Soil & Vegetation of Jammu and Kashmir

Gifted profusely by the nature god, the state of Jammu and Kashmir is a heaven on earth. The sky touching mountains, the sun kissed peaks, the kingdom of clouds atop the blue hills, the white rivers, the drizzling snow and the presence of excellent Soil & Vegetation of Jammu and Kashmir has made it a paradisaical land.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir has diverse soil and vegetation owing to its varying altitude. Altitude of an area always influences the climate and rainfall, which in turn affects the soil and vegetation of the region.

Jammu and Kashmir is blessed with lush green forests, which forms one of the most important natural resources of the state. Covering almost twenty percent of the geographical area of the state, the forests of Jammu - Kashmir has a total area of 2236 Square Kilometers. The forest vegetation can be classified into: -

• Coniferous softwood like pine
• Non coniferous softwood
• Scrub Forests
• Deciduous Forests

Numerous trees grow in these forests. Some of the valuable ones are: -

• Chinar
• Deodar
• Poplar
• Fir
• Pine
• Partal
• Kail
• Mulbery
• Walnut

Some herbs with excellent medicinal value are also found in these forests. Following are few names of such herbs: -

• Menthol
• Digitalis
• Rubus
• Artemisis

The main soil types in Jammu and Kashmir are: -

• Gurti or clay soil
• Sekil or sandy soil
• Bahil or loam soil
• Nambal or peats soil
• Surzamin
• Karewa