Manoj Kumar Jhariya*, Shalini Toppo, Lalji Singh and J.S.Singh
The regeneration status and species interactions reflect the health and sustainability of forests under given site conditions. The tropical forest faces several challenges for its sustenance in terms of regeneration, biodiversity, and natural balance due to various abiotic and biotic factors. Numerous factors influence the admixture and stratification of forests, with forest fires appearing to be one of the more challenging and common biotic factors. The present study explores the forest fire influence on regeneration, species interaction, and population dynamics in a protected area, Bhoramdeo Wildlife Sanctuary, (BWS) of Chhattisgarh state of India. The entire area was divided into four distinct sites, i.e., no fire zone (NFZ), low fire zones (LFZ), medium fire (MFZ) and high fire zones (HFZ) depending upon geo-referenced data and ground truth verification A total of 41 tree species (23 families) was recorded in the BWS. The dominant family was Rubiaceae followed by Leguminosae and Combretaceae. The density and girth relationship showed that the 86.37 −91.71% of individuals had ≤10 cm girth i.e. low girth class structure and 8.29−13.63% were in girth classes exceeding 10 cm GBH. The population structure revealed that tree, (> 10 cm, dbh) sapling ( > 30 cm, height), and seedling (height up to 30 cm) species show a consistent decrease in number from the seedling to sapling stage and also from the sapling to trees stage. Among different fire regimes, Anogeissus latifolia, Buchanania lanzan, Diospyrous melanoxylon, Lannea coromandelica, Shorea robusta, and Syzygium cumini exhibited good regeneration potential. The total biomass under different fire regimes varied from 116.03-358.36 Mg ha-1 , being highest under NFZ and lowest in HFZ, respectively. It is evident that keeping the forest fire under control will maintain its biodiversity and overall ecology, including nutrient cycling, regeneration, and ecosystem services, all of which contribute to its improved sustainability. Moreover, the species having good regeneration potential should be planted where the stocking is not up to the mark and where the incidence of fire is more common and frequent
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