402 FOBESTBY IN BRITISH BUBMA. [Apbil, 



Tenasserim Circle. 



In the Tenasserim Circle tlie addition of 153i square miles to the 

 area of sanctioned State reserves, and final demarcation of boundaries 

 of eight reserves, constitute the progress made in forest demarcation 

 work during the year under review. Demarcation in the case of 

 Teak localities may be said to be far advanced, and the area of State 

 forests in this circle now reaches the total of 589i square miles 

 finally demarcated. There are, besides, 780 square miles of selected 

 areas awaiting examination by a forest settlement officer, and 110 

 square miles of approved areas awaiting final sanction ; while the 

 other areas examined and awaiting sanction as village reserves 

 amount to 17i square miles. There are also large areas to the 

 south at the sources of the Tenasserim River to be dealt with ; but 

 the question of reservation will depend in a great measure on the 

 feasibility of removing the rocky obstructions in the great Tenasserim 

 Eiver and its large tributaries, at an expenditure commensurate with 

 the revenue likely to be realized from the forests. Finally there will 

 be the work of taking up village forest reserves in the more populous 

 districts, and extending the work as may be necessitated by the 

 increase of population in the interior. The expenditure incurred on 

 the demarcation work of the year amounted to 690 rupees, and eight 

 reserves were finally demarcated. 



Linear valuation surveys, supplemented with a careful route survey 

 with compass and chain, were executed during the year over 1,773 

 acres in the Upper Tavoy forests, and witli the survey of the previous 

 year make up a total area of 3,308 acres in these forests, on which 

 the more valuable trees have been counted. The total length of these 

 surveys was 206 miles, the aggregate of the numerous routes and 

 forest tracks followed, and estimated to extend over an area of about 

 300 square miles of these forests. From the route survey a detailed 

 map will be compiled of the Upper Tavoy Forests. A carefully 

 detailed topographical survey of the reserves for the framing of 

 regular working plans has not yet commenced in this circle. In the 

 meantime, according to the plan of annual operations originally 

 suggested by the Inspector-General of Forests and approved by the 

 local Government, the East and West Salween divisions have been 

 each divided into five blocks, which are to be thrown open in succes- 

 sion for a period of five years for the girdling of all first-class market- 

 able Teak trees both within and without the reserves, selection within 

 the reserves being subject to favourable reproduction and presence of 

 seed-shedding trees. Thus a period of twenty-five years will be given 

 for the extraction of all first-class marketable Teak trees throughout 

 these forests ; sufficient, it is assumed, within which to allow of trees 



