Composition and Diversity of Tree Species in Selected Region of Ulhasnagar

Urban green space has been recognized as one of the issues, which seems particularly important in the upbringing of countries with developing economies. Green spaces within residential areas provide important contributions to the sustainability of urban systems. UNEP's foresight report links biodiversity with urban sustainability and resilience. The city of Ulhasnagar is spread over an area of 13 sq km, divided into various camps regions viz Camp I, II, III, IV, and V. In the present study tree species composition, diversity and abundance in Camp III region of Ulhasnagar was assessed. The trees were accounted by further transecting the region into gardens, institutes and roadside-residential areas. The data were analysed for relative density (RD), relative abundance (pi), Margalef's species index (d) and Shannon -Wiener index (H). Results revealed a total of 3617 trees belonging to 31 different families with 66 genus and 76 species in the whole of Camp III region. The members of families Annonaceae (873), Leguminosae (607) and Palmae (445) were higher than other tree species. In general Polyalthia longifolia, Terminalia catappa, Samanea saman and Roystonea regia were the most abundant species. The Shannon -Wiener index (H) values for gardens, institutes and roadside-residential areas were 2.697, 2.9984 and 3.1766 respectively. The tree species composition and distribution indicates Ulhasnagar being an unplanned city; and the urban tree distribution is strongly influenced by the developmental history of the region.