MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF SOME PINE FORESTED AREAS OF AZAD KASHMIR-PAKISTAN

Floristic composition and communities in Azad Kashmir area of Pakistan were studied by using multivariate analysis. Quantitative sampling from thirty one sites was carried out in different coniferous forests of Azad Kashmir in order to analyze the effects of past earthquakes and landslides on vegetation of these areas. Though coniferous forests were highly disturbed either naturally or anthropogenic activities, therefore sampling was preferred to those forests which were near fault line. Trees were sampled using Point Centered Quarter (PCQ) method. Results of cluster analysis (using Ward's method) yielded six groups dominated by different conifer species. Group I and V were dominated by Pinus wallichiana while this species was co-dominant in group III. Other groups showed the dominance of different conifer species i.e. Cedrus deodara, Pinus roxburghii, Picea smithiana and Abies pindrow. Both the cluster analysis and ordination techniques (by two dimensional non-metric multidimensional scaling) classify and ordinate the structure of various groups indicating interrelationship among different species. The groups of trees were readily be superimposed on NMS ordination axes; they were well classified and well separated out in ordination. The present research revealed that these forests had diverse and asymmetric structure due to natural anthropogenic disturbances and overgrazing, which were key factors in addition to natural disturbances. However, some of the forests showed considerably stable structure due to less human interference.