**2. Materials and methods**

### **2.1 Study area**

The present study was undertaken in Tehri l district of Uttarakhand state which lies in the Northern region of India. Of the total 8,479,562 human population of the state, 78% lives in rural areas. The agriculture land in the hills of Uttarakhand is scattered and fragmented and the per capita land holding of Uttarakhand farmers is 0.2 ha, and about 36% of rural families live below the poverty line and agriculture contributes around 37% to state gross domestic production [9]. The Tehri district lies between 300 03′ and 300 53' North latitude and 770 56′ and 790 04′ East longitude having geographical area of 3,642 km2 [10]. Geographical area of the district is 3642 km2 , of which forest area is 3221.56 km2 [11]. Tehri district lies in the hilly areas of the state and agriculture is the major occupation of its in habitants. Total population in the district

**15**

**Figure 1.**

*Location map of study area.*

*Assessment of Biomass and Carbon Stock along Altitudes in Traditional Agroforestry System…*

is 2.37% per ten years [12]. The location map showing the details of the study area is

(including reserve forest, civil soyam forest, community land and community forest),

and grooves and snow-covered mountains [13] with 58,569 ha area under cultivation, of which irrigated land in only 12.21% [11]. Average rainfall of this district is 1395 mm

humidity of 60.5%. On the basis of different altitudes and agro-climatic zone [14], the district was divided into three zones *viz*. foot hill/subtropical zone is lower altitude (286–1200 m), middle altitude i.e. Sub temperate zone (1200–2000 m) and upper altitude *i.e* temperate zone (2000–2800 m) and above 2800 m area there are no habitation in the district therefore this area is not under study. Out of nine developmental blocks, six blocks representing three zones were selected for present study villages in Tehri

Farmers practices mainly three agroforestry systems *viz*. agrisilvicultural system (trees and agriculture crops are growing in same pieceof land), agrihorticultural

under cultivation and the rest are wasteland, barren land, Pastureland

Cto 29.50

and the rate of increase in population

areas under forest cover

c with average relative

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96072*

1142.42 km2

**2.2 Description of Systems**

is 616409, population density is 169 person/km2

and means average temperature varies from1 14.8 0

presented in **Figure 1**. The land use pattern shows 2,236 km2

district. The details of the villages studied are given in **Table 1**.

*Assessment of Biomass and Carbon Stock along Altitudes in Traditional Agroforestry System… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96072*

is 616409, population density is 169 person/km2 and the rate of increase in population is 2.37% per ten years [12]. The location map showing the details of the study area is presented in **Figure 1**. The land use pattern shows 2,236 km2 areas under forest cover (including reserve forest, civil soyam forest, community land and community forest), 1142.42 km2 under cultivation and the rest are wasteland, barren land, Pastureland and grooves and snow-covered mountains [13] with 58,569 ha area under cultivation, of which irrigated land in only 12.21% [11]. Average rainfall of this district is 1395 mm and means average temperature varies from1 14.8 0 Cto 29.50 c with average relative humidity of 60.5%. On the basis of different altitudes and agro-climatic zone [14], the district was divided into three zones *viz*. foot hill/subtropical zone is lower altitude (286–1200 m), middle altitude i.e. Sub temperate zone (1200–2000 m) and upper altitude *i.e* temperate zone (2000–2800 m) and above 2800 m area there are no habitation in the district therefore this area is not under study. Out of nine developmental blocks, six blocks representing three zones were selected for present study villages in Tehri district. The details of the villages studied are given in **Table 1**.
