FOREST WORKING PLANS. 153 



miles had been surveyed and mapped, mostly on a scale of 4 inches 

 to the mile. 



3. FoKEST Working Plans. 



The management of Forests depends on the objects which the 

 proprietor has in view ; they may be of direct or indirect utility 

 as explained in Part I. of this book. All forests, to do justice to 

 the object for which they are maintained, must be managed in 

 accordance with well considered working plans, or schemes, 

 drawn up on scientific and economic lines, so as to secure con- 

 tinuity of action and the best possible results. In some cases 

 they may be of a simple nature, but for regular timber forests 

 the plans must be of a more complicated description. 



The advisability of a systematic working of the Indian forests 

 for a sustained yield was recognised during the early days of forest 

 administration in India, and a start of drawing up working plans 

 was made in 1856, when Sir D. Brandis commenced preparing 

 so-called " preliminary working plans " for the Burma teak 

 forests. These plans were naturally drawn up on general lines, 

 but on conservative principles to guard against overworking. 

 When Brandis became Inspector-General of Forests he introduced 

 the same system into other provinces. All his working plans 

 aimed at a sustained yield. Their preparation devolved to a 

 great extent upon himself, until the arrival of efficiently trained 

 Assistants to help him. Subsequently it became difficult to 

 prevent the working of the forests in excess of their permanent 

 yield capacity, and, on the proposal of the author, the Government 

 of India, with the approval of the Secretary of State for India, 

 established in 1884 the " Working Plan Branch " under the direc- 

 tion of the Inspector-General of Forests. The preparation of the 

 plans continued to be carried out by local agency and under the 

 control of the Local Government and the technical advice of 

 the Inspector-General of Forests. A plan once approved can- 

 not be departed from without the previous sanction of Govern- 

 ment. This step has been described as one of the epoch-making 

 events in the history of Indian forest management. It sanctified 

 the principle of a sustained yield of the forests, and it afforded the 

 means of bringing together statistical data bearing on the future 

 management and improvement of the forests. The preparation 

 of working plans requires a compotent staff and involves much 



