Forest Research in India* 



In connection with the Indian 

 Forest Sei'vice, research work is be- 

 ing developed by the Forest Re- 

 search Institute at Dehra Dun, 

 where is also located the Forest 

 School for training the lower grade 

 of forest officers. The constitution 

 of the institute was announced by 

 order of the government of India in 

 1906, six officers being provided for. 

 The list of officers has been some- 

 what modified since that thne, and 

 is now constituted as follows: — (1) 

 Silviculturist, (2) Forest Zoologist, 

 (3) Forest Botanist, (4) Forest 

 Chemist, and (5) Forest Economist, 



Pr^or to th's date research work 

 had to a certain extent been done 

 by forest officers as opportunity pre- 

 sented itself, (especially on leave) 

 and some work of considerable mer- 

 it accomplished, e.g., the late Sir 

 Dietrich Brandis's "Forest Flora 

 of India." Owinsr, however, to lack 

 rf any recognized medium for pub- 

 lication much valuable original 

 work done by departmental officers 

 was lost. 



The progress of research work, 

 however, has not come up to the 

 hopes entertained, owing, partly, to 

 lack of funds, partly, to the officers 

 having had much of their time tak- 

 en up in educational work. 



Among the results of the research 

 work, however, have been the intro- 

 duction of a better system of work- 

 ing sal and teak forests, improved 

 methods in the distillation of tur- 

 pentine, and important investiga- 

 tions in paper-making. Investiga- 

 1ions into the question of woods use- 

 ful for match-making have resulted 

 in the establishment of at least one 

 match-factory. 



]\Iany bulletins have been issued 

 by the Institute on various lines of 

 forest research, some of these, e.g., 

 'Indian Woods and Their Uses' 

 (Troup) being large works in them- 

 selves. A large Research Institute 

 buildinsr is to be erected, at a cost 

 of 160.000 rupees (about $52,000), 

 t]ir land — one of the finest sites in 

 Dehra Dun — having been secured 

 some time ago. 



IN GERMAN FORESTS. 



It is very interesting, too, at this time of 

 the year, to wateh the \voo(lciitters at 

 work slaving, skinning, and trimming the 

 giants of the forest. The timber from the 

 Schwarzwahi is a tremendous source of reve- 

 nue to the State. Freiberg is fortunate in 

 owning the large tracts of forest imme- 

 diately surrounding the town whence it de- 

 rives a large income. 



Tn our walks we !-?e hundreds upon hun- 

 dreds of these trees, mcJtlv firs, and beech, 

 bereft of bark, lying prone ready for trans- 

 portation. So long, f^o straight are they, 

 I often wonder if they will all be used 

 for ships' masts. Odd sorts of trees, 

 smaller, or crooked ones, it wo-dd feem, are 

 cut up for firewood, for we also f-ee yard- 

 length logs stacked for fifty yards or more 

 beside the paths. 



On two days in the week the pea-^ants 

 are permitted to collect the twig^, bark, 

 and chips for firewood, but permits must be 



procured from the town. The two davs ap- 

 pointed for the purpose are aVo the davs 

 when the school children have half holi- 

 days. In these mid-November davs, there- 

 fore, a very common sight in the loneliest 

 depths of the wools is a who'e fa"i!y, 

 grandparents, parents, and numerous child- 

 ren, with all sorts of improvised push 

 carts, collecting their firewood for the win- 

 ter. — Louise H. Birchall in Toronto Star. 



Already about 30,000 Scots pines have 

 been planted at the j-ource of the Carthage 

 water-supply near Indian River in New York 

 State. Ten thousand more trees are being 

 planted this year, and it is the intention of 

 the village of Carthage to reforest the en- 

 tire t"0 thousand acres of land o^vne I by 

 the municijialities at this place. The muni- 

 cipality exf ects to derive benefit both in the 

 c-ou'ervation of its watei'-supply and als© 

 in the shape of timber for sale. 



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