Phytospectroscopy of Forest Patches in Bardhaman District, West Bengal

Forest patches under Bardhaman Forest Division, West Bengal (covering an area of 7024 km²) were chosen for phytospectroscopic study. Out of total of 382 species of vascular plants, percent values of phanerophytes, chamaephytes, hemicryptophytes, cryptophytes and therophytes are 46.86, 20.16, 12.83, 11.78 and 8.38. Phytoclimate is phanero-chamaephytic under moist, warm, humid tropical monsoonal geoclimate. In the forest patches, canopy is disturbed with gaps to allow sunlight, this would result in change in microhabitats, regenerationniche of trees and regeneration-status of the forest. Soil is at the risk of erosion and there prevail certain stress factors. Comparative phytospectroscopic study on different sites reveals that if proper conservational support is provided to the forest patches by including them in Protected Areas Network (PAN) in the form of Sanctuary or National Park, phanerophytes would gain further numerical strenth confering the ecossytem more purity and more active community metabolism. This is the signature of the still active potential of the community to nurture high level of biodiversity.