According to Champion & Seth in their Revised Survey of Forest types in India, (1962), the forests of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve can be divided in to the following types and sub-types.
Sub-group – 3C – North Indian Moist Deciduous Forests- 3C/C2e(ii)- Moist Peninsular Low level Sal.
Subgroup-5B- Northen Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests.
5B/C 1c Dry Peninsular Sal bearing forests.
5B/C2 Northern Dry Mixed Deciduous Forests.
5/DS1 Dry Deciduous & Scrub forest.
5/E9 Dry Bamboo brakes Seral types.
5/S1-Dry Tropical riverain forests.
The moist sal is viewed as a climax (climatic, edaphic, bio-edaphic) formation throughout and in some forms which might be considered seral types have also been included in the climax type as they are sufficiently stable under prevailing conditions of management.
This subtype of forests is seen in the Reserved Forest of Raigoda, Bolong, Jocub, Tulka, Takarsingha, Purunakote, Chhotmunda, Tainsi, Kuru and Baghamunda blocks of the Satkosia Wildlife Division along with adjoining Protected Forests of Purunakote.
Floristic composition changes in different site and frequency of the species also varies. However to describe the composition, area covered under this forest sub-type has been divided in to two categories namely,
(a) valley areas where moisture retention capacity of soil is better, humus is more and area is comparatively cooler;
(b) other areas consisting of slopes and plains, which is comparatively drier. In these two categories too; the frequency of species varies, however average crop composition of these two categories are described below:
Shorea robusta, Dillenia pentagyna, Bridelia squamosa, Terminalia alata, Terminalia arjuna, Syzygium cuminii, Adina cordifolia, Mitragyna parviflora, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Mangifera indica, Bursera serrata, Pterocarpus marsupium, Terminalia bellerica, Anthocephalus cadamba, Bombax ceiba, Gmelina arborea, Garuga piñnata.
Suzygium cuminii, Miliusa velutina, Polyalthia cerasioides, Lannea coromandelica, Pterospermum xylocarpum, Macaranga peltata, Diospyrus Montana, Derris indica, Mallotus philippensis, Careya arborea, Glochidion lanceolarium.
Bambusa arundinacea.
Ardisia solanacea, Grewia helicterifolia, Flemingia chapper, Flemingia strobilifera, Cycas circinalis, Leea asiatica, Cipadessa baccifera, Strobilanthes scaber, Helicteres ixora, Clerodendrum viscosum, Woodfordia fruticosa.
Thysanolaena maxima, Panicum species.
Bauhinia vahlii, Combretum decandrum, Butea monosporma, Zizyphus oenoplia, Millettia extensa, Acacia torta, Entada phoseoloides, Smilax zeylanica, Dioscoria species.
Shorea robusta, Terminalia alata, Terminalia Chebula, Adina cordifolia, Mitragyna parviflora, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Anogeissues latifolia, Bridelia squamosa, Albizia procera, Albizia lebbeck, Hymenodictyon excelsum, Pterocarpus marsupium, Bombax ceiba, Gmelina arborea, Dalbergia paniculata, Schleichera oleosa, Madhuca indica, Lannea coromandelica, Diospyrus melanoxylon, Sterculia urens.
Cleistanthus collinus, Dalbergia latifolia, Ougenia oogenensis, Syzygium cuminii, Dillenia pentagyna, Careya arborea, Diospyrus species, Mallotus philippensis, Wendlandia heynei.
Dendrocalamus strictus.
Cipadessa baccifera, Woodfordia fruticosa, Clerodendrum viscosum, Zizyphus oenoplia, Indigofera pulchela.
Thysanolaena maxima, Panicum species, Eulaliopsis binnata.
Bauhinia vahlii, Millettia extensa, Combretum decandrum, Butea monosperma, Acacia torta, Zizyphus oenoplia, Entada phoseoloides, Smilax zeylanica, Dioscorea species.
No specific survey has been carried out to find frequency of grasses in different site of this forest subtype. However a list of grasses which generally get associated with this forest type are furnished below :
Aristida setacea, Bothriochloa pertusa, B.bladhii, Cymbopogon martini, Chrysopogan gryllus, Chrysopogan gryllus C.montanus, Dicanthium annulatum ,Dicanthium annulatum, D.Carricosum, Eragrostic coarctata, Eulaliopsis binata, Iseilema prostratum, Imperata cylindrical, Ichaemum rugosum Panicum species, Pseudosorghum fasciculare, Sporobolus indicus, Cyondon dactylon,, Heteropogon contortus, Thysanolaena maxima Themeda triendra, Arundinella khasiana, A.Setosa, Sachharum spontaneum
Arthraxon species, Arundinella pumila Eragrostis unioloides,E.viscosa Setaria glauca, Rottboellia, cochinehinensis, Themeda quadrivalvis, Dimeria species, Eulaliopsis species
Desmodium species, D.Latifolium ,Triumfettarhomboidea
This subtype is fairly distributed in the core. It is seen in the R.F. blocks of Majhipara, Tikarpara, Katarang & P.F. blocks of Tikarpara and Katrang.
This subtype contains a vast number of species many of which are of little importance. Composition starting from important species is furnished below:
Shorea robusta, Terminalia alata, Bridelia squamosa, Pterocarpus marsupium, Anogeissus latifolia, Schleichera oleosa, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Albizia species, Adina cordifolia, Mitrgyna parvifolia, Terminalia bellerica, T.Chebula, Madhuca indica, Acacia catechu, Buchanania lanzan, Lannea coromandelica, Boswellia serrata, Dalbergia paniculata, Ougenia oogenenses, Dalbergia latifolia, Gmelina arborea, Syzigium cuminii, Terminalia arjuna, Stereospermum chelonoides, Bombax ceiba, Dillenia pentagyna, Dyospyrus melanoxylon.
Cleistanthus collinus, Chloroxylon swietenia, Emblica officinalis, Cassia fistula, Aegle marmelos, Wendlandia tinctoria, Gardenia species, Symplocos racemosa, Morinda tinctoria, Cochlospermum religiosum.
Eulaliopsis binata, Themeda species, Heteropogan contortus, Cynodon dactylon.
Hollarrhena antidysentrica, Ixora arborea, Woodfordia fruticosa, Antidesma acidum, Aristida setacea, Indigofera pulchela, Phoenix ecaulis.
Combretum roxburghii, Butea superba, Smilax species, Zizyphus oenoplia, Bauhinia vahlii.
The forests in Tainsi R.F. block comes under this forest type.
Anogeissus latifolia, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Haldina cordifolia, Terminalia alata, Mitrgyna parvifolia, Dalbergia latifolia, Hymenodictyon excelsum, Bridelia squamosa, Albizia species, Bombax ceiba, Shorea robusta (less than 5%), Pterocarpus marsupium, Dalbergia paniculata, Lannea coromandelica, Dyospyrus melanoxylon, Diospyrus species, Cleistanthus collinus, Melia composite, Terminalia bellerica, Stereospermum chelonoides, Bursera serrata, Boswellia serrata, Acacia leucopholea.
Ougenia oogenensis, Cassia fistula, Alangium lamarkii, Careya arborea, Hollarrhena antidysentrica, Casearia elliptica, Mallotus phillippensis, Catunargegam mutans, Limonia acidissima, Acacia leucophloea, Zizyphus glaberrima, Chloroxylon swietenia, Gardenia latifolia, Gardenia gummifera (It occurs sub-gregariously on many of the dried hills with clay soil derived from quart & zscist, H.H.haines), Ixora arborea./div>
Dendrocalamus strictus.
Helicteres iora, Strobilanthes species, Woodfordia fruticosa, Indigoffera cassiodes, Cipadessa baccifera.
Cymbopogon martini, Aristida setacea, Eulaliopsis binnata.
Combretum decandrum, Zizyphus oenoplia, Butea monnosperma, Butea parviflora, Milletia extensa, Smilax species, Grewia tiliaefolia.
Immature soil on the bank of larger nallahs or river which is in the process of development supports forest of this type. The occurrence of Sahada trees and Phasi (Anogeissus acumminata) on bank of nallahs and occurrence of Phasi and Kuchila trees on bank of river Mahanadi represent seral stage ecologically. These areas may be taken as a secondary succession as constant erosion and re-deposition of soil is a regular feature associated with this subtype.