144 FORESTRY IN BRITISH EAST INDIA. 



In 1862 Dr. Brandis was called to Simla to advise Government 

 on forest conservancy in other parts of India. At the outset he 

 worked in conjunction with Dr. Cleghorn, and in 1864 he was 

 appointed the first Inspector-General of Forests to the Govern- 

 ment of India. From the year 1862 until 1883 he laboured 

 steadily on the introduction of systematic forest management into 

 the various parts of India. 



2. Forest Legislation. 



The first duty of the new Department was to ascertain the 

 position and extent of the remaining forests, and more especially 

 of the portion which was still the property of the State. During 

 the long continued struggle between human action and the effort 

 of self-preservation on the part of the forests, the latter succumbed 

 wherever the climatic conditions were unfavourable ; hence, what 

 remained of forests was situated in locahties with a heavy rainfall, 

 or where a scanty population had carried on a feeble warfare 

 against the woodlands. 



To enable the Forest Department to bring the forests under 

 proper management and protection, a Forest Law was passed in 

 1865. This law empowered Government to declare certain areas 

 to be " State Forests " but without interfering with the rights and 

 privileges of the people. The claims of the latter were on such an 

 excessive scale that real forest conservancy became practically 

 impossible. The result was that a new Forest Act was passed in 

 1878, which, with certain subsequent modifications, is now in 

 force. Its main provisions are the following : — 



(1) Power to declare Government lands to be Reserved State 



Forests, after an enquiry into and settlement, or, if 

 necessary, commutation of private or public rights in 

 the area ; also power to prevent the springing up of any 

 new rights. 



(2) Power to declare any Government land a Protected forest ; 



in that case existing forest rights may be ascertained and 

 recorded, but not definitely settled, nor is there any bar 

 against the springing up of new rights. 



(3) Power for the establishment of Village forests, to be 



managed for the benefit of village communities, 



(4) Power to provide for the proper protection and management 



