Forestry in India 647 



over regularly and directed the improvement cuttings in such a 

 manner that the volume in the forest increased and the young 

 trees of valuable species benefited. 



The time has probably come in places where the working of these 

 forests could be elaborated so as to concentrate the workings in 

 order to increase the regeneration of valuable species. The method 

 now practiced will produce a natural forest, the demand is now 

 that an attempt be made to produce a normal forest. 



Very large areas of wrecked forests were taken over by the 

 Forest Service in districts where the demand for small wood was 

 great, which coiild only be regenerated and managed by the cop- 

 pice system. Where the population is dense, it is the policy of the 

 Forest Service to seek to produce the small wood best suited to the 

 needs of the Indian. This object is well met by the coppice 

 system. 



The improvement of forest management in India will require 

 much study of the silvicultrual needs of the important species. 

 It is difficult to see how this can be accomplished without extensive 

 additions to staff. The policy of the Indian Forest Service with 

 regard to control of working in the forest contains many lessons 

 for Canada. In areas where it was evident that a continuance 

 of existing working methods would resiilt in forest destruction 

 they courageously imposed at once practicable measures, which 

 prevented the extermination either of the forest area or of any 

 particularly valuable species in it. They did this even where 

 great loss of present revenue resulted, as in the case of teak, the 

 cost of logging of which has undoubtedly been greatly increased 

 to the companies by the abolition of clear cutting and the substitu- 

 tion of a system of selection cutting which restricts the amount 

 taken from a square mile to one quarter or one fifth of the stand. 

 They have fortunately not had to face a situation now existing 

 over large areas of the Pacific Northwest where the financial 

 condition of the timber industry seemingly permits of no increase 

 in logging costs. 



The costs of making working plans in India varies enormously 

 in different Divisions and Provinces, the annual reports for 1913 

 to 1914 show it to have ranged from $5.00 to $1.24 per square mile. 



There are without doubt areas in Canada now, particularly on 

 prairies and possibly in Eastern Canada where economic conditions 

 make the introduction of regular methods of forest working quite 

 as possible as it was in India. 



