2.1. Study area
The study was carried out at the Kedarnath valley of Rudraprayag
district (30° 31. 44.7” N, 79° 6’ 21.1” E and
altitude 1604 masl) of Central Himalaya (Figure 1). The study area has a
generally cold temperate type and a strongly seasonal climate. The mean
annual precipitation ranged from 1971 mm, and most of this fall between
June through September with moderate to heavy snowfall during
December-February. The study area falls in the external zone of the
Kedarnath wildlife sanctuary. The study area has steep hills along with
undulating topography and influenced by landslide/slips during the rainy
season. The soil is brown-black in color and podzolic, which is
generally gravelly and large boulders are present in the area (Table.1).
The study sites lie within the central axis of central Himalaya, which
consists of belts of metamorphic rocks along with granites, gneiss, and
schist referred to as the critical crystalline (Raina and Gupta 2009).
The primary tree species in the study area are Alnus nepalensisD. Don, Quercus leucotrichophora A. Camus, Rhododendron
arboreum Smith, Myrica esculenta Buch.-Ham, Litsea
umbrosa Nees, Lyonia ovalifolia (Wall.) Drude, Symplocos
paniculata Miq, Pyrus pashiaL (Table.1).