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Impact of Thane Cyclone on Tree Damage in Pondicherry University Campus, Puducherry, India

SM. Sundarapandian1 * , K. Mageswaran1 , D. Sanjay Gandhi1 and Javid Ahmad Dar1

1 Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, 605014 India

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CWE.9.2.09

The heavy wind along with high rainfall of the catastrophic windstorm “Thane” cyclone cause defoliation, uprooting and snapping of stems and branches of trees in Pondicherry University Campus, Puducherry.  A total of 1181 (20%) trees (>3.2 cm DBH) in Pondicherry University Campus were uprooted due to the Thane cyclone. Tree mortality (uprooted) and damage (broken) were observed more in Acacia auriculiformis than other species in response to Thane cyclone in Pondicherry University campus.  In the present study, wood density did not show any significant relationship between the damage, mortality and resistance (standing with defoliation and minor branch fall). Acacia auriculiformis was more susceptible to Thane cyclone followed by Tectona grandis.  However, Azadirachta indica and Mangifera indica were observed more resistance to thane cyclone. The greater uprooting in introduced plantation species such as  Acacia auriculiformis  and Tectona  grandis  was higher than native species Azadirachta indica and Mangifera indica  which could be attributed  to spread their roots in the surface soil and  they do not penetrate deeper into the soil.


Tropical cyclone; Thane cyclone; Tree damage; Wood specific gravity; Severe winds

Copy the following to cite this article:

Sundarapandian Sm., Mageswaran K, Gandhi D. S, Dar J. A. Impact of Thane Cyclone on Tree Damage in Pondicherry University Campus, Puducherry, India. Curr World Environ 2014;9 (2) DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CWE.9.2.09

Copy the following to cite this URL:

Sundarapandian Sm., Mageswaran K, Gandhi D. S, Dar J. A. Impact of Thane Cyclone on Tree Damage in Pondicherry University Campus, Puducherry, India. Curr World Environ 2014;9 (2). Available from: http://www.cwejournal.org/?p=6105