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| Sunday, 4 December 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Woody giants of Sinharaja
Sinharaja is a forest Sri Lankans can be proud of. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1989 due to the diversity of its plant and animal life. However, it came under the protective arm of the law in Sri Lanka, only recently. In 1988 it was declared a National Wilderness Area protected under the National Heritage Wilderness Area Act No. 03 of 1988. However, some parts of Sinharaja were protected when it was declared an International Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978. At present, the Sinharaja Forest Reserve has an extent of 11,187 hectares, 21 km in length and 3.7 km in width, spread from east to west in the Southern foothills. Sinharaja falls into the administrative districts of Ratnapura, Galle and Matara, with nine small villages in the periphery. Sinharaja's vegetation ranges from micro-organic plants to large trees that grow upto about 35 to 40 metres. It gets high amounts of rainfall throughout the year, with more than 2,500 mm annual rainfall. The peak rainfall occurs during the two monsoon periods May to July and October to December.
Sinharaja forest's vegetation is organised in four layers. The canopy:This is the tallest layer of woody trees. The canopy trees grow upto 40 metres, some individuals rising upto heights of 50 metres. The sunlight, rainfall and the conducive (favourable) temperatures make them giants with girths of about five metres (16 feet). The giant 'Navada' tree which all of you who visited Sinharaja must have seen, is one of them. Some of the trees that comprise the canopy are Hora (Diptherocarpus zeylanicas), Bu-hora (Diptherocarpus hispidus), Na (Mesua ferrea), Batu-Na (Mesua pulchella), Beraliya (Shorea megistophylla) and Dun (Shorea congestiflora). The sub-canopy: The sub-canopy could be said to be the most significant layer in the rainforests. The thick growth of foliage (leaves) and the proximity (closeness) of trees in the sub-canopy cuts off most of the sunlight. The sub-canopy trees grow upto heights of about 25 to 30 metres. Hedawaka (Chaetocarpus castanocarpus), Malaboda (Myristica dactyloides) and Katuboda (Cullenia rosayroana) are some of the sub-canopy trees. The under-storey: The trees in the under-storey grow upto about 20-25 metres. However, competition for sunlight is high at this level because it receives very little light filtered through the sub-canopy. Madol (Garcinia hermonii) and Athuketiya (Xylopia championii) are two species that can be seen in the under-storey. The ground-flora: The ground-flora consists of ferns and shrubs. However, in the high forest, the density is low, because of the lack of sunlight falling onto this level. But, in the clearings and secondary forest areas of Sinharaja, there is a high density of ground-flora. Sinharaja forest boasts of a high density and diversity of flora. The total density (trees, shrubs, climbers, herbs and seedlings) is estimated to be around 240,000 individuals per hectare. While the plant density and diversity are high, its endemism is amazing. According to the National Conservation Review of 1990, out of 331 woody trees and lianas identified within the Sinharaja Man and Biosphere Reserve, 192 (58 per cent) are endemic. Another characteristic in Sinharaja that attracts visitors is the climbers (vines) that spread through its sub-canopy. Climbers such as Veniwel (Coscinium fenestratum) and Puswel (Entada pursaetha) and many kinds of Ve-wel (Calamus Species) fight with the ground-flora and trees in the under-storey to climb upto the sub-canopy level and sometimes higher. Further, Sinharaja is enriched by epiphytes - various kinds of orchids, ferns and parasites growing at different layers, which we would look into in forthcoming issues. Vimukthi Pictures show the different layers of vegetation in Sinharaja Acknowledgement: Prasanjith Caldera |
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Have you ever been to the Sinharaja forest? Some of you may have
visited Sinharaja with your schoolmates, others with their families. If
you have, what made you visit the place? Is it its beauty, animals or the
cool climate? Many schools organise study tours to Sinharaja to learn
about its plant life, because it is comparatively the least disturbed
primary forest in Sri Lanka. 
The temperature in this forest area ranges from 190 degrees C to 270
degrees C. Therefore, the vegetation types growing in Sinharaja is known
as tropical lowland rainforest or tropical wet evergreen forest. 
