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deodar consisted of advance growth which was in existence before the fellings were made. Even extensive girdling of spruce and silver fir in some areas had not been followed by the springing up of deodar, as had been hoped. As Lambatach had been protected from fire and grazing since 1873 it was obvious that assistance would have to be given to obtain a new crop of deodar.

A third description of land existed, consisting of extensive grassy slopes similar to those already described under Jaunsar, on which no seedlings were present. Cultural operations, to assist deodar, were prescribed dealing with three classes of localities-moist ravines in which the spruce had been killed by ringing; drier slopes stocked with Indigofera, and the extensive grassy blanks. Generally, these operations were to be undertaken as follows: In planting hill-sides covered with undergrowth the plants were to be planted in groups in large cleared patches; whereas, on the bare grassy slopes the plants were to be put into pits dug in horizontal lines 10 to 15 feet apart, the pits being 3 to 5 feet apart in the lines. The plants would either be raised from seed in nurseries or taken from areas of young natural regeneration elsewhere and either used. direct or lined out in temporary nurseries, a method Moir, the Officer in charge here, had commenced. As regards sowing the plan of vertical lines was recommended, each line consisting of separate patches at a distance of about 4 to 5 feet from each other.

The Pinus longifolia forests on the Tons River from Hanol to Kunigadh had been protected from fire and grazing since 1878, and the other forests of this species near the Tons as far as Gaichran had been examined and reported on. A quantity of this timber had been exported from here, on Government account, in 1871, but no later fellings had been made. Some offers for the timber had been received, and it was decided that fellings should for the present only be made in the unprotected forests, and that there would be no objection to extensive fellings being made, if necessary, owing to the very large area of this type of forest. The effect of closure on the protected areas should be carefully watched.

It was stated that the principle work in the Division would for some time to come be limited to arrangements for the carriage of timber and the cultivation of the deodar. A suggestion was made that it was desirable, by way of experiment," that wire rope tramways and tramways with timber carts be used, and that the system of temporary slides be perfected."

Lastly, there were the Bashahr leased forests on the Pabar and Rupin Rivers (I, p. 406; II, p. 344). These were placed under the North-West Provinces Government in 1869; but the first action for their control and management was not taken till August, 1880, when two Forest Guards were appointed. Since the population in this region was scanty it was not thought necessary at this time to

introduce any measures of protection for these forests, the people being allowed to take all they required for their own use, except deodar. The work of importance which should be taken up was the demarcation of all the more valuable forests, which would then be closed, especially to the shifting cultivation (Korali) practised unchecked in these areas by the people.

These forests being so distant from Dehra Dun it was not considered at this time that they would be of much value to the students for instructional purposes, and as they were closed in the winter season-15th December to 15th March-Brandis suggested that the Officer in charge of the Division should be deputed, during this period, to pay annual visits of inspection to the Reserves in Ajmére, then attached to the School Circle.

In 1889-90 the revenue for the Province amounted to Rs.17,14,159 as against Rs.14,62,802 in 1888-9. Expenditure was Rs.9,63,151 as against Rs.8,44,544 in the preceding year. The surplus was Rs.7,51,008. Both gross receipts and surplus of all the three Circles was higher than ever known before. Although the expenditure had increased in the past few years the receipts had risen more rapidly. Ribbentrop (in Review of Forest Administration, 1889-1900) drew attention to the fact that the expenditure on improvements had not kept pace with the rise in receipts. In the previous year's Review he had pointed out that in European countries the amount paid into the Treasury seldom exceeded 50 per cent of the profits derived from the State Forests, the balance being spent in maintaining them or in permanent improvements which go to enhance their capital value. For the preceding ten years on an average only 32 per cent of the real gross revenue had been expended on maintenance and improvement of the forests of India.

In 1899-1900 the revenue of the Province was Rs.16,14,740 (the average of the preceding five years having been Rs.15,31,824) and the surplus Rs.6,72,360, the preceding five-yearly average having been Rs.5,96,746. Even less was being spent on maintenance than was the case a decade earlier !

The history of the progress of Working Plans in this Province (including Oudh) is worthy of a brief analysis. In 1884-5 the North-West Provinces (as also Burma and the Punjab) had organized a special Division for the preparation of Working Plans, but at first progress was slow. In this year plans were being prepared for Naini Tal and Ranikhet. Also an elaborate plan for the Dun. Plans for the Kheri and Gorakhpur

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Forests were under consideration; and the following year for the Ganges Division and the Tehri-Garhwal leased forests. In 1896-7 the Naini Tal, Ranikhet, Ganges and Dehra Dun plans were sanctioned. In 1888-9, in his Review of Forest Administration, the Inspector-General remarks, as follows, anent Working Plans: "Much remains to be done. In the Oudh Circle no Working Plans are as yet in force, although the area controlled by the Department amounts to 1203 square miles. In the Central Circle 352 square miles are managed under plans, out of a total area of 1178 square miles. In the School Circle Working Plans have been prepared for 399 square miles out of 815 square miles and no new work appears to have been undertaken during the year under notice. The Working Plans in force are, as a rule, drawn up for short periods only, and, unless the work of preparing plans for the remaining forests is pushed on, it will not be completed before the existing plans call for revision or replacement." In 1890-1 the InspectorGeneral of Forests drew the attention of the North-West Provinces Government to the unsatisfactory state of the Working Plans of the Province. Several of the existing plans were unsatisfactory and their provisions too complicated, and serious deviations had also taken place in completing plans in hand. These remarks resulted in a renaissance in WorkingPlan activity. This is commented upon in the 1892-3 Review. Marked progress had taken place in all Circles and simpler plans were under preparation throughout the Province. New plans were in hand for the Lansdowne, Kumaun, Garhwal and Saharanpur Divisions, whilst the Kheri plan received sanction. In his Review for 1893-4 the Inspector-General remarked: "The progress secured (in W. Plans) warrants the anticipation that within a short time the exploitation of all the more valuable forests managed by the Department will have been brought under the management of sanctioned Working Plans. Both as regards the quantity and quality of the work done during recent years the administration may fairly take the leading place amongst the Forest Departments of the various Provinces, not even excluding Burma." Plans had been completed for 1044 square miles in all Circles, plans were under preparation for 1125 square miles and only 680 square miles had not been brought under systematic working. In 1895-6 it was recorded that the Province still led in this respect, and in the following year it was stated that nearly all the forests in the Province were under sanctioned Working

Plans. There remained only 619 square miles to be dealt with, chiefly in Bundelkhand (for which no plan was required), and in Jaunsar and Gonda, for which plans were to be prepared.

In 1899-1900, out of a total forest area of 4122 square miles under the Department (Reserves, 4049 square miles, leased forest, 152; protected, 30; unclassed, 43) 3443 square miles were managed under Working Plans at the commencement of the year and a plan was sanctioned during the year for 5 square miles. Working Plans were under preparation for 222 square miles, leaving an area of 452 square miles for which plans had still to be taken in hand.

A very satisfactory record for the close of the century.

CHAPTER VIII

PROGRESS OF FOREST ADMINISTRATION IN THE NORTH-WEST PROVINCES AND OUDH, 1871-1900 (cont.)

F

CONSERVANCY IN OUDH

OREST Conservancy in Oudh, when compared to many other parts of India, or even the adjoining North-West Provinces, had made considerable progress by 1870, as has been described in Chapter X of Volume II. It will be remembered that the chapter was closed with a vividly drawn word picture of the position of these forests by Eardley Wilmot, who joined the service in Oudh in December, 1873. A good commencement had been made and the revenue was fairly satisfactory in some districts. Fire protection was still, however, in its infancy and forest settlements were giving trouble (vide II, pp. 358-60). Even in Oudh, where there existed few "rights" over large tracts of the forests, the settlement of some areas was incorrectly made and forests were burdened with rights which under the law did not exist.

The position of the Oudh Forests and administration was the subject of an interesting Report by Ribbentrop, InspectorGeneral of Forests, in 1886, based on an inspection of the Oudh Forest Circle as it then was, the Province having been amalgamated with the North-West Provinces, with two Conservators, one in the North-West Provinces Circle and the second in Oudh. Ribbentrop alludes to a visit of Brandis to Oudh in 1881, which will be detailed later on, and to some work undertaken by Schlich in the forests. So that Oudh had had the benefit of the advice of three experts who had followed each other as Inspectors-General of Forests. During his visit Brandis, in his forecast of November, 1881, had fixed the annual out-turn in sâl to be cut in the Kheri Forests at 2500 sâl trees, to be extracted under selection fellings. A large demand for timber and sleepers subsequently arose, however, in consequence of the construc

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