Sal - Sal or sakhu ("Shorea robusta") is another important timber species in Madhya Pradesh. It is a large evergreen tree belonging to the family dipterocarpaceae. Sal forests of Madhya Pradesh are ecologically very important as they mark the termination of the great sal zone of the Central Indian Peninsula. Sal forests are located in the eastern part of the state while teak forests are localised in the western part. In between, there is a transition belt of mixed miscellaneous forests. There are also areas where teak and sal both species occur naturally mixed together forming unique ecosystem. Sal forests occupy an area of 7244 km2, which is about 7.6% of the total forest area of the state. The sal forests are confined to the eastern part of the state in the districts Rewa, Sidhi, Umaria, Anuppur and southwards in districts Balaghat, Mandla, Dindori, and Jabalpur and occupy all ranges of Maikal and the highlands of Balaghat. Sal forests are also distributed in and around Pachmarhi in Hoshangabad and Chhindwara districts.