Question

Major forest types in India are
A. Tropical evergreen and tropical thorn
B. Temperate mixed and tropical deciduous
C. Tropical dry deciduous and moist deciduous
D. Tropical evergreen and tropical moist deciduous

Answer 1

Hint: An area dominated by trees is often referred to as forests. Forests are present all over the world and are the highest contributors to the earth’s gross primary productivity. Forests are of many types depending on the climate, temperature, nature of water and soil of a region.

Complete answer:
Forests form a major part of terrestrial ecosystems of our planet. They contain the highest biomass of the earth. Forests are home to diverse animal groups and plant species. Forests are important aspects of our planet in that they help to reduce soil erosion and flooding, and cause rainfall. The forests also supply to the needs of humans by providing spices, food, timber, fuel, etc.
In order to understand the major forest type in India, we must first know the different forest types.
The major types of forests found are as follows:
> Boreal forests: They are present around the Northern Hemisphere and are mostly evergreen and coniferous.
> Temperate forests: These forests are found in the temperate zones in between the poles and equatorial regions. These middle latitudes of the earth support deciduous and evergreen coniferous forests.
> Tropical and subtropical Forests: These forests are found near the equatorial regions of the earth. The climate in these latitudes is warm and moist, therefore, it supports tropical moist and dry forests. The trees are generally deciduous in nature.
India, being a tropical country, is dominated by tropical forests. India experiences a myriad of climatic conditions – it has the region with highest rainfall in the world to dry deserts to coastal climates and alpine regions. In accordance with climatic diversions, the Indian subcontinent has forest types ranging from dry and moist deciduous, evergreen, swamp forests, littoral forests, alpine forests and pine forests.
However, the predominant forest types in India are Tropical Dry and Tropical Moist deciduous forests. These account for about 40 percent and 17 percent of India’s forest cover respectively.

Therefore, option (c) is correct.

Note: Forests are plant dominated areas of the planet. These regions are of great environmental and economical importance to any country. Forests provide food and shelter for animals and humans alike. The forests are the highest primary producers of the world and its contribution to the world’s biomass is largest. India has about 22 percent of its total land area as forest cover. Owing to diverse climatic and physical conditions of the country, India has various forest types, however, major forests found are tropical dry and moist forests.