Natural Vegetation
ICSE Class 10 · Geography · Chapter 7
What this chapter covers
- Natural vegetation and forests
- Importance of forests
- Types of natural vegetation in India
- Tropical evergreen forests
- Tropical deciduous forests
- Tropical desert vegetation
- Littoral forests
- Mountain forests
- Distribution and correlation with the environment
- Forest conservation — the need
- Forest conservation — methods
- Common mistakes to avoid
Key points
- Natural vegetation is plant life that has grown on its own and adjusted to the climate, soil and relief of a place; crops and orchards are not natural vegetation.
- Forests protect soil, control floods, recharge groundwater, moderate climate, absorb carbon dioxide and shelter wildlife.
- Forests supply timber, fuelwood, raw materials for paper, plywood and matches, and minor products such as lac, gum, resin, tendu leaves, honey and medicinal herbs.
- Tropical evergreen forests: over 200 cm rain; Western Ghats (western slopes), Andaman and Nicobar, north-east; mahogany, ebony, rosewood, rubber; rich but hard to exploit.
- Tropical deciduous (monsoon) forests: 70 to 200 cm rain; shed leaves in summer; moist (100 to 200 cm) and dry (70 to 100 cm); teak, sal, sandalwood; most important commercially.
- Tropical desert vegetation: below 70 cm rain; Rajasthan, Kachchh, rain-shadow Deccan; babul, khejri, cactus; long roots, spiny leaves, fleshy stems.
- Littoral forests: tidal coasts and deltas; Sundarbans and east-coast deltas; sundari, keora; stilt and breathing roots; protect coasts from cyclones.
- Mountain forests change with altitude: sal in the foothills, oak and chestnut higher, pine and deodar from about 1,500 to 3,000 m, then alpine forests and grasslands.
- Rainfall controls vegetation on plains and plateaus, temperature on mountains, and tidal soil on coasts.
- Forest conservation methods named in the syllabus: afforestation (new forest), reforestation (replace a lost forest), social forestry (trees on common land for the community), agroforestry (trees with crops) and Van Mahotsav (tree-planting festival in the first week of July, begun in 1950).
Questions answered
Define natural vegetation.
Natural vegetation is the plant community that has grown naturally in an area without human help and has been left undisturbed for a long time, so that it has adjusted to the climate, soil and relief of that area.
Give two environmental and two economic reasons why forests are important.
Environmental: forests check soil erosion and they absorb carbon dioxide and give out oxygen (also: control floods, provide habitat for wildlife). Economic: forests supply timber for building and furniture, and raw materials such as bamboo and softwood for paper and matches (also: fuelwood, lac, gum, tendu leaves, medicinal plants).
Name the five types of natural vegetation of India named in the syllabus.
Tropical evergreen forests, tropical deciduous forests, tropical desert vegetation, littoral forests and mountain forests.
State the rainfall needed for tropical evergreen forests and name two areas where they grow.
More than 200 cm a year. They grow on the western slopes of the Western Ghats and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (also the north-eastern hills such as Meghalaya and Assam).
Give two reasons why tropical evergreen forests are not exploited commercially on a large scale.
Trees of one useful species are scattered among many other species, so felling is costly; and the dense undergrowth, heavy rain and poor transport make the forests difficult to reach.
Why are tropical deciduous forests also called monsoon forests? Name two valuable trees found in them.
They depend on the seasonal rainfall of the monsoon and shed their leaves in the dry season before it. Teak and sal are two valuable trees (also sandalwood and shisham).
Distinguish between tropical moist deciduous and tropical dry deciduous forests on the basis of rainfall and one region each.
Moist deciduous forests grow with 100 to 200 cm of rain, for example in Jharkhand or Odisha; dry deciduous forests grow with 70 to 100 cm, for example on the interior Deccan plateau or the plains of Uttar Pradesh.
State three ways in which desert plants are adapted to dry conditions.
They have long roots that reach deep or spread wide for water; small, thick or spiny leaves that reduce transpiration; and thick, fleshy stems or waxy coatings that store or save water.
Past board exam questions
ICSE 2027 sample paper · 1 mark
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic feature of the Tropical Evergreen Forest?
- Dense
- Pure stands
- Layered structure
- Hardwood
Show answer
Pure stands
ICSE 2027 sample paper · 2 marks
While visiting the Andaman Islands, Sneha comes across Tropical Evergreen Forests characterised by dark forest floors. (a) Why are the forest floors dark? (b) State the rainfall requirements for this type of forest.
Show answer
(a) The dense, thick canopy of tall trees blocks sunlight from reaching the forest floor.
(b) More than 200 cm of annual rainfall.
ICSE 2027 sample paper · 2 marks
Van Mahotsav is a significant event in India’s forest conservation program. State two reasons in favour of this statement.
Show answer
Any two: it expands the green cover through large-scale tree planting; it helps restore degraded land; it creates public awareness about the protection and conservation of forests.
ICSE 2027 sample paper · 3 marks
(a) Why are long and deep roots a typical characteristic of desert vegetation? (b) State the rainfall condition required for the above type of vegetation to evolve. (c) Mention one region in India where this vegetation is predominant.
Show answer
(a) Rainfall is scanty, so long roots help the plants draw water from deep underground.
(b) Less than 25 cm of rainfall per annum.
(c) Any one: western Rajasthan (Thar) / Kutch and Saurashtra (Gujarat) / south-western Punjab / interior Deccan.
ICSE 2027 sample paper · 3 marks
Forests are ‘Green Gold’. Give three reasons in support of this statement.
Show answer
Any three: forests give oxygen and purify the air; they absorb carbon dioxide and slow global warming; they allow percolation of water and recharge groundwater; they control floods; roots bind soil and check soil erosion; transpiration induces rainfall; they are habitats for many plants and animals; they provide timber and raw materials (bamboo, lac, resin, etc.) to forest-based industries.
ICSE 2026 board paper · 1 mark
Identify the option which is most similar to: Tropical Evergreen vegetation : Tall trees and hardwood
- Tropical Deciduous vegetation : Pure stands
- Tropical Desert vegetation : Small leaves and spines
- Coniferous forests : Mountain
- Littoral vegetation : Boat making
Show answer
Tropical Desert vegetation : Small leaves and spines
ICSE 2026 sample paper · 1 mark
Find the option most similar to: Teak: Tropical Deciduous Forest
- Mahogany: Furniture
- Stilted roots: Mangrove Vegetation
- Ebony: Tropical Rainforest
- Spines: Tropical Desert Vegetation.
Show answer
Ebony: Tropical Rainforest
ICSE 2026 sample paper · 2 marks
(a) How does Social Forestry help to conserve forests? (b) Why are long and deep roots a typical characteristic of desert vegetation?
Show answer
(a) Social forestry involves local communities in planting and managing trees on common and waste land; it supplies fuelwood, fodder and small timber to villagers and so reduces their pressure on natural forests.
(b) Rainfall in deserts is scanty, so plants need long, deep roots to reach water deep under the ground.