February 3, 1921] 



NATURE 



729 



The Forest Resources of India.* 



\Jl OKH; than one-fifth of the total area of 

 ^'•1 British India (including the Shan States), 

 comprising some 250,000 square miles, is under 

 the control of the Forest Department. In this vast 

 area the diversity of climate, soil, and vegetation 

 is very great. The forest vegetation ranges from 

 that of the arid, semi-desert tracts of North-west 

 India and the alpine .scrub on the higher slopes of 

 the Himalayas to the luxuriant evergreen forests 

 of parts of Assam, Burma, and the west coast of 

 India, while the total number of woodv plants com- 



cipal minor products are classified under bamboos, 

 grass, fibres, oil-seeds, tanning materials, essential 

 oils, gums, resins, rubber, drugs, and lac. Minor 

 forest industries which are likely to develop con- 

 siderably in the near future are the paper-pulp 

 industry, which offers great scope for the utilisa- 

 tion of bamboos and grasses, and the production 

 of turpentine and rosin from the resin of Ptnux 

 longifolia. During the last twelve years the Indian 

 resin factories have increased their output ten- 

 fold, i 



'Uin DuiMing at tbc ^on«i Kaeaicii Intlitoie, i>«lini Dun. i-rum " i nt Work ol the toretl IJcpftrtmcnt in India. ' 



prises approximately 5000 distinct species. The 

 number of valuable timbers and other commercial 

 products available in the forests is very large, and 

 many of them arc as yet imp<Tfcctly known. 

 .\mong the best-known timber trees arc red cedar 

 {Ccdrelii Tooiia), deodar {('edrus tieodara), satin- 

 wood (Chloroxylon Swietvitia), rosewood (/>(//■ 

 hergia tatifolia), padauk (Pterocarpuii dalhcrgi- 

 fiides), sandal (Snntnluin alhum), sal {Shorra 

 robusta), and teak (Tectona gratidis). The prin- 



' "The Wo'V of the Fnr'al tVfwnm«m in Indw." Pr€p«rf,t under rh« 

 direction of the Irn(t*. {■ir-Grnrr»l of PortMft In ih« novcrnnMni of India, 

 April. iy3r> ( l.^,f»don : HArriv>n and So*t«. > Pri<« i». 



NO. 2675, VOL. 106] 



Forest crops usually require long periods of time 

 to attain maturity, and the effect on growth 

 and development of any particular method of 

 treatment often only manifests itself after 

 a number of years. The forest officer, therefore, 

 who can himself rarely hope to .see the full results 

 of his own work, must possess in an unusual 

 degree the qualities of patience, imagination, and 

 foresight, and must, as a rule, Ih" ronfent with the 

 knowledge that he is working for the good of 

 posterity. The early efforts of forest officers in 

 India to demarcate and protect the forests from 

 destruction, and, bv careful treatment, to enable 



