EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Dawn in Dudhwa

Sal Forest (Shorea robusta), Family Dipterocarpaceae
Dudhwa, India

Explanation:  Once upon an expedition, I found myself on elephant-back exploring the untrekked corners of the amazing land of Dudhwa National Park in northern India along the border with Nepal.  

Our work outings took us through dense lowland jungle forests that arc along the foothills of the Himalayas.  These are forests of sal trees and the abode of the rare Indian one-horned rhinoceros and Bengal tiger.  

The sal forests here in this park are long untouched and grow in multi-aged stands with a diverse and dense understory vegetation.  

In India, sal is prized as providing highly valuable timber and is grown commercially.  Besides its timber, sal also provides resins used as oils, and provides valuable tannins and edible seeds, and is also used as medicinals.  

But for this morning, we are enjoying the peace of the forest for its own sake.