Context:
A massive wildfire destroyed a kilometre-long stretch in the Mala and Haripur Forest range Pilibhit .
- The fire broke out only five days after another wildfire had wiped out over 150 hectares of grassland in the core zone of the Mahof forest range within Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR).
About Forests in PTR
- The PTR includes five ranges: Barahi, Mala, Deoria, Mahof, and Haripur.
- Vegetation
- The reserve is a prime example of the highly diversified and productive Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecosystem.
- The forest vegetation is of the North Indian moist deciduous type.
- The reserve contains the finest sal (Shorea robusta) forests in the country, with the sal woodland being very dense and exhibiting good natural regeneration, covering almost 76% of the reserve area.
- Wildlife:
- The forests serve as a habitat for various wildlife species, including Bengal tigers, Indian leopards, swamp deer, hispid hares, and Bengal floricans.
- Water Sources:
- Small ditches, ponds, and perennial rivers like the Sharda, Mala, Khannot, Chuka, and Gomti are major water sources.
