1HE WORK OF THE FOREST DEPARTMENT IN INDIA. 5 



(4) Hill forests. In these the vegetation varies consider- 



ably according to elevation and rainfall. In the 

 Eastern Himalaya, Assam and Burma the hill forests 

 are characterized by various oaks, magnolias and 

 laurels, while in Assam and Burma the Khasia pine 

 (Pinus Khasya) grows gregariously at elevations of 

 3,000 to 7,000 feet. In the North- Western Hima- 

 laya the chief timber tree is the deodar (Cedrus 

 Deodara) which occurs most commonly at elevations 

 of 6,000 to 8,000 feet and in association with oaks 

 or blue pine (Pinus eaccelsa) ; towards its upper limit 

 the deodar merges into very large areas of spruce 

 and silver fir while below it are found extensive 

 forests of the long-needled pine (Pinus long if olio), 

 which is tapped for resin. 



(5) Littoral forests. These occur on the sea-coast and: 



along tidal creeks. The most characteristic trees 

 belong to the mangrove family (Rhizophoreae). 

 Behind the mangrove belt is an important type of 

 forest occasionally inundated by high tides, in which: 

 the most valuable species is the sundri (Heritiera 

 Fomes). 



The number of individual species of trees comprising the 

 vast forest wealth of India is very considerable. The total 

 number of woody species in India, including exotics, is about 

 five thousand, of which rather more than half are trees, the 

 remainder being shrubs and climbers. There are several 

 hundred economically useful species, a few of the most import- 

 ant of which are dealt with in section 7. 



3. Forest Policy and Legal Control. 



The general policy of the Government of India in relation 

 to forests was definitely laid down in 1894 by the classification 

 of the areas under the control of the Department into four 

 broad classes, namely : 



(a) Forests the preservation of which is essential on climatic 

 or physical grounds. These are usually situated 

 in hilly country, where the retention of forest 



