NO. 



FROM 



A. SMYTHIES, ESQ., u. A., 



CONSERVATOR OF FORESTS, SOUTHERN CIRCLE, 



Central Provinces 



To 



THE INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF FORESTS 



TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, 



Calcutta. 



Nagpur, the j^^amta*? 1901. 

 SIR, 



In accordance with Section 88 of the Forest Department Code, I have 

 the honour to forward two printed copies of the Working-Plan Report for the 

 three Northern Ranges of the Seoni Division, which formed the subject of 

 correspondence ending with your No. 2I5-W. P., dated the i8th November 1898, 

 together with a letter No. 10855, dated I2th November 1900, from the Commis- 

 sioner, Jubbulpore Division. 



2. In the preliminary report, which was approved of by you in the letter 

 first quoted, it was proposed to form three working circles corresponding to the 

 three ranges. In the present plan, each range has been divided into a workable 

 circle, an unworkable circle, and a grazing circle. Thus in all we have nine working 

 circles with areas constituted as follows: Workable area, 144,054 acres; 

 Unworkable area, 41,329 acres; Grazing area, 44,900 acres. The workable area 

 in each range forms one working circle and is divided into a certain number of 

 felling series (see para. 35). 



* 



3. In your letter quoted above, it was suggested that the possibility of 

 extending fire-protection to the unworkable areas of Circles II and III should be 

 considered. This referred to the then unworkable areas of the Dhooma and 

 Nerbada Ranges only, as it was not contemplated that any unworkable area 

 would be found in the Chappara Range. 



4. In the present working-plan now submitted, it is proposed (vide para. 55) 

 to place each compartment as it is worked over under strict fire-protection 

 of the kind known in these Provinces as A class. This would bring a fresh 

 area of about 4,800 acres under protection every year. It is further proposed to 

 extend partial protection of the kind known as B class gradually over the whole 

 remaining workable and unworkable areas within a period of 10 years, while the 

 grazing areas would have no special protection beyond that comprised in C class. 

 To this proposal the Commissioner demurs. He would abolish C class protection 

 altogether in the grazing areas and would like to see the unworkable areas burnt 

 over early in the season before the time of flowering and seeding by way of 

 experiment in tree reproduction. 



5. Though I am unable to agree with the Commissioner in his views 

 regarding the growth of grass being improved by firing, I think that in the pre- 

 sent case there will be no harm in allowing the grazing area, which amounts to 

 only 19 per cent, of the whole, to be burnt over in the interests of the people and 

 their requirements. If the area is heavily grazed over, the fires will probably 

 not be very severe. With regard to the unworkable areas, I think it will be time 

 enough to undertake the fire-protection of these when we have succeeded in 



