Flora
Mizoram has an impressive record of rich floral and faunal diversity in the past. Every inch of land was covered with beautiful forests of gigantic dimensions. With the passage of time and also with the increase in population, uncontrolled jhumming and reckless felling of trees, the forests have lost their original character. Remnants of forests that have survived the onslaughts of jhums and uncontrolled felling are indicative of the original landscape. Primary forests now have a very restricted distribution and are therefore almost non existent in the project site. Visual interpretation of the remotely sensed data indicates that jhum areas dominate the land cover of the project site. The secondary forests are characterized by a fairly open and short canopy. Wild bananas and bamboo form the undergrowth (Plate 1). Teak plantations which are owned by Government and also those which are privately owned also occur in the study area. Vegetation characteristics of different forests types are summarized below:
| Legal status | Vegetation | Characteristic species and its distribution |
| Community forest | i) Secondary scrub | Younger, more even aged forests. Bamboo and banana form the undergrowth. Occur in disturbed areas. |
| ii) jhum | Bamboo (Melocanna bambusoides) is the dominant species. Occur throughout the area | |
| iii) Plantations | Teak, Gmelina arborea, and rubber plantations recorded along the Silchar - Aizawl main highway | |
| iv) Scrub forests | Grassy patches with scattered shrubs on gentle slopes | |
| Reserved forest | i) Riverine forest | Species like Pinus keseya, Quercus incana, Quercus sp., Schima wallichi, Rhododendron, Rhus and Eupatorium sp. and Wild bannana and Bamboo, dominate this forest type along the river |
Last Updated: February 6, 2013
