Q. In India, in which one of the following types of forests is teak a dominant tree species?
- Tropical moist deciduous forest
- Tropical rain forest
- Tropical thorn scrub forest
- Temperate forest with grasslands
Answer: (a) Tropical moist deciduous forest
Notes:
- Deciduous forest, vegetation composed primarily of broad-leaved trees that shed all their leaves during one season.
- Teak is the most dominant species of tropical deciduous forests.
- Tropical deciduous forests are also known as “Monsoon” forests.
- They spread over regions that receive rainfall between 70-200 cm.
- The humidity in these forests lie in the range of 80-90 per cent.
- Trees of this forest type shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks in dry summers.
- These forests are found in the north-eastern states along the foothills of the Himalayas, eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, and Orissa.
- Major states where tropical deciduous forests are found:
- Madhya Pradesh
- Uttar Pradesh
- Chattisgarh
- Odisha
- Maharashtra (Some Parts)
- Major states where tropical deciduous forests are found:
- Teak, sal, shisham, hurra, mahua, amla, semul, Kusum, and sandalwood, etc. are the main species of these forests.
| Dry Deciduous Forest | Moist Deciduous Forests |
|---|---|
| These forests are found throughout the northern part of India and also in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. | These forests are found almost throughout India except in the western and north-western part of India. |
| They are present in areas where the annual rainfall ranges from 70 cm to 100 cm. | They occur in areas where the annual precipitation ranges from 10 cm to 200 cm. |
| Teak, Sal and Peepal are some of the dominant species of trees in these forests. | Shisham, Sal, Teak, Mango and Rosewood are some of the dominant species of trees in these forests. |

