Climate and Forest. 825 
of the Himalaya mountains, with snow and ice in 
winter, and moderate heat in summer. 
In keeping with this great diversity of climate, both 
as to temperature and humidity, there is a great 
variation in the character and development of the 
forest cover, and at least six types can be recognized, 
namely the evergreen forest, found along the West 
coast, in Burma, Andaman Islands, and the sub-Him- 
alaya zone, which is composed of broadleaved species 
with a dense undergrowth of small trees and tangled 
lianas (vines), but few shrubs, as is characteristic of 
most tropical forest; the deciduous forest, mainly in 
the interior of Central India, with Sal, Teak and Iron- 
wood as characteristic trees; the arid region forest, 
found in the Punjab, in Raiputana, and in Sindh, of 
varying composition, from the open shrub forests of 
the latter province, composed of acacias, tamarisk and 
mesquite, to the denser, more diversified, dry, low tree 
forest of the former; the alpine coniferous forest of the 
Himalayas and of the mountains of Afghanistan, 
Belutchistan, and Burma, composed of pine, deodar, 
juniper, with oak, walnut, boxwood, approaching our 
own forest types. In addition, there may be segregated 
the coast forest, of small extent, composed of trees 
which, like the mangrove, will bear salt water; the 
overflow forest along rivers; and river forests in the 
desert regions, of which latter large areas exist. 
The natural differences in the forest cover are 
emphasized by the action of man, who for many cen- 
turies has waged war against the forest, clearing it 
permanently or temporarily for agricultural purposes, 
or else merely burning it over to improve grazing 
