Rajasthan: Natural Forests

The floral prosperity of Rajasthan state is affluent and diverse. The western part is partly desert terrain; the majority of the vicinity under forests is constrained to Southern and Eastern parts of Rajasthan. The forests in Rajasthan are erratically disseminated in the different districts. Most of the forests in the state are in the hilly regions i.e. in Rajasamand, Udaipur, Baran, Kota, Chittorgarh, Sirohi, Sawai Madhopur, Alwar, Bundi, Banswara and Jhalawar districts. Thick natural forests are in sheltered patches, typically restricted to different wild-life sanctuaries and national parks. Some of the enduring forests of Rajasthan state are in diverse stages of plant expansion. The forests of Rajasthan state can be separated into 4 extensive forest categories:

• Tropical Thorn Forests

The Tropical thorn forests are instituted in the dry and semi-arid areas of West Rajasthan. These expand from Western India - Pakistan boundary and steadily combine with the parched deciduous forests of Aravalli hills as well as the South East plateau. The major species of this type of forests are Acacia leucophloea, Prosopis cineraria, Capparis aphylla, Zizyphus spp., Flacourtia spp. and Acacia nilotica, etc. These forests are essentially found in the Western parts of Rajasthan specifically Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Churu, Bikaner and Nagaur etc.

• Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests

The Tropical Dry Deciduous forests are generally found in little pieces in few parts of Rajasthan, Eastern and Northern slopes of Aravalli ranges, mostly in Alwar, Bharatpur and Dholpur districts, are enclosed with this kind of forests. Intermittent expansion of definite species of parched deciduous forests is found beside the arid river beds of Nagaur, Jalore, Bikaner and Ganaganagar districts. The chief species of this type are Anogeissus latifolia, Anogeissus pendula, Terminalia tomentosa, Acacia catechu, Terminalia arjuna, Terminalia balerica, Dendrocalamus strictus, Boswellia serrata and Lanea grandis.

• Central Indian Sub - tropical Hill Forests

The Central Indian Sub - tropical Hill forests are the most plentiful in Central part of India, as in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. They are also found in Sirohi, Rajasthan, frequently on the hills near Mount Abu. These forests have some evergreen and partially evergreen species of trees. The foliage of Mount Abu comprises of several plants which are analogous to the sub - tropical area of Himalayas.

• Mixed Miscellaneous Forests

Mixed Miscellaneous Forests are mostly found in the South-Eastern and Eastern region of Rajasthan including Kota, Chittorgarh, Sirohi, Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara, Jhalawar and Baran districts. The Forests chiefly includes Anogeissus latifolia, Terminalia tomentosa, Anogeissus pendula, Terminalia arjuna , Albizia lebbeck, Terminalia chebula and Dalbergia paniculata and its associates.

Forest Area of districts as per Legal Status in Rajasthan

Top 5 districts as per total area under forest cover