@article{oai:ynu.repo.nii.ac.jp:00005428,
 author = {Illangasinghe, Wasantha and Fujiwara, Kazue and Saito, Hitoshi},
 issue = {1},
 journal = {横浜国立大学環境科学研究センター紀要 = Bulletin of the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Yokohama National University},
 month = {Mar},
 note = {application/pdf, Sri Lanka is a small island with total land area of 65,525 km2. About 36.5% of this land is covered by forest, including sparse forest. Even though it is a very small island, it has many forest types and great biological diversity, due to the relatively large variation of altitude from 0 to 2500 m, related parameters such as temperature, and also due to the monsoonal rainfall pattern. The mean annual rainfall is about 2000 mm and the mean annual temperature is 27℃. Climatically, Sri Lanka can be divided into four main regions : the dry zone, wet zone, intermediate zone and arid zone. About eight types of forest are recognized in these different climatic regions (Somasekaram, T. ed. 1982, Malcolm, F. B. ed. 1995, Gunathilaka I. A. U. N. and Gunathilaka C. V. S. 1991). Four of these eight forest types were surveyed in April 1998. The lowland rainforest in the wet zone, which covers the southwestern part of the island, has the most profuse plant cover. The lowest part of the wet zone is lowland rainforest. Three field releves were made in this area ( Shorea megistophylla-Shorea stipularis community, in Sinharaja). This forest type gradually changes to sub-montane forest at middle elevation to montane forest at higher elevation. Upper slopes and crests of the Knuckles Range have wet montane forest, whereas on the middle slopes, the forest type is sub-montane forest. A filed releve was made in the mid-slope area of the Knuckles Range (Gnophia serrata-Palaquium heenmolpedda community). The dry zone is the northern and northeastern part of the country. Large parts of the dry zone have tropical dry mixed evergreen forests and moist deciduous forests. A third field survey was carried out in the dry zone (Pterospermum canescens-Eugenia bracteata community). The extreme southeastern and northwestern parts of the country, which represent the arid zone, have very long dry periods. These areas are covered with tropencounters seasonal dry periods, ash semi-evergreen forests with their own characteristic species as well as some common to the adjacent zones. Two fields releves were made in this area ( Michelia champaca-Szyguim gardneriand Magifera zeylanica community, Gannoruwa). Riverine forests found along the reivers and mangrove forests in the coastal areas area two other types of forest, which cover smaller areas. The are a few smaller areas consisting of four main types of grassland: damana, vilu, dry and wet pathana, and talawa.},
 pages = {9--38},
 title = {A Preliminary Study of Forests in Sri Lnaka},
 volume = {25},
 year = {1999}
}