THE WORK OF THE FOREST DEPARTMENT IN INDIA. 3 



mercantile firms engaged in the timber business. The conflict 

 raged for five years, but in spite of gross misrepresentations 

 his policy prevailed in the main : had this not been the case 

 matters w^ould certainly have gone from bad to worse, and the 

 valuable teak forests of Burma, instead of yielding a steady 

 and increasing supply of timber, would by this time have been 

 depleted of the bulk of their marketable trees. Such a contin- 

 gency would have been a national disaster, for it is on first class 

 teak that our Admiralty relies for its supplies of the best ship- 

 building timber. 



In other provinces also the early years of the Forest Depart- 

 ment were marked by a constant struggle against opposition in 

 various forms, for although Government had proclaimed its 

 forest policy, this policy was not always appreciated by district 

 officials, many of whom were unable to discern the potential 

 value of the forests or to foresee the baneful results of their 

 destruction. 



Exploration, demarcation and settlement, followed by efforts 

 to introduce protection and some form of regular management, 

 were the first duties of the Forest Department. Work on these 

 lines, which is not yet completed in the more backward parts of 

 the country, has been pursued steadily from the commencement, 

 and in consequence large tracts of forest have been saved from 

 ruin and are gradually being brought under efficient manage- 

 ment. Whatever may have been the opinions held in some 

 quarters half a century ago as to the need for a policy such as 

 that expressed in Lord Dalhousie's memorable enunciation of 

 1855, there is no longer any doubt that results have amply 

 justified the steps taken, and that in her forests India now 

 possesses a property of constantly increasing value, the future 

 importance of which it is hardly possible to over-estimate. 



2. Area, Classes and Types of Forests. 



More than one-fifth of the total area of British India (in- 

 -cluding the Shan States) is under the control of the Forest De- 

 partment. These areas are classified as reserved, protected 

 -or unclassed State forests. In the reserved forests rights of 

 user in favour of individuals and the public are carefully 

 recorded and limited at settlement while the boundaries are 



