Table 3 Forest characteristics and fuel loads in tropical dry deciduous forests in the Nilgiri (1996 to 2005) and Sathyamangalam (1997 to 2012) landscapes. Means are presented with standard deviations, utilizing Welch’s t test.

Tree species richness (no. per 0.5 ha)

17.1 ± 8.4*

12.3 ± 4.9

Trees ≥10 cm dbh (ha⁻¹)

343 ± 167***

122 ± 66

Basal area (m² ha⁻¹)

23.8 ± 8.8***

5.5 ± 3.3

1 hr fuels (Mg ha⁻¹)

1.44 ± 0.65***

0.68 ± 0.3

10 hr fuels (Mg ha⁻¹)

1.1 ± 0.6^**

1.7 ± 0.78

100 hr fuels (Mg ha⁻¹)

3.4 ± 4^*

7.8 ± 6

1000 hr fuels (Mg ha⁻¹)

15.3 ± 15^**

2.0 ± 2.8

Total fuels (Mg ha⁻¹)

21.3 ± 17^*

12.3 ± 8