13 



49- In para. 21 of the Working Plan reference has been made to the present fire 

 regulations and their success in the past. The lines which arc 



Improvements common tothe tnere j n mentioned in detail are shown on the maps. The present 

 outer fire line is sufficient in order to prevent the entrance of fire 



from surrounding areas. The present interior fire lines act as a check on fire when it has 

 once entered the Reserve ; they are, however, not sufficient. All existing roads and align- 

 ments of roads prescribed should therefore be maintained as interior fire lines. 



MISCELLANEOUS PRESCRIPTIONS. 



50. There are at present 6,065 acres of grass land in the Reserve from which the reve- 



nue derived is negligible, but which are nevertheless capable of 



Stocking of blanks. producing first class sal forest and from which the yield might be 



as high as that obtained from the richest part of the Reserve. Owing to a lack of persever- 

 ance and an unhappy choice of a shelterwood efforts to restock grass land with sal have so far 

 failed. Efforts to restock similar areas in other provinces have also been unsuccessful. The 

 task of converting blanks into sal forest is therefore not an easy one, and this fact combined 

 with our limited knowledge on the subject, has made it advisable to limit for the present any 

 attempts on these lines to experiment. Every effort should be made to discover a suitable 

 method of restocking blanks. With this view an area situated in the Kisli grass lands has 

 been mapped as suitable for such experiments. The lines which these experiments should 

 take are indicated as follows : 



Any attempt at introducing sal without first establishing a shelterwood will fail. Con- 

 ditions at present existing in the grass land clearly demonstrate this and also show what 

 species are suitable as shelterwood, viz., Salai (Boswellia serata), Tendu (Dyosfyros melanoxy- 

 lon), Cheola (Butia frondosa), Semar (Bombax malabaricum) and bamboos. 



These and other species should be introduced either by sowing or planting or from cut- 

 tings. Little is known as to the capabilities of Indian trees to reproduce themselves from 

 cuttings, but it is known that many do, amongst others bamboos and salai. 



It is possible, therefore, that a suitable shelterwood may be quickly produced by planting 

 large cuttings at the end of the hot weather. A shelterwood thus introduced will have the 

 advantage of commencing life somewhat above the frost level and will also be capable of 

 attaining a suitable size for shelterwood at an earlier date than trees introduced by sowing. 

 Experiments in the lines above mentioned should be commenced at once and maintained until 

 success is achieved or until it has been clearly demonstrated that the task is an impossible 

 one. 



51. The Range Officer should carefully check and correct the existing stockmaps for 



each coupe as it comes to be worked over. In this manner the 

 Correction of maps. stock maps at the end of the felling rotation will be absolutely 

 correct. 



52. Ral. This comparatively worthless minor product has been the cause of much 



Collection of Ral damage to valuable sal trees in the past. As the temptation to 



notch and cut down trees in order to facilitate its collection is so 



great, and as no adequate check can be maintained on the methods by which it has been ob- 

 tained, the collection of ral should be in the future entirely prohibited. 



53. The question of roads has been carefully considered and all the main roads neces- 

 sary have been plotted on the map. They will have to be construc- 

 ed as the adjoining areas come to be worked. The roads should 

 be strongly constructed at Nalas, on hillsides or at difficult 

 places so that when the next period arrives only repairs will be necessary. 



Construction 

 ance of roads. 



and mainten- 



The following table gives farther details concerning the roads : 



Existing Roads. 



