This forest occurs above 760 meters elevation. It is confined only to Temburong district.
The trees reach more than 15 meters in height, and are small and slender with dense layers of undergrowth, including many palms. The branches are luxuriantly draped with mosses, liverworts, and lichens.
This type can be categorised into lower montane (mixed species, tolongassociation, and Shorea coriacea mix); and upper montane types (tall facies/oak forest and short facies/rhododendron mix). |
| | | | Mixed Lower Montane Forest | | Occurs in the altitude range of 910 to 1,280 meters at very steep terrain. Soils are mainly sandy loam and clay, with a development of a thin "mor" layer on the ridge. The forest is moderately dense but composed of mainly small to medium-size trees. Some dipterocarps are still present. Oaks ( Lithocarpus spp., Quercus . spp.) are frequently occurring, along with Madhuca spp., Palaquium spp., and Payena spp. of the Sapotace family. The gymnosperm or conifer Podocarpus neriifolius is an important constituent of this type. | | | | Tolong Association | | Found between 700 and 1,220 meters altitude, on broad ridges with moderate (about 30 degree). Soil are usually sands of medium depth, fine-textured, usually with thin "mor" layer. The Main species is Agathis dammara in gregarious stands. |
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| | | | Shorea coriacea Mix | | Of localised and limited distribution at 910 to 1,100 meters elevation. It has a similar range and soil type as that of thetolong type. But the distribution of the two principal species. Shorea coriacea and Agathis dammara , does not overlap. The former occurs on ridges with shallow sandy soils, often with impeded drainage, that are probably highly leached. Through the Shorea coriacea trees do not attain very large size (rarely exceeding 80 cm diameter), the species dominate the forest. | | | | Oal Forest (Upper Montane - Tall Facies) | | Mainly on very steep terrain, but more sheltered localities, at between 1,200 and 1,550 meters altitude. The soils in this forest are with peaty, moss-covered layer. The forest comprises mainly of small trees (rarely exceeding 40 cm diameter), height of only 10 to 15 meters, of poor form and typically low branching. The lower storey is usually dense and difficult to penetrate. | | | | Rhododendron Mix (Upper Montane - Short Facies) | | Found in the 1,070 - 1,830 meters altitudinal range. At lower elevation, it is confined to narrow ridges and knolls, but it is also occurs on very steep terrain at higher altitudes. Soils are skeletal with exposed peaty surface layer. The dense low vegetation includes such trees as Dacrydium beccarii , Phyllocladus hypophyllus , Eugenia bankensis , andCalophyllum nodosum , which occur as budhy shrubs. Ericaceae species, particularly rhodoendrons, are widespread and abundant. Pitcher plants, Nepenthes tentaculata and N. stenophylla occur in lower elevations in the facies. On the other hand, Nepenthes lowii is found only in higher elevations, like near the summit of Bukit Retak. | | | | The summary of the different forest in Brunei Darussalam is shown below: | | | | Major Forest Types in Brunei Darussalam | | Forest Type | Area in Hectre | % of Forest Area | % of Total Land Area | | Primary Forests | | Mangrove | 18,418 | 3.9 | 3.2 | | Freshwater Swamp | 12,668 | 2.7 | 2.2 | | Peat Swamp | 90,884 | 19.4 | 15.6 | | Kerangas | 3,455 | 0.7 | 0.6 | | Mixed Dipterocarp | 192,575 | 41.1 | 33.1 | | Montane | 7,196 | 1.5 | 1.2 | | Mixtures | 15,988 | 3.4 | 2.7 | | | | | | | Total Primary Forests | 341,184 | 72.7 | 58.6 | | Total and Plantation Forests | 127,865 | 27.3 | 22.0 | | Total Forest | 469,046 | 100.0 | 80.6 |
(Anderson & Marsden, Forest Resource Strategic Planning Study, 1984) |
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