Forest soils occur between 3000-m and 31001 m in the coniferous forest zone of the Himalayas, Here the ground is covered with forest litter. The soils below the litter are black in colour containing a lot of decomposed organic matter. Below these are grey-brown or greyish red soils. These soils, al­though rich in plant nutrients, are deficient in potash, phosphorus and lime. These soils vary from podzols under acidic conditions to brown earth under less acidic to neutral conditions. Besides Himalayas such soils are also found in the Sahyadris, Eastern Ghats and Tarai Tract of Uttar Pradesh. At places these areas support plantation crops and or­chards.