GENERAL

FOREST

The forests are the natural resources and its major products are utilised as timber for building purposes and in the manufacture of various types of furniture etc. Its minor produce is utilised as fuel.

The forests in the district correspond to group 4 A—Southern tropical Dry Deciduous Forests [Reffered to in Champion’s ‘A Preliminary Survey of the forest type of India and Burma’]. Within this type, local variations are met with, due to variations in the nature of the soil, topography, past treatment, and accessibility. Although the altitudinal variations are very limited, they play an important part in influencing the character of vegetation. Better stocked patches occur in cooler and protected depressions on the Northern and Eastern slopes.

Scurb forests

Owing to the pressure of the increasing population and the ever-increasing demand for land for tillage, the forest areas have receded to distant hilly tracts with poor and shallow soil with the result that the forests are of very poor and open type. In addition to this other biotic influences such as heavy illicit cuttings, uncontrolled grazing and fires in the past have been responsible for further retrogression of the forests. Actually majority of the forest blocks in this district carry shrubby growth of bharatti (gymnosporia montana), dhawai (woodfordia floribunda), dhal (cajanus indica), ghela (randia dumatorum), ghaneri (lantana camara, lantana indica), karonda (carissa spinarum), madar rui (calotropis giganted), nirgudi (vites-negunda), parijatak (nyctanthes arbortristis), tarwad (cassia auriculata), tarota (cassia tora), chindh (phoemin acautis) and thick grass due to which most of these blocks have been declared as ramanas or kurans and are sold either on cutting or grazing terms.

Tree Forest

This type of forest occurs only in cool sheltered pockets having Northern and Eastern aspects. These forests are of mixed-miscellaneous type and consist mostly of salai (boswellia serrata), moina (lannea grandis), temru (Diospyros melanoxylon), kandol (sterculia urens), khair (acacia catechu), bahawa (cassia fistula), palas (butea frondosa), bhilwa (seme-carpus anacardium), lokhandi (ixora-parviflora). ghat-bor (zizyphus xylopyra), apta (bauhinia racemosa), bhutkes (Elaeo-dendron glaucum) with scattered dhavda (anogeissus latifolia), awala (phyllanthus emblica) and chandan (santalum album) at some places.

The under-storey consists of the same species as are found in the shrub forests.

Grasses

The main grasses found in the various forest blocks of the district are boni (sorghum halepense, linn), kusali (heteropogon contortus, beant), paonya (schima sulcatum A. camus), rosha (cymbopogon martini, roxb), sheda (schima-nervoseum), Kunda (ischaemum pilosum, haok), gondal (andropogon, pumilus), chirka (erarostic trenula) and marvel (dichanthium annulatum, forsk).

FOREST-AREA UNDER FOREST AND REVENUE DEPARTMENT TAHSIL-WISE

*Figures in brackets indicate area in acres.

Major Forest Produce

A major portion of the forest produce of this district is consumed locally. There is a great demand for teak timber and firewood, but as the forests of this district are very poor it cannot meet the local demand and hence most of the timber and firewood is imported from Nizamabad, Adilabad and Nirmal districts of Andhra Pradesh. The timber thus imported, is naturally costly and many people use mango (Mangifera indica), salai (Boswellia serrata) and neem (Azadirachta indica) for building purposes. It is for this reason that most of the mango and neem trees standing in the fields or malki-lands have been cleared and utilized.

Minor Forest Produce

The main minor forest produce which is utilised in the district consists of (1) fodder and thatching grasses, (2) temru leaves for bidi manufacture, (3) chandan (Santalum album) (Sandal wood), (4) charoli and (5) gums.

Grasses:—There is a fair local demand for fodder grasses. Some quantity is also used for thatching. At places rosha-grass occurs in extensive patches but this is at present extracted for thatching and making screens. Shindi leaves are also used for thatching and making brooms.

Temru leaves:—This is another important marketable forest produce which is extracted on a large scale for the manufacture of bidis.

Chandan:—Exploitable strong trees of chandan (santalum album) (sandal wood) are at present not available anywhere in significant numbers; however, local dealers are extracting chandan from dead and dry trees found in the fields of the villagers.

In addition to the above, mahua toli, charoli, biba, karanj seed and gums are extracted locally for various uses.

Road-side Trees

The shade trees that thrive best along the road-side in this district are karanj (pongamia glabra), siras (albizzia-lebbeck), neem (azadirachta indica), bakan (melia azadirachta), mango (mangifera indica), akash-neem, cork tree (millingtonia hortensis) wad (ficus bengalensis), pimpri (ficus spp) and nandruk (ficus spp). Babul (acacia arabica), rain-tree (pithecolobium saman) and Gulmohar (poinciana regia) are also met with along some of the roads maintained by the Buildings and Communications department.

Field Trees and Plants

The main species of trees found growing naturally in the fields are; (1) mango (mangifera indica), neem (azadirachta indica), chinch (tamerindus indica), jamun (eugenia jambolana), sitaphal, custard apple (annona squamosa) while following species of trees are found to be planted in some of the fields by the cultivators in the district. (1) banana (mouz) (musa sapientum), peru or jamb (pasidium pomiferum), ramphal, coco-palm, betel palm, (areca catechu), limbu or lemon tree (citrus bergamia), and at places anar or dalimb (pomegranate).

Fiber Plants

The main fibre yielding plants are kekti (agave), bhendi (kydia calicina), sontag (hemp), and plantain (musa sapientum). A number of shindi (phoenix acaulis) trees are also found in some of the fields which are also fibre yielding.

Hedge Plants

The hedge plants are adulsa (adhatoda vasica), nagphana (opuntia dillenia), thuar (euphorbia geniculata), nirgudi (vitex negundo), pangra (erythrina indica) and erand (castor plant) (ricinus communis).

Water Plants

The chief water plants found in the tanks are lotuses or kamals, stellata with rose coloured scentless flowers, (nymphoea robra) with large brilliant red flowers and nymphoea pubescdas with white flowers. In addition, shingada (neiutium spp) is also found.

Weeds

The chief weeds found in the district are tarota (cassia tora), utarni (achyranthes aspera), lantana (lantana camara) and solonurn spp.

Climbers

The climbers that are found in the district are chilar (caesalpinia sapiaria) kajkhori or kihila (mucuna pruriens), karanta (cryptolepis buchanani), kavali (gymnema sylvestres), palasvel (butea superba) and ran-mogra (jasminum arborescens).

Ferns

As the rainfall is very scanty in the district no ferns of any importance are found to grow in the district.

Exotics

Following ornamental exotic plants have been introduced either in the gardens or along avenues in the district. They are rain tree (pithecellobium saman), a native of Jamaica, the divi-divi tree (caesalpinia coriaria), suru (casuarina equisetifolia), nilgiri (eucalyptus spp), silver oak (grevillea robusta) and chikku (clyricidia mentana).

The chief varieties of flowers found in the district are antirrhinum, aster, calliopsis, candy tuft, cornation corn-flower, clarida, dianthus, hollyhock larkspur, linum, nastrafium, pansy, phlox, poppy, salvia sweet peas, verbena, amaranthus, balsam, calendula, cannas of various varieties cock's scomb, convolulus, cosmos, dabilia, marigold and sunflowers both large and small.

The chief vegetables are beans, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, radish, cauli-flower, celery, eggplant (brinjal), lettuce, mustard, onion, peas, tomato, cucumber, lady's finger, melon, musk melon, pumpkin and different varieties of beans.