Deciduous Forest- Meaning, Location and Facts
Last Updated : 16 Apr, 2025
Deciduous Forest- Deciduous forest refers to those forests which are characterized by trees that shed their leaves annually. Plants such as mosses, herbs, and ferns are found in these forests. Deciduous forests are found mostly in North America, Europe, and Asia. Different types of deciduous forests include temperate deciduous forests, the tropical and subtropical deciduous forests.
Tropical Deciduous Forests of IndiaWhat are Deciduous Forests?
The Indian vegetation is mostly consisting of tropical deciduous forests. These forests are found in regions receiving rainfall between 200 cm and 70 cm. The tropical deciduous forests shed their leaves for about 1.5 to 2 months before winter. Some evergreen trees retain their leaves throughout the year. Deciduous forests are having different varieties of trees.
Deciduous Forest in India
The bioregion known as Indian Dry Deciduous Forests is situated within the Indian Subcontinent subrealm and encompasses four distinct ecoregions: Chhota-Nagpur Dry Deciduous Forests, Narmada Valley Dry Deciduous Forests, Khathiar-Gir Dry Deciduous Forests, and Indus River Delta-Arabian Sea Mangroves.
Types of Trees in Tropical Deciduous Forests
Edible fruit-bearing trees like apples, oranges, bananas, and pears and non-edible fruit-bearing trees like maple, eke, elm, beech, and birch are found in the maximum regions of tropical deciduous forests.
Location of Deciduous Forest
Deciduous forest are found mostly in the eastern half of north America and in Europe. In case of Asian countries, like northeastern China Plain, Japan are some of the important places where we can find deciduous woods and other important places include Southwest Russia, Southern Chile and Paraguay. Also, can be found in New Zealand and Australia.
Natural Vegetation in India
.png)
Natural Vegetation in IndiaDeciduous Forest Characteristics
The table which is given below mentions the main features of Tropical Deciduous Forests and also differentiates them from the other types of forests:
| Sr. No. | Characteristics of Tropical Deciduous Forests in India |
1 | Tropical Deciduous Forests are also known as Monsoon Forests. |
2 | The rainfall in Tropical Deciduous Forests ranges from 70-200 cm. |
3 | These forests are found in areas where a long dry season is followed by a heavy rainfall season is one of the characteristics of the region. |
4 | Tropical Deciduous Forests are of two types: - Moist Deciduous Forests: Mixture of trees and grasses.
- Dry Deciduous Forests
|
5 | Tropical deciduous forests are found along the Equator belt between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn |
6 | Major States where tropical deciduous forests are found: - Madhya Pradesh
- Uttar Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- Odisha
- Maharashtra
|
7 | The humidity of these types of forests lies between 80-90 percent. |
8 | The average temperature in tropical deciduous forests is 30 degrees Celcius. |
9 | These forests are less dense as compared to evergreen forests. |
10 | Prime features include seasonality, as the leaves are shed in the dry season and the leaves are grown back in the rainy season. |
Types of Deciduous Forests: Moist Deciduous and Dry Deciduous Forests
In the table given below we will understand the features and characteristics of moist and dry deciduous forests:
| Features | Moist Deciduous Forests | Dry Deciduous Forests |
| Rainfall | 100-200 cms Annual Temperature Mean: 27 degrees Celsius Humidity Annually: 60-75 percent | 70-100 cm |
| Regions | The regions where they are found are: - North-eastern states along Himalayan foothills
- Eastern slopes of Western Ghats
- Odisha
| - Rainy areas of Peninsular India
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
- Vegetation is scanty in Rajasthan in Southern and Western areas.
|
| Species | - Teak
- Sal
- Hurra
- Kusum
- Sandalwood
- Amla
| - Palas
- Khair
- Axlewood
- Tendu
- Bel
|
| Other Features | Areas of open grass patches are found in these forests. | - A moist portion of these forests transforms into moist deciduous forests; While drier areas into thorn forests.
- These forests have parkland landscape with open stretches in higher rainfall regions of the Peninsular.
- In the dry season, the trees of these forests shed their leaves completely and turn into grassland.
|
Distribution of Deciduous Forests- World
The distribution of tropical deciduous forests worldwide is majorly found in:
- Sri Lanka
- Coastal areas of Southwest India
- Myanmar
- Bangladesh
- Southwestern Africa
- French Guiana
- Brazil
Deciduous Forest Examples
Some important examples of deciduous forest include European Temperate Deciduous Forest, Northeast China Plan and Great Smoky Mountain in UK.
Related Link
- Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs
Similar Reads
CBSE Class 9 Geography Revision Notes CBSE Notes for Class 9 Geography is an exciting subject that allows students to explore the physical and human aspects of the world around them. It provides a comprehensive understanding of India's physical and human geography and covers topics like location, physical features, climate, vegetation,
5 min read
Chapter 1: India-Size and Location
Chapter 2: Physical Features of India
Chapter 3: Drainage
Chapter 4: Climate
Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation and Wildlife
Deciduous Forest- Meaning, Location and FactsDeciduous Forest- Deciduous forest refers to those forests which are characterized by trees that shed their leaves annually. Plants such as mosses, herbs, and ferns are found in these forests. Deciduous forests are found mostly in North America, Europe, and Asia. Different types of deciduous forests
4 min read
Thorn Forests: Meaning, Characteristics and FAQsIndia consists of about 7,12,249 sq. km. of the area which is covered with forests, of which about 16,491 sq km consist of tropical thorn forests. Tropical thorn forests of India are situated in the areas of southwest Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and also in parts of Uttar Pr
4 min read
Chapter 6: Population