The Himalayan Forest Research Institute caters to the forestry research needs of the region comprising of the states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. These states are located in western Himalayas between 30° 22' 40" to 37° 05' North latitude and 73° 26' to 80°30' East longitude. The elevation of the region varies from less than 300 meters above MSL along Punjab plains to more than 8,000 meters above MSL in the inner Himalayan zone in Ladakh. The vegetation is, however, present only upto permanent snowline at an altitude of about 4,500 meters above MSL. Recordings of stray occurrence of plants at altitudes higher than permanent snow line are also available. Total geographical area of the region is 2,77,908 km² (H.P.: 55,673 km² and J&K: 2,22,235 km²).