26 THE WORK OF THE FOREST DEPARTMENT IN INDIA. 



wheels, agricultural implements, etc. Fully utilized in accessible- 

 localities. 



Shorea robusta, Gaertn. f . Sal. A large gregarious tree of Northern; 

 and Central India, in the sub-Himalayan tract from Kangra to the 

 Darrang and Nowgong districts of Assam and in the Garo Hills, Chota 

 Nagpur, Orissa, the Central Provinces and the Ganjam district of Madras. 

 Wood brown, hard, very durable, used for building, bridge construction, 

 piles, railway sleepers, agricultural implements, railway waggons, 

 ordnance work, and many purposes. Sal is one of the most important, 

 timbers of India, owing its reputation to its great strength and durability;, 

 otherwise it is a somewhat coarse tnd cross-grained wood and seasons- 

 slowly. The timber is in great demand, particularly for railway sleepers 

 and building, and as large tracts of sal forest have been saved from 

 destruction and are under regular management a sustained yield of this, 

 valuable timber may be relied on in future. Fully utilized. 



Tectona grandis, Linn. f. Teak. 3. large tree of Central and. 

 Southern India, Bombay and Burma. Wood yellowish brown, 

 extremely durable, seasons well without warping or splitting and works, 

 well. Teak is the most important timber of India, being superior to- 

 all other known woods for ship-building, for which purpose it is largely^ 

 exported to Europe. It is put to numerous other uses, including build- 

 ing, furniture and cabinet work, panelling, carving, railway carriages- 

 and waggons, spokes and felloes of wheels, agricultural implements, etc. 

 For export purposes the great bulk of the teak timber comes from. 

 Burma, where the trees do not ordinarily form pure forests of any extent, 

 but are scattered among a large number of other species. In Burma the 

 timber is extracted by floating and the trees are girdled three years, 

 before felling in order to kill them and render the timber buoyant. The- 

 importance of teak in the world's markets may be realized from the fact 

 that during the 5 years ending 1914-15 the average annual value 

 exported from the Indian Empire amounted to Es. 83,74,039, the 

 great bulk of this coming from Burma. Although in India proper the- 

 trees do not ordinarily reach the dimensions attained in Burma there 

 are tracts in Western and Southern India where timber of very fair 

 dimensions is produced, while there is always a strong demand within^ 

 the country even for teak of small size. The question of maintaining 

 and increasing future supplies of this valuable timber has engaged the- 

 earnest attention of the Forest Department from its infancy, and in 

 addition to efforts to improve natural regeneration, extensive teak plant- 

 ations have been formed, chiefly in Burma and S. India. Fully 

 utilized. 



Termtnalia Chebula, Retz. The myrabolan tree, harra. A large^ 

 tree, found throughout the greater part of India and Burma. Wood 



