>BrownHairedGirl at 16:06, 1 May 2021

2021-05-01T16:06:23Z

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{{Infobox ecoregion
| name = Himalayan subtropical pine forests
| image = Pinus roxburghii Ranikhet.jpg
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| image_caption = ''[[Pinus roxburghii]]'' forest, [[Uttarakhand]], [[India]]
| map = Ecoregion IM0301.png
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Ecoregion territory (in purple)
| biogeographic_realm = [[Indomalayan realm|Indomalayan]]
| biome = [[Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests]]
| border = [[Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests]]
| border1 = [[Western Himalayan broadleaf forests]]
| border2 = [[Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows]]
| border3 = [[Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows]]
| border4 = [[Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests]]
| border5 = [[Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests]]
| border6 = [[Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands]]
| border7 = [[Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests]]
| border8 = [[Northwestern thorn scrub forests]]
| border9 = [[Baluchistan xeric woodlands]]

| bird_species = 469<ref name = "Atlas">
{{cite book |last1 = Hoekstra |first1 = J. M. |last2 = Molnar |first2 = J. L. |last3 = Jennings |first3 = M. |last4 = Revenga |first4 = C. |last5 = Spalding |first5 = M. D. |last6 = Boucher |first6 = T. M. |last7 = Robertson |first7 = J. C. |last8 = Heibel |first8 = T. J. |last9 = Ellison |first9 = K. |title = The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference |publisher = [[University of California Press]] |editor1-last = Molnar |editor1-first = J. L. |year = 2010 |isbn = 978-0-520-26256-0 |url = https://archive.org/details/atlasofglobalcon0000unse |url-access = registration }}</ref>
| mammal_species = 162<ref name = "Atlas"/>
| area = 76200
| country = [[India]]
| country1 = [[Bhutan]]
| country2 = [[Nepal]]
| country3 = [[Pakistan]]
| habitat_loss = 86.65
| habitat_loss_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/>
| protected = 4.09
| protected_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/>
}}

The '''Himalayan subtropical pine forests''' are a large [[Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests|subtropical coniferous forest]] [[ecoregion]] covering portions of [[Bhutan]], [[India]], [[Nepal]], and [[Pakistan]].

This huge pine forest stretches for 3000 km across the lower elevations of the great [[Himalaya]] range for almost its entire length including parts of Pakistan's [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab Province]] in the west through [[Azad Kashmir]], the northern Indian states of [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Uttarakhand]] and [[Sikkim]], [[Nepal]] and [[Bhutan]], which is the eastern extent of the pine forest. Like so many Himalayan ecosystems the pine forests are split by the deep [[Kali Gandaki Gorge]] in Nepal, to the west of which the forest is slightly drier while it is wetter and thicker to the east where the monsoon rains coming off the [[Bay of Bengal]] bring more moisture.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|id=im0301|name=Himalayan subtropical pine forests}}</ref>
Along the stretch of the ganja hills of himachal can be seen rare varieties of leopard and tiger pine trees ( Pinus felicis) characterized by their spotted and patterned bark

==Flora==
The predominant flora of the ecoregion is a thin woodland of drought-resistant ''[[Pinus roxburghii]]'' trees with a ground cover of thick grass, as regular fires do not allow a shrubby undergrowth to establish itself. The ground cover consists of ''[[Arundinella setosa]]'', cogon grass (''[[Imperata cylindrica]]'') and ''[[Themeda anathera]]''.

Pine forest mainly grows on south-facing slopes although in western Nepal there are areas facing in other directions. Some of the larger areas can be found in the lower elevations of [[Kangra district|Kangra]] and [[Una District]]s of Himachal Pradesh and in Bhutan. It occurs in smaller patches in eastern Himachal Pradesh and lower Uttarakhand, in the more thinly populated western Nepal, and on the lower elevations (between 1,000 and 2,000m) of the [[Sivalik Hills|Sivalik]] and [[Lower Himalayan Range|Himachal]] ranges.

==Fauna==
Although there is not a rich variety of wildlife here when compared to tropical rainforest for example the region is important habitat, especially for birds. Wildlife includes [[tiger]]s and [[leopard]]s although in smaller numbers than in the lowland areas where herds of grazing antelopes provide food for them, whereas these slopes do not sustain grazing in large numbers. More typical animals of the pine forest are [[langur]]s and other animals of the Himalayas. Birds include the [[chestnut-breasted partridge]] and [[cheer pheasant]]s that hide in the lush grass.

==Conservation==
These habitats are vulnerable to logging for firewood or conversion to grazing or farmland and more than half the area has been cleared or degraded which then allows the mountain water to wash away the soil quickly. The most profound changes can be seen in central and eastern Nepal, where the forest has been cleared for terrace farming. The protected areas of pine forest are small but include part of the larger [[Jim Corbett National Park]].

==See also==
*[[List of ecoregions in India]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{WWF ecoregion|name=Himalayan subtropical pine forests Ecoregion|id=im0301}}

{{Ecoregions of India}}

{{Uttarakhand}}

[[Category:Himalayan subtropical pine forests| ]]
[[Category:Himalayan forests]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of the Himalayas]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Bhutan]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of India]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Nepal]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Flora of East Himalaya|.]]
[[Category:Flora of West Himalaya|.]]
[[Category:Forests of India]]
[[Category:Indomalayan ecoregions]]
[[Category:Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests]]
[[Category:Forests of Nepal]]

Himalayan subtropical pine forests - Revision history

>BrownHairedGirl at 16:06, 1 May 2021