In this article, we will discuss Important Species of Trees and their Utility (Woods from the High Altitudinal Forests of the Himalayas). So, let’s get started.
Important Species of Trees and their Utility (Woods from the High Altitudinal Forests of the Himalayas)
The main woods of the Hinmalayan forests are deodar, chir (pine), blue-pine, silver fir, spruce, walnut, white willow, Indian birch, and cypress.
(i) Chir (Pinus Longifolia): Chir occurs in the Himalayas between 900 m and 1800 m
from Jammu to Arunachal Pradesh. The wood is light and reddish brown in colour and
is moderately hard. it is used for furniture, for making tea-boxes, match industry, and
railway sleepers. lt yields resins, gums, and turpentine oils.
(ii) Deodar (Cedrus Deodara): It grows in the north-western Himalayas in the states of
Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, between the heights ot 1500 m and 2500 m. Its wood is of light brown to yellow colour. Its wood is very sturdy and durable. It is also an easy timber to saw and work to smooth finish. The timber is used for construction-work, and for railway sleepers. It is also suitable for beams, fioor- boards, ports, doors, window frames, light furniture, and shingles.
(iii) Blue-Pine (Pinus Excelsa): It grows along the entire length of the Himalayas from Chumbi
Valley to Sikkim between the elevation of 1800m and 3600m. The wood is pink in colour moderately hard and of good quality. It is used for making doors, windows, furniture, and railway sleepers. It also yields resins and turpentine.
(iv) Silver-fir (Abies): It is found in the north-western and north-eastern Himalayas between 2200m and 3000m. The food is soft but not very durable. It is mostly used for planking,
packing boxes, containers, wood-pulp, paper, and match sticks.
(v) Spruce (Picea Mithiana): It is found in the westerm Himalayas between 2100m and 3600m. Its soft white wood is used for construction of houses, railway sleepers, cabinets, packing and pulp making.
(vi) Walnut Juglans Regia): It is found in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Khasi hills. It is a relatively light wood on which work can be done easily and the finish is fine and attractive. Once dried it does not shrink, swell or split. The wood is used for musical instruments, gun-butts, and cabinet works.
(vii) White Willow (Salix Alba): It is a small tree found in north-westerm Himalayas including the Kashmir Valley. Its twigs are used for making baskets. The wood is used for making cricket bats and other sports goods.
(viii) Indian Birch: It is obtained from the higher slopes of the Himalayas. The wood is grayish in colour, even textured and straight grained. It is largely used for the making of fumiture, Plywood, and radio cabinets.
(ix) Cypress: It mostly occurs in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir its wood is durable and used for making furniture.
