
4. Altitude
5. Soil
Question 8
What are the characteristics of Tropical Evergreen forest? Name some
important trees of these forests.
Answer
The characteristics of Tropical Evergreen forest are:
1. As they are found in the areas of heavy rainfall, they are also known
as 'rain forests'.
2. The thick ground cover of forest is characterized by climbers and
epiphytes. Bamboo and ferns are also common.
3. As the do not shed their leaves at the same time, they remain
evergreen and are called 'Tropical evergreen forests'.
Some important trees of these forests are Rosewood trees, Sisam and
Gurjan.
Question 9
Name the economically most important vegetation belt of India. Justify your
answer.
Answer
Tropical deciduous forests are the economically most important vegetation
belt of India because of the following reasons:
1. They provide valuable timber and several other forest products.
2. They are not so dense which make them easier to exploit.
3. They cover a larger area than evergreen forest.
Question 10
Mention one area where Deciduous Monsoon forests are found. Give one
reason stating why they are found there.
Answer
Deciduous Monsoon forests are found in the belt running along the
Western Ghats, surrounding the belt of Evergreen forests both on eastern
and western slopes.
The Deciduous Monsoon forests are found in areas of average
temperature of about 24°C to 27°C and with rainfall between 150 to 200
cm. Such conditions are available in the Western Ghats providing the
environment for deciduous forests to grow.
Question 11
Name the most important trees of Monsoon forests. Give one use of each.
Answer
1. Teak — It is used for furniture, construction of houses and
shipbuilding.
2. Sal — It is used in making railway sleepers.
3. Sandalwood — Sandalwood oil is used in perfumery and cosmetics.
4. Semul — It is used making matchboxes, toys and packing cases.
5. Myrobalan — Its fruit is used for tanning leather and for dyeing
purpose.
6. Eucalyptus — Eucalyptus oil is used for medicinal purposes.
Question 12
What are the main features of the Mountain forests? In which parts of India
are these forests found?
Answer
The main features of the Mountain forests are:
1. Mountain forests consist of mixed deciduous and coniferous forests.
2. They occur in the transition zone of mixed forest and coniferous
forests.
These forests are found in the temperate zone of the Himalayas, from
Kashmir to Assam at varying altitude. In the south, they are found in Nilgiri
and Annumalai Hills at an elevation between 1000 m to 1500 m.
Question 13
Under what climatic conditions do the desert and semi-desert vegetation
grow?
Answer
Desert and semi-desert vegetation grow in the arid areas of average
temperature of 25°C to 27°C and with rainfall of less than 25 cm.
Question 14
What are the characteristics of the Mangrove forests?
Answer
The characteristics of the Mangrove forests are:
1. Mangrove vegetation is characterized by breathing roots or
pneumatophores which act as respiratory organs.
2. Its stilt like roots remain submerged under water but can be seen at
low tide.
3. These forests are very dense.
4. They have profuse growth with tangle of climbers, which is an
adaptation for survival in soft and shifting mud.
Question 15
By what other names do you associate Mangrove forests?
Answer
The other names of Mangrove forests are Tidal forest or Littoral Forest.
Question 16
What do you mean by the terms ‘afforestation' and ‘deforestation'?
Answer
Afforestation — The act or process of establishing a forest by planting
fresh trees especially on land not previously forested is called afforestation.
This is done to increase the land under forest.
Deforestation — The act of depletion of forest cover due to unauthorized
felling of trees is called deforestation.
Question 17
Give two characteristic features of Tropical Evergreen forest that make it
difficult to exploit.
Answer
The two characteristic features of Tropical Evergreen forest that make it
difficult to exploit are:
1. They have very dense undergrowth due to tangled mass of canes,
palms, bamboos, ferns and climbers.
2. There is lack of transport facilities.
Question 18
Why are the Deciduous Monsoon forests found on the eastern part of
South India?
Answer
The Deciduous Monsoon forests are found on the eastern part of South
India because the area has average rainfall between 150 to 200 cm and
the temperature lies in the range of 24°C to 27°C.
Question 19
Name two states in India where thorn and scrub forests are found along
with two examples of trees found here.
Answer
Rajasthan and South-West Punjab are two states in India where thorn and
scrub forests are found. The Babul and Khair trees are found in these
areas.
Question 20
Name the type of vegetation found in saline environment under tidal
influence and name the most important tree associated with the above type
of vegetation.
Answer
Mangrove vegetation with breathing roots or pneumatophores which act as
respiratory organs are found in saline environment under tidal influence.
The most important tree associated with the Mangrove vegetation are
'Sundari trees'. These are the trees after which the forest has been named
as Sunderbans. The sundari trees are used for boat building as it wood is
very hard, strong and durable.
Question 21
What characteristics of Sundari tree make it suitable for boat building?
Answer
The wood of Sundari trees is very hard, strong and durable. These
characteristics make it ideal for boat building.
Question 22
Why are forests grown in and around steel cities?
Answer
The level of pollution around steel cities is much higher than other cities.
During the manufacture of steel, air emissions from the manufacturing
plants emit particulate matter, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides,
hydrocarbons and hydrogen fluoride which pollute the air. Besides these,
steel plants emit significant dust levels of about 20 kilograms per metric ton
of steel. Growing forests around them helps to lower the pollution as the
trees act as a barrier for the dust and purify the air.
Question 23
Name two states where Deodar trees are grown. How is this wood useful?
Answer
The two states where Deodar trees are grown are Himachal Pradesh and
Kashmir. The Deodar tree wood is used for railway sleepers and house
construction.
Question 24
Name the type of vegetation found along the coastal strip of the Ganga
delta.
Answer
Mangrove vegetation is found along the coastal strip of the Ganga delta.
Question 25
State the total forest cover of the total geographic area of India.
Answer
The total forest cover of the total geographic area of India is 21% but the
effective forest cover as revealed by various surveys is between 12% -
14%.
Question 26
Give geographical reasons —
1. Tropical Evergreen forests are called Evergreen.
2. Tropical Evergreen forests are called rain forests.
3. The tidal forests occur in and around deltas.
Answer
1. The trees in Tropical Evergreen forests do not shed their leaves at the
same time. Therefore, they remain green throughout the year and are
called Evergreen forests.
2. Tropical Evergreen forests are called rain forests because they are
found in the areas of heavy rainfall.
3. Tidal forests are typically found in wetlands with a regular tidal
influence. They are adapted to the regular flooding that occurs in these
areas. Hence, tidal forests occur in and around deltas as deltas
provide the ideal conditions needed by tidal forests to thrive.
Question 27
Answer in one word —
1. The tidal forests that occur in and around the deltas.
2. Its fruit is used for tanning leather and for dyeing purposes.
3. These forests shed their leaves for 6-8 weeks during spring.
Answer
1. Mangrove or Littoral forests
2. Myrobalan
3. Deciduous Monsoon forests
Question 28
Differentiate between social forestry and agroforestry.
Answer
S.
Social forestry Agroforestry
No.
Agroforestry is an integrated
Social forestry is
approach of using the
management and protection
1. interactive benefits from
of forests and afforestation of
combining trees and shrubs
barren and deforested lands.
with crops.
Agroforestry combines
Social forestry is done in
agricultural and forestry
order to help environmental,
2. technologies to create more
social and rural
diverse, productive and
development.
profitable land use system.
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