THE FIRST WORKING PLANS. 15 



1875 and 1880 the preliminary work of demarcation and organisa- 

 tion had advansed sufficiently in most divisions and working plans 

 or preliminary felling schemes had been prepared or were under 

 preparation ior the forests of Chakrata, Naini Tal, the Western 

 submontane and Bhabar sal forests, Kheri and Grorakhpur. 



Very considerable difficulties had to be overcome in the 

 preparation of these early working plans, for it must be remembered 

 that the forests were in a semi-ruined condition and far below 

 their proper yielding capacity ; the silviculture, rate of growth and 

 other vital factors were only partially studied and the young 

 department had to justify its existence by showing a budget surplus 

 and had also to conserve and build up the timber supplies and 

 bring the forests into a better condition. Working plans were 

 .required urgently over large areas, the available staff was limited, 

 intensive working and extensive enumerations were not at that 

 time feasible, and the executive and subordinate staff who had to 

 carry out the markings of the coupes were untrained and often 

 illiterate. Under these circumstances a special system of manage- 

 ment was evolved which Reckuagel calls the " Indian method, " 

 which was simple in execution, was guarantee against overfelling 

 and for the improvement of the crop, and could be applied rapidly 

 over extensive areas, and although the method has been often held 

 up to criticism, it is difficult to see how any better or more scientific 

 system could have been applied to suit the peculiar circumstances 

 of the time. 



This system of regulating the annual yield by volume based on 

 diameter classes, and the time taken for trees to pass from one 

 diameter class to the next, is fully described in Recknagel's " The 

 theory and practice of Working Plans, " and in all the old work- 

 ing plans of the province, and need not be described here. This 

 system was adopted universally for all species and for all the 

 forests in the United Provinces which were being managed under 

 sanctioned working plans, and held sway for nearly 30 years, except 

 in some sal forests with intensive demand, where the system of 



