636 Forestry Quarterly 



It comes as a shock to a forester accustomed only to the type of 

 organization common in the developing Forest Services of the 

 United States and Canada, to find how small a headquarters 

 staff exists in India. There is no headquarters staff in India, 

 and there are no specialists. The areas, both of the Divisions and 

 the Working Circles, are small compared to corresponding areas 

 in America. The Service is much older than any in America, 

 has worn deep channels of procedure, developed fixed ideas and 

 contains a large proportion of experienced men. The fact re- 

 mains, however, that the time of the men, from Assistant Con- 

 servators to Chief Conservators, is so taken up with routine office 

 duties and routine field inspection, that, though they are on the 

 average keener and better trained foresters than we have on the 

 whole in America, they have not the time to develop as rapidly 

 as should be the necessary knowledge of the silviculture and 

 utilization of their forests. 



The growth of Provincial autonomy in forest administration 

 was accompanied by discussion of the abolition of the office of 

 Inspector General of Forests. It was wisely decided to retain 

 the office as general adviser to the Government of India on forest 

 policy. The Inspector General has direct charge of the Imperial 

 Forest Research Institute and College and performs a valuable 

 service in advising with the Chief Conservators and Conservators 

 regarding Provincial forest policy. Reference has been made to 

 his decreasing power over appointments. 



The appointment of Chief Conservators has theoretically 

 limited the power of the Inspector General in its most important 

 field, the supervision of working plans. Formerly all preliminary 

 reports on working plans were sent by the Conservator of the 

 Circle in which the plan was being made, for the Inspector General's 

 opinion and instructions before the plan was proceeded with, and 

 the plan itself was sent up for acceptance by the Inspector General 

 before it was adopted by the local government. Now this pro- 

 cedure follows only where the office of Chief Conservator does 

 not exist, and there is evident a tendency to still further limit 

 the actual power of the Inspector General in this direction. The 

 regular and constant inspection trips made by the Inspector 

 General, by arrangement with or at the invitation of the local 

 government, are of great influence in stimulating improvements, 

 particularly in the extension and revision of working plans. The 



