( 4 ) 



attention. Forests also tend to mitigate the seventy of the climate 

 by reducing the extremes of heat and cold. 



In framing the policy for the conservation of the existing forests 

 the Government of India have roughly classed them into four 

 divisions : 



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



or physical grounds ; 



(b) Forests which afford a supply of valuable timber for com- 



mercial purposes ; 



(c) Minor forests (fuel and fodder reserves). ; 



(d) Pasture lands. 



The importance of category (a) forests has for many years been 

 fully appreciated by Government and they are to be protected 

 regardless of interests which it may be necessary to restrict. In 

 these provinces, owing to the small area of forests, it might be 

 justifiable to class almost all forests under this head although not 

 actually recognized as such. It has already been explained that 

 forests should not in every case be managed from a direct commer- 

 cial standpoint, indeed, it may be necessary to expend very large 

 sums of money in the maintenance of so-called physical forests, 

 with only indirect benefits to the State and the community. 



ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF FORESTS. 



As the scope of this book is to show the origin and progress 

 of afforestation in the United Provinces it will scarcely be neces- 

 sary to dwell at length on this portion of the subject. The present 

 forests are to a great extent, capable of supplying most of the 

 commodities required by the big commercial centres although their 

 remoteness is a serious handicap. It has been stated that 25 per 

 cent, of a country should be devoted to forests in order to meet 

 indigenous demands : in these provinces the forested area represents 

 only 7 per cent, and the neighbouring provinces, being in a similar 

 position, cannot be depended upon. The greatest need of the moment 

 is for the creation of agricultural forests in woodless districts for the 

 supply of firewood and small building material to the agricultural 

 community and improved pasture for the cattle. The Famine 

 Commissioners, who were appointed in 1880 to enquire into the 

 means of mitigating the severities of famines, strongly represented 

 the necessity for the creation of such forests and the Government 

 in their resolution on the Commissioners' report suggested that 

 an enquiry should be made by district officers with a view to ascer- 

 taining how far cattfe needed protection, and what lands were 

 available for the creation of fuel and fodder reserves. It was this 

 order of the Government of India that gave the first impetus to a 

 policy of afforestation. 



