Diversity of Forest Tree in the Forest of Sarguja District, Chhattisgarh, India

Surguja district is considered as rural, tribal and backward district of Chhattisgarh. The Surguja is cover with dense forest and rain based agriculture system, and most of the people are agriculture labourer or depends upon forest and their products directly or indirectly. About 58 % of the area in the district lies under the forest. The total geographical area being 18, 188.44 sq km. , and the forest cover about 10, 849 sq km. The climatic factors such as soils, temperature, weather and rain fall are favoring the natural flora and vegetation to survive. The Surguja has immense forest and minerals deposition including lime stone, iron ores copper ores, rock phosphate, manganese, bauxite, coal and mica. The central Surguja located in low basin through which the Rihand and its tributaries are flow toward south, including Hasdeo, Kanhar, and Mahan River. In winter the temperature lower down below 05 0C and in summer it rises about 460C. Due to the favorable climatic and weather conditions, Surguja is rich in its forest resources especially dry deciduous forest trees including Teak (Tectona grandis), Sal (Shorea robusta), Bija (Pterocarpus marsupium), Saja (Terminalia tomentosa), Dhawarda (Anogeissus latifolia), Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus), Tendu (Diospyrus melanoxylon), Mahua (Madhuka indica) and Ambla (Embilica officinalis) are dominating species. In the present study an extensive survey has been conducted to find out the various types of forest flora. More than 79 forest tree species belonging to thirty two families, their local name and various uses by the local inhabitant including medicinal value were recorded during the survey. The parameters such as Frequency, Density and Abundance were also under taken.