Climatic Conditions
- Annual rainfall is 100-150 cm.
Characteristics
- These are similar to moist deciduous forests and shed their leaves in dry season.
- The major difference is that they can grow in areas of comparatively less rainfall.
- They represent a transitional type – moist deciduous on the wetter side and thorn forests on the drier side.
- They have a closed but uneven canopy.
- The forests are composed of a mixture of a few species of deciduous trees rising up to a height of 20 metres.
- Undergrowth: Enough light reaches the ground to permit the growth of grass and climbers.
Distribution
- They occur in an irregular wide strip running from the foot of the Himalayas to Kanyakumari except in Rajasthan, Western Ghats and West Bengal.
- The important species are teak, axlewood, rosewood, common bamboo, red sanders, laurel, satinwood, etc.
- Large tracts of this forest have been cleared for agricultural purposes.
- These forests have suffered from over grazing, fire, etc.
