Forests face a variety of threats in the modern era. Agroforestry systems, both traditional and introduced, have a tremendous capacity for providing sustainable resources and combating the impact of global climate change. Indigenous agroforestry and forest land-use systems are important reservoirs for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services, providing a potential contribution to livelihood security for rural communities. This study aimed to assess the tree diversity and carbon stock of agroforestry and adjoining forests along altitudinal gradients, ranging between 700 and 2200 masl (i.e., lower, middle, and upper altitudes) by laying sample plots randomly of a size of 20 × 20 m². In the forest land-use system, the maximum Importance Value Index (IVI) included Dalbergia sissoo (71.10), Pyrus pashia (76.78), and Pinus roxburghii (79.69) at the upper, middle, and lower elevations, respectively, whereas, in the agroforestry land-use system, the IVI reported for Ficus semicordata was 43.05 at the upper, while for Grewia optiva it was at 53.82 at the middle and 59.33 at the lower altitudes. The below-ground biomass density (AGBD) was recorded as 1023.48 t ha⁻¹ (lower), 242.92 t ha⁻¹ (middle), and 1099.35 t ha⁻¹(upper), while in the agroforestry land-use system, the AGBD was 353.48 t ha⁻¹ (lower), 404.32 t ha⁻¹ (middle), and 373.23 t ha⁻¹ (upper). The total carbon density (TCD) values recorded were 630.57, 167.32, and 784.00 t ha⁻¹ in forest land-use systems, and 227.46, 343.23, and 252.47 in agroforestry land-use systems for lower, middle, and upper altitudes, respectively. The Margalef’s Index values for agroforestry and forests ranged from 2.39 to 2.85 and 1.12 to 1.30, respectively. Soil organic carbon (SOC) stock recorded 45.32, 58.92, and 51.13 Mg C ha⁻¹ for agroforestry and 61.73, 42.65, and 71.08 Mg C ha⁻¹ for forest in lower, middle and upper elevations, respectively. The study suggests that selecting land use patterns can be an effective management system for tree species at different elevations for carbon storage, helping to mitigate climate change and aiding in sustainable management of ecosystems in the Garhwal Himalayas.

The management of forests is essential for the conservation of biodiversity and climate change. Studies on the variation in forest tree diversity and carbon sequestration by the forests along altitudinal gradients are limited for most parts of the Garhwal Himalaya. The present study was carried out in montane forests in a part of district Tehri of the Garhwal Himalaya, India at four different sites between altitudinal ranges of 850 to 2,200 masl (i.e., 850–1,500 masl under sub-tropical region and 1,800–2,200 masl under temperate region) for vegetation, soil, and carbon stock analysis using different parameters including the existing pressure on the sites for fuel, fodder, timber, grazing, and browsing. All the standard methods were used for vegetation and soil analysis. The highest value of tree diversity (H = 0.48) and concentration of dominance (CD = 0.95) was recorded at 850–1,100 masl altitude under sub-tropical forests. The aboveground biomass density (AGBD) and belowground biomass density (BGBD) ranged from 271 to 703.20 and 83.21 to 163.92 Mg ha^–1, respectively. The pH value ranged from 5.63 to 6.86 (0–15 cm) and 6.17 to 7.21 (15–30 cm). Similarly, soil organic carbon (SOC) was reported to range from 1.86 to 2.57% and 1.78 to 2.44% at 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm depths, respectively. Available nitrogen (N) under temperate forests was reported to be significantly higher than at other altitudes. Among the studied parameters, a significant positive correlation was reported between the pH of the soil and the Shannon–Wiener and Margalef diversity indices. The study revealed that the sub-tropical region was more diversified in terms of tree species whereas soil properties were reported to be better in the temperate region. Among the species in the study region, Pinus roxburghii, Boswellia serrata, Quercus leucotrichophora, and Cedrus deodara have shown good potential for carbon storage. Thus, based on the dominant and associated species present in the area, forest management activities may be followed for the survival and regeneration of species with the potential of being the next dominant species in the future.

Due to the impact of Corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic that exists today, all countries, national and international organizations are in a continuous effort to find efficient and accurate statistical models for forecasting the future pattern of COVID infection. Accurate forecasting should help governments to take decisive decisions to master the pandemic spread. In this article, we explored the COVID-19 database of India between 17th March to 1st July 2020, then we estimated two nonlinear time series models: Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Fuzzy Time Series (FTS) by comparing them with ARIMA model. In terms of model adequacy, the FTS model out performs the ANN for the new cases and new deaths time series in India. We observed a short-term virus spread trend according to three forecasting models.Such findings help in more efficient preparation for the Indian health system.

In urban forestry plantations are implemented in different cities of the world for social and environmental benefits. Bauhinia retusa and Bauhinia variegata are important species and to be used as large-scale plantation programs in urban forestry which might solve or mitigate urban, social, and environmental issues such as improving the physical & mental health of residents, food and nutrition security, increasing urban biodiversity, cooling the neighboring, preventing soil erosion, flooding, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. The present study was conducted with the aim of producing quality planting material for B. retusa and B. variegata in the nursery for afforestation programs. Seeds of B. retusa and B. variegata were collected from the natural habitats to assess seed germination and seedling growth. Seeds were stored in different types of containers at room temperature and later on exposed to 15, 20, and 25 °C in seed germinator. Seeds were further sown in polythene bags according to the seed size, seed coat color, seed sowing depth, the orientation of seeds, and the result of the emergence of seedlings, their growth, and biomass were estimated. A two-way analysis of variance was calculated to estimate the variation among the studied parameters. Results revealed that a constant 25 °C temperature was considered best for seed germination of both the Bauhinia species. Polybags were found the most suitable for storing the Bauhinia seeds among the storage containers. The seedling emergence and growth were maximum in yellow color and large seeds. In B. retusa, seedling emergence, and growths were the maximum in seeds sown at a horizontal position and in B. variegata at an upright position. Seedling emergence, length, and biomass were recorded the maximum when seeds of B. retusa were sown at 4 cm depth and B. variegata seeds were sown at 2 cm depth. The study recommends that the yellow color seed that has to be sown at 2 cm to 4 cm depth with upright and horizontal positions is considered best for the production of quality planting stock of both studied Bauhinia species.