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CHAPTER III

FOREST ADMINISTRATION IN BURMA AND THE ANDAMANS, 1871-1900

I

N 1873 Mr. B. H. Baden-Powell, C.S., at the time officiating Inspector-General of Forests, made a tour of inspection in a part of the Burma Forests and compiled his observations and recommendations in a bulky report entitled The Forest System of British Burma (1874). In December-January (1875-6) Brandis (who had returned from furlough) visited Burma and drew up a briefer note on Suggestions Regarding Forest Administration in British Burma (1876). Brandis did not fully agree with Baden-Powell's suggested classification of the proposed Reserves, and in this connection and other matters he laid down a clear procedure, which he advocated, for the consideration of the Chief Commissioner of Burma.

From the review given in Chapter V of Volume III it will have been seen that progress in the work of demarcating and creating Reserves in all the good areas of teak in the Province had been slow, in spite of the anxiety expressed on this matter both by the Government of India and the Secretary of State. This work was regarded as the more urgent since these forests were still subject to taungya (shifting) cultivation by the Karens. Brandis' visit had for its main object the organization of this demarcation and reservation work, which, as he said, was the most important duty to be accomplished by the Forest Department.

In a Memorandum appended to Baden-Powell's Report Brandis had sketched the leading points which should serve as a guide in this question. The aim and object of forest conservancy in Burma, he considered, could be stated as follows: Permanently to maintain a forest area sufficient to furnish the requirements of the country and of the export trade in teak, catechu, thitsee (Melanorrhea usitata), wood-oil and a large variety of other timbers and forest produce. The future

requirements of the country and export trade could not be foreseen at the time. As regards teak, the produce of Government Forests during the five years 1870-1 to 1874-5 had been on an average 45,290 tons a year, and the average imports from beyond the inland frontier (Upper Burma had not yet been annexed) during the same period had amounted to 110,278 tons. Of this quantity 103,288 tons had been exported by sea annually (from Rangoon and Moulmein), while 52,280 tons were consumed in the country (cp. table on p. 199, Vol. II). That represented the present requirements of the country and export trade in teak alone, and Brandis laid down that to assure the permanent production of a sufficient quantity would require at least 1200 square miles of well-stocked and well-cared-for teak forest. The Inspector-General said it was "idle to suppose that the demand for teak timber would not increase." He considered that the timber was not likely to be supplanted by iron or other woods, whilst the sources of possible supply were limited. The teak Reserves of India Proper were unlikely to be able to do more than supply the requirements of the country. The forests beyond the frontier (Upper Burma) and in Siam were being wastefully exploited, the quality of foreign timber coming into Moulmein having greatly deteriorated, whilst the teak in Java and Borneo was limited. Brandis recognized that there were fine teak forests at the head of the Meklong River, east and south of the British Forests on the Upper Thoungyeen, and there were extensive teak forests near the sources of the Menam River in the Chiengmay (Zimmé) territory. Bangkok was the outlet for these forests, but up to then the export of teak from these had not been considerable; and, though it might increase, Brandis did not think that Bangkok would enter into serious competition with Burma ports. And the extent of these countries (then unknown) was certainly less than the areas on the Salween, Sittang and Irrawaddy Rivers. Teak also existed on some of the feeders of the Cambodia River, but he did not think the export of teak from Saigon would ever be important.

Brandis possessed the invaluable gift of marshalling his facts in a most informative manner, and he has drawn an interesting and valuable picture of the existing position, and his reasons for considering that 1200 square miles of properly conserved good teak forest was the minimum which should be created as Permanent Reserves.

In addition, he pointed out that these proposed Reserves

t

[graphic]

TEAK TREE GROWN FROM STUMP OF TREE GIRDLED AND FELLED BETWEEN 1830 AND 1840, BURMA

[graphic]

TEAK TREES OF 1830-40 AT BITAKAT, SHOWING STOOL-SHOOTS OF 2 SEASONS FROM TREE GIRDLED UNDER 7-6 CONDITION OF LEASE IN 1888-89, BURMA.

would yield large quantities of bamboo, other timbers and forest produce in addition to teak. It had also been acknowledged that it would be necessary to set apart additional tracts for the permanent yield of catechu, thitsee, wood-oil and of a great variety of valuable timbers, among which thingan (Hopea odorata), padauk (Pterocarpus indicus), thitkado (Cedrela Toona), thitka (Pentace burmanica), pyinma (Lagerströmia Flos-Regina), engyin (Dipterocarpus tuberculatus), pynkado (Xylia dolabriformis), and thitya (Shorea obtusa) took first place.

In addition to these requirements Brandis agreed with Baden-Powell that for climatic and general reasons it was necessary to keep a large proportion of the hills well wooded, as their denudation would have a most injurious effect; though perhaps in Burma this argument was less apparent. He advocated the formation of a large Reserve north of Rangoon, extending from the head waters of the Hmaubee Khyoung to Oakhan, and comprising the hills between the Hline and Pounglin Rivers, comprising between 200 and 300 square miles. This would provide, although teak was scarce in it, a reserve of charcoal and firewood for the town. For similar reasons, and in order to maintain a supply of bamboos for the town, he suggested the formation of extensive Reserves on the hills between the Pounglin and Pegu Rivers and east of the Pegu River. It was not possible at the time to state what the aggregate of such Reserves in the different districts of Burma should be. That would have to be decided at a later date, district by district. But as most progress had been made, at the time, in demarcation work in that portion of the Thayetmyo, Prome and Henzada Districts situated between the Irrawaddy and the Yoma Range, in order to complete that work his suggestions related to that area.

Brandis did not agree with Baden-Powell's suggestion for the formation of two classes of Reserves, for several reasons; for one thing, they would be confusing to the people, to whom demarcation of forest lands was in itself a new feature of their everyday life. And the proposal to demarcate out areas in which taungya could only be undertaken could never work in practice as the Karens would never keep within them. He therefore suggested the formation of one class of Reserve only to be under the Forest Department, the forests outside the reserves to be District Forests under the control of the Civil Officers, teak alone in these latter forests remaining under the Forest Officers, as was the case at the time. This procedure

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