FOREST PRODUCE REQUIRED BY THE COUNTRY. 141 



5. Forest Produce required by the Country. 



Although India has an extensive seaboard, along which forest 

 produce can be landed, it does not derive as much benefit from 

 this fact as might be assumed, because it is such a vast country. 

 The distance between the sea shore and the place of consumption 

 in the interior of the country amounts frequently to many 

 hundreds of miles. Railways are as yet not as common as in 

 England, and forest produce is, for the most part, bulky ; hence, 

 only the coast districts would profit by the import of forest 

 produce, even if it could be brought in sufficient quantities from 

 other countries. As has been pointed out above, the imports in 

 the past have been on a small scale, and these may be further 

 reduced owing to increasing demands by other countries. There 

 can be no doubt that India must rely on the timber and firewood 

 produced in the country. There are considerable beds of coal in 

 India, but they are inconveniently distributed over the country, 

 and coal is at present used chiefly for industrial purposes and for 

 export. 



All the teeming millions of India use wood fuel for their firing, 

 and, if this is not available, dried cow dung. Their using coal 

 is out of the question for a long time to come, because the mass 

 of the people have neither the necessary firing arrangements, nor 

 could they afford to pay for the coal. For domestic firing India 

 must maintain large areas under wood and an adequate area to 

 provide for the annual requirements of timber for construction, 

 boat building, tools, agricultural implements, public works and 

 railways. And, judging by the standard which applies to 

 continental countries of Europe, it may safely be estimated that 

 India should permanently maintain a forest area of ^ an acre per 

 head of population, or, in round figures, 190,000 square miles in 

 the British provinces, in order to secure a sufficient quantity of 

 timber and firewood. That area would be equal to 18 per cent, 

 of the total area of British India, or equal to about 75 per cent, 

 of the area of the existing State forests. 



It has been stated above that the estimated increment of the 

 better half of the State forests is about 15 cubic feet per acre, 

 while the consumption during the last few years has been about 

 3 cubic feet annually per head of population, so that less than 

 ■| an acre per head should suffice for all purposes. It should, 



