Climate : The district has subtropical continental monsoon climate where we find seasonal rhythm, hot summers, cool winter, unreliable rainfalls and great variation in temperature. In winters frost sometime occurs during December and January. This district occasional winter rains from cyclones. There in falls is mostly restricted to rainy seasons. Area experiences extreme climate conditions May & June are the hottest months while December and January are the coldest. Maximum and Minimum temperature on average goes as high as 44 degree centigrade temperature starts rising steadily from February onwards till the on set of monsoon kalesar receive second highest rainfall after Panchkula district in the state. The average annual rainfall of the district comes out to be 970.33. The annual rainfall from 1992 to 2005 recorded at various rainfall gauge stations in the district is attached. Sal Tree : Sal (Shorea robusta) is a tall handsome tree providing very good quality timber. Its botanical family is dipterocarpaceae. In local languages it is called salwa, sakhu, sakher, shal, kandar and sakwa. Sal is a gregarious species and it forms the dominant composition in the forests where it occurs. It grows well in a well-drained, moist, sandy loam soil. It is a moderate to slow growing species and can attain a height upto 35 m and a girth of about 2 to 2.5 m in about 100 years under favorable conditions. Sal trees are found from Burma in the East, to Assam, Bengal, Nepal, the Deccan Plateau, going up to the foothills of the Shivaliks on the left bank of the Yamuna river. In Haryana, Sal can be found in the Morni Hills and the Kalesar forest. Sal grows well in low height plains to foothills viz. Shivaliks from 200 to 1200 meters above mean sea level. But Sal growing in Nepal and Singhbhum district of Bihar are considered to be the best variety.The bole of Sal tree is erect and cylindrical. The crown tends to be linear and sharp topped in young trees and round to flat in older ones.
The bark of the young tree is smooth with a few long deep and vertical furrows. Its thickness is 2 to 5 cm. and color dark brown. Its texture is rough with peculiar longitudinal furrows in mature trees. The sal flowers, whitish in color, appear in early summer. These come out in auxiliary racemos panicles covered with white pubescence. They fruit during summer and the seeds ripen from June to July. These tend to germinate even while on the tree and accordingly begin to fall soon after appearance. The sap wood in Sal is of small thickness. It is whitish in color and less durable. Heart wood is pale when freshly cut and tends to grow dark brown on exposure. It is coarse grained, hard and of fibrous structure. Annual rings are visible in young trees or on freshly cut wood. Its pores are of moderate size. These are filled with a kind of resin which makes the wood naturally durable. Sal wood is one of the three naturally lasting timbers of the Asian subcontinent, the other two being Teak and Deodar. It weighs nearly 25 to 30 kg to a cubic foot. It is difficult to plane and more so to drive a nail in to it. It is accordingly considered most suitable for railway sleepers, piles, beams and other load bearing parts of bridge structures, wheels and bodies of carts and other similar load carriers, including motor trucks, super structure of house tops, etc. In fact Sal wood is most suitable for all such applications where strength and elasticity are foremost requirements, and where polishing is not so very essential. Sal wood being so much sought after for construction purposes, its demand is much more than the available supply. The states having good Sal forests earn a lot of revenue. The healthy forests of Sal in their original habitat like Singhbhum (Bihar) and Doon valley (Uttaranchal) regenerate on their own. In less favorable areas these need continuous assistance for regeneration. These causes and remedies for the difficulty of Sal regeneration are an important subject of research at the National Institute of Forestry and Environment, Dehra Dun. They are also conducting studies into the insects and bacteria afflicting the healthy growth of Sal trees. Kalesar Forest : Kalesar Forest, 150 km from Chandigarh, is a Sal forest in Shivalik Hills, a name given to the foot -hills of the Himalayas. The range runs parallel with the Himalayan system from Haridwar on the Ganges to the banks of the Beas, with a length of 200m. and an average width of 10m. The elevation varies from 2000 to 3500 ft. Geologically speaking the Shivaliks belong to the tertiary deposits of the outer Himalayas, and are chiefly composed of low sandstone and conglomerate hills, the solidified and upheaved detritus of the great range in their rear The intermediate valley lying between the outer hills and the Mussoorie. Kalesar is an excellent area to visit for birders and those interested in wildlife. It has a 100-year-old colonial dak bungalow. The forest rest house located at a picturesque point commands a sweeping view of the Yamuna river. Surrounded with multi-layered gardens, and as typical of the ‘Raj’ bungalow architecture, there are high-ceiling rooms, exquisite parquet flooring and teak paneling along walls. A fireplace with a mantelpiece above and antique furniture completes the period setting. In the distant hills stand silhouetted against the first pinkish-blue light.
A dirt road diverts from the highway where a faded billboard announces entry into the reserve forest mainly consisting of Sal trees. The ride is very bumpy. Also present - the sindoor tree — A small-sized tree, it has dainty flowers, which turn into pods to produce the vermilion sindoor that adorns the tresses of married women. Dense forest. Besides the tall, leafy sal trees that constitute the age-old forest belt of the Doon valley, there are also other trees like Semul, Amaltas and Bahera. Climbers snake up the tree stems, and the forest floor is littered with fallen leaves and foliage plants. Sculptural anthills dot the landscape. There is a watering hole created by the Forest Department to quench the thirst of wild animals. A number of pebbled dry rivulets, which come alive during the monsoon season. A vast stretch of forest clearing is in sight. It’s not a natural clearing but a man-made one; and what is called in forestry parlance a ‘fire line.’ which help in the intricate task of containing forest fires, which once if they start off, even by a carelessly thrown bidi, can turn into a raging forest inferno.Jungle machaan; a high observation tower with a dangerous-looking service ladder.   From top the effort is rewarded by a sweeping panorama of the 11000 acres of the great sal forest; criss-crossed by fire lines and meandering rivulets. About 20km away on the Chuharpur road, is the Chaudhari Devi Lal Herbal Nature Park, a prestigious, innovative project of the Haryana Forest Department. The park, spread over 50 acres with 61,000 shrubs of herbs and 6100 medicinal tree plants. Kalesar has 53% dense forest, 38% open forest, 9% scrub. Total forest cover is about 71%. Lack of funds have hindered conservation effort in Kalesar forest. Spread over an area of 11,570 acres, Kalesar reserve forest is the only one of its kind in Haryana. It is home to a wide range of wild flora and fauna, including a male tiger, 16 male and female leopards, 19 panthers, three elephants and other animals. Situated on both sides of Yamunanagar-Paonta Sahib Road in Yamunanagar district, it was designated a national park through a government notification in December 2003. However, it is alleged, absence of sufficient funds from the Centre is proving to be a hindrance in wildlife conservation in the national park. As per the wildlife census, undertaken in May 2004 after a gap of four years in collaboration with Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, one can find wild boars,sambhars, hares, Red Junglefowl, porcupine, monkeys, chitals etc whereas Khair, Sal, Shisham, sain, jhingan, chhal are the trees found in the forest. It is probably the only forest in Haryana with a natural ‘sal’ tree belt.
Yamuna river : Yamuna river forms the eastern boundary of Haryana with Uttar Pradesh. Yamuna enters Haryana near the Kalesar forest Yamunanagar district. It flows south along the districts of Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, and exits Haryana near Hasanpur in district Faridabad. At Tajewala barrage in district Yamunanagar, the waters of the river Yamuna are caught and diverted in the Western Yamuna Canal for irrigation. There is a nice tourist spot at Hathni Kund near this barrage. The world famous Taj Mahal is situated on the banks of this river in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. This river is also called Yamna, Jamna and Jamuna in different Hindi dialects. This revered river originates from the Champasar Glacier at an altitude of 4421 m in the state of Uttaranchal. Some say the source of the river is the Saptarishi Kund, a glacial lake. There is a sacred shrine of Yamunotri or Yamnotri, near this source at an altitude of 3235 m.There is a temple dedicated to the Goddess Yamuna, which remains closed from November to May. At Hanumanchatti, the Hanuman Ganga merges with Yamuna river. Yamunotri finds a special mention in the Hindu mythology. According to a legend, this secluded hilly spot was the home of an ancient sage, Asit Muni. From Uttaranchal, the river flows into the state of Himachal Pradesh. After passing Paonta Sahib, Yamuna flows along the boundary of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and after exiting Haryana it continues to flow till it merges with the river Ganga (Ganges) at Sangam or Prayag in Allahbad (Uttar Pradesh). The total length of the river is 1,370 km. Its major tributaries are the Betwa rivers. Religious Importance: Ganga and Yamuna along with the dried Saraswati , are the most sacred rivers in India. Yamuna, according to the legends, is the daughter of the Sun God, Surya and the sister of Yama, the God of Death. According to ancient beliefs it said that those who take a dip in the holy waters of the river do not fear death. This river is also closely connected to and Lord Krishna. His father Vasudeva, crossed the Yamuna with baby Lord Krishna for a safe place. It is said that Lord Krishna played along with his cowherd friends on the banks of river Yamuna during his childhood. Wildlife and Birds: Yamuna and its banks are one of the last refuge for the dwindling wildlife and bird population of Haryana. Neelgai, Black Buck and Chital can occasionally be seen along the river. In addition, birds like Pallas Gull, River Tern Tern, Ruddy Shelduck, Northern Shoveller, Cormorants, Egrets, Little-ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Sand Lark, Crested Lark Lapwing, Red-wattled Lapwing, Common Coot, Pied Kingfisher, White -breasted Kingfisher, Great Thick-knee, Eurasian Thick etc can be regularly seen.
Herbal Nature Park : The Herbal Nature Park is situated at Chuharpur Reserved Forest near Khizrabad on Bhud Kalan road in Yamunanagar district. It is about 35 km from Yamunanagar, 130 km from Chandigarh and 255 km from Delhi. Chuharpur Reserved Forest has an area of 184 Acre, with medium tree density of Khair (Acacia catechu), Teak (Tectona grandis), Simbal, Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) etc. The park was opened on 6 November 2001. More than 300 species of medicinal trees, herbs, shrubs, climbers ferns and aquatic plants have been planted. Some of the important plants grown in the park are Ashwagandha, Sarpagandha, Safed Musali (Chlorophytum borivilianum L), Brahmi, Vach, Chitrak, Shatavari, Isabagol, Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), Pippali, Makoy, Bhumi amalki, Bahera, Gwarpatha, Harad, Amla (Phyllanthus emblica), Rudraksh, Bael, Kalihari, Patharchur, Lemon grass, Liquorice, Jatropha, Palmarosa and Haldi (Turmeric). Shivalik hills have a rich history of medicinal plants and herbs. A repeated mention of "Kalika Kshetra" (now Kalka) is observed in ancient Sanskrit texts for its valuable medicinal plant wealth and flourishing trade in marketing of medicinal plants. India has one of the oldest and richest cultural heritage of using wild plants for treating various ailments. Our country is the birthplace of Ayurveda, the art and science of healthy living. This indigenous system of medicine thrives on naturally occurring flora diversity, collectively referred to as medicinal plants. The global interest in Ayurveda, which has a known history of treating and curing mankind across five millennia, has increased once again. It is in this context, Chaudhary Devi Lal Herbal Nature Park has been created and developed. Medicinal herbal plantation has been done under matured trees and along with tree plantation. Since the park spreads over a large area, a demonstrative herbal garden near the entrance has been made which displays more than 200 varieties of different medicinal plants on aesthetically designed herbal beds. This garden also provides sitting and walking places for tourists. Description of each plant and its uses has also been displayed through name plates. This is a major tourist attraction in the Park. Landscaping has been given important consideration for the development of this park. Meandering walkways and aesthetically designed herbal beds add to the beauty. Effective use of locally available raw material has been made resulting in a soothing design that blends with the natural forest surroundings. Presence of water bodies and circuitous walk ways add aesthetic appeal, attracting a large number of tourists.
page: 1  2  3  4  5