2. I accept the view of the Commissioner expressed in paragraph 6 of his 

 letter, and consider that the sub-division of the nistar areas into numerous working 

 series to be gone over on a rotation of five years may be dispensed with. The 

 Conservator's proposal to " pollard " by felling at 2 or 3 feet from the ground is a 

 retrograde measure, which I am unable to support, except in so far as it is pro- 

 vided for in paragraph 80 of the working-plan. The trees cut in the nistar 

 tracts should, as far as possible, be so cut as best to favour the production of 

 healthy coppice shoots. Under the circumstances described, I see no objection to 

 certain areas being fired under the supervision and orders of the officers of the 

 Department. The. kind of protection contemplated cannot be thoroughly effec- 

 tive, and the protection of lac-producing areas will doubtless be rendered more 

 certain by the deliberate burning under control of the grass on the adjacent lands. 

 There is no prohibition to fell on nistar lands during the rains. 



3. To paragraph 76 may be added " where, however, the demand for poles 

 is in excess of the demand for fuel, the ' coupe ' of one year in advance may be 

 indented upon. " This goes some way to meet the suggestion made in paragraph 

 7 of the Conservator's letter, and may help to meet requirements for poles ; 

 but it seems to me that after the first year of cutting poles from two coupes there 

 must be some restriction in supply, unless indeed the felling of poles were to be 

 allowed to proceed over the forests at twice the prescribed rate which would be 

 inadmissible. 



4 The rules under paragraph 78 should, in my opinion, stand and not be 

 altered purely with a view to obtaining more revenue as proposed by the Con- 

 servator. 



5. The regular felling-series are grouped into three working-circles, and the 

 working-plan does not prescribe, as the Conservater supposes, that forms Nos. 

 2 and 3 should be drawn up and submitted to the Conservator for each felling- 

 series, but that such forms should be kept up in the Divisional Office for each series. 

 These forms will be submitted to the Conservator for each working-circle, and it 

 does not appear that the keeping up of the forms for each series will cause much 

 additional work in the Divisional Office. As the nistar areas will not be sub- 

 divided into series, they will be formed into one working-circle for which the 



Herewith sent prescribed forms will be drawn up. Many of the 



plans of the operation forms* seem to me unneces- 

 sary, and the others are not required if the prescribed forms and Forest Journal, 

 are properly and fully kept up. 



6. I approve of the Conservator's proposal in paragraph 10 of his letter, 

 to limit the prescriptions contained in paragraphs 108 to 1 10 of the plan to the 

 coupes of the regular felling- series. 



7. The Conservator proposes in the last paragraph of his letter that the 

 estimate _of revenue should be reduced, although he acknowledges that the 

 amount given by Mr. Fernandez in the plan may some day be obtained. There 

 is no need for any _ such alteration as proposed, because forecasts of revenue and 

 expenditure_given in a working-plan are merely estimates and cannot be considered 

 as prescriptions. 



No. 148, dated Camp, the 4th February 1901. 



From]. A. McKEE, Esq., Conservator of Forests, Northern Circle, Central Provinces, 

 To The Inspector-General of Forests to the Government of India. 



In this office No. 6858 of the 4th September last, to your address, forwarding for 

 approval, a working-plan for the forests of the Damoh District, my predecessor, Mr. 

 Fernandez, mentioned that the comments of the Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner 

 thereon would also be forwarded when received. Criticisms by these officers were 

 subsequently received in^this, office on the i6th of November, but were not forwarded for 

 your infotfiia'tjon, 'ap'dftSvi's-p&nt was only recently brought to my notice after 'I had learned 

 that the working-plan Wpbrt'had been approved by you and despatched to the Honourable 



. rt _rr r ' ' 



