|
The following is an
excerpt of JED Fox's PhD thesis. The article stays fairly true to the original
with minor changes. Most measurements are
changed to the Metric System.
Fox's divided the Lower Montane Forest into 3 main
sub-formations:
Upper
Dipterocarp Forest
This type is not abundant, occupying a
transitional position between lower level forests rich in dipterocarp species
and higher levels dominated by conifers and Fagaceae. It is largely confined to
the eastern slopes of Mount Kinabalu petering out at 1000–1500 m, though
individuals or small stands occur on other mountains. The structure and
composition of typical stands have not been described, and the full range of
species is not known. Nicholson (1962 b) noted Shorea nebulosa at 1000 m
in Oak forest on sandstone and shales, and S. platyclados with some S. faguetiana off ridges at 1200m.
Corner (1962 a) noted S. monticola in
gregarious stands at 1200–1500 m, generally on peaks, while he observed S.
platyclados at 1000 m. In Brunei, Ashton (1964 c) recorded S.
monticola in small groups on white sand soil at 1750 m, but also on
lower mountains at 900 m. Other observations from Kinabalu area are of S.
monticola at the summit of Mt. Hampuan, 1200 m in a matrix of conifers and
with S. nebulosa, S. platyclados, Vatica spp., and Hopea
spp. at 1500–1800m in the Kundasang/Tenompok area on the southern side of the
mountain in a region of conifers and Fagaceae (Meijer 1963 b).
Montane
species of dipterocarps have been collected in the Crocker Range in the Tambunan/Sinsuron
area, on Mt Lumaku (Gunong Lumaku FR), in Mt Templer
FR and on Mt Trus Madi. Several species occur from about 700 m in Gunong Rara FR.
Back
to Top
Agathis
dammara Forest
This species occurs in gregarious stands at 1600 m
near Park Headquarters to the south of Kinabalu, and is locally frequent
on the eastern side at 1200–1700 m. A fine stand was seen northeast of Gunung
Alab in the Crocker Range at about 1700m. Stands occur in the Serundong Hills of
Kalabakan FR and isolated clumps occur in the Tawau mountains, e.g.
Mts. Andrassay and Wullersdorf (600–650 m). Tree sizes exceed 60 cm diameter and 24
m in height.
Back
to Top
Oak / Conifer
Forest
This is the most extensive form of mountain forest
and is present on all the higher parts of the Crocker Range above the zone of
shifting cultivation, as well as on the flanks of Kinabalu. Meijer (1963 b) gives a map of
Kinabalu
based on aerial photography suggesting that this type extends from 900-1500 m on
the eastern side and 1500–2100 m on the south. It must be stressed that altitudinal limits, especially the lower, by no
means strictly coincide with the contour lines (van Steenis 1962) and the
effects of 'mass elevation' are everywhere evident. Shifting cultivation at present extends to
1200–1500 m on the south and west of Kinabalu though primary forest existed at
Tenompok around 1910 (Gibbs
1913). The areas south of Park Headquarters, Sosopodon, and north of
Kundasang
have been cleared off only in recent years. The best development of this type in
the Crocker Range is from 1200 to 1300 m.
It is not possible to do justice here to the flora
of Kinabalu whose wealth of forms and species is enormous: one collector is said
to have obtained 200 species of the orchid genus Bulbophyllum (Corner
1962 b). Details of the flora may be found in Meijer (1963 b) and a
preliminary account of Pinusok Plateau in Corner (1962 a). Of the conifers large
trees of Phyllocladus hypophyllus. Podocarpus imbricatus
and Podocarpus neriifolius occur in this type, together with
smaller trees of Dacrydium falciforms and Dacrydium beccarii.
These are found with many species of Lithocarpus e.g. L.
clementianus, L. confertus, L. echinulatus, L. encleisacarpus,
L. hallierri, L. lampadarius,
L. luteus, L. pappillifer, L. revolutus, L. some Castanopsis
e.g. C. acuminatissima and C. clemensii.Other
species of Lithocarpus which extend into higher altitudes are L.
bullatus, L. havilandii, L. nodosus and L.
turbinatus. The type may be described as a two-layered forest in the sense of
Robbins (1969) with a thin understorey consisting of species of the families
Lauraceae, Theaceae, Clusiaceae, and of Eugenia (Syzygium)
species. In admixture with the oaks and conifers, sometimes reaching large
sizes, are species of the lowland genera of Moraceae, Meliaceae, Myristicaceae
etc.
Physiognomy of the mountain forest varies with
topography, exposure and soil. In gullies groves of larger trees extend to
higher elevations, while on exposed sites trees are smaller. In the Mamut
valley,
the mossy forest descends to 1500 m due to the effect of low cloud and mist.
Similarly hill tops at 1200 m sometimes have low coniferous-myrtaceous forest
also found on higher ridges. In general, heights are from 10–30 m, bole sizes
reach 60 cm diameter in better growth. Local stands of thin boled Tristaniopsis/Eugenia
(Syzygium) occur on white sandy
soils (lower montane kerangas?) throughout the type and
Corner noted that Gymnostoma
sumatrana at 1650 m and riverine stands of Tristaniopsis, Engelhardtia,
Duabanga, Adinandra etc. in Mamut area at 1100–1350 m. The
(rare) 'trig oak', Trigobalanus verticillata, is locally abundant on steep
slopes and ridges at 1200–1500 m.
Back
to Top
|
