1 ( 4 )
2 PART II.
3 WORKS FOR THE PROTECTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE
4 FORESTS.
5 (1) Protective Arrangements.
6 10. In Bengal, owing to the vast extent of the forest tracts,
7 and the, as yet, imperfect organization of the Forest Department,
8 regular measures of conservancy can hardly be considered as having
9 fairly commenced The question has, however, been vigorously
10 taken up by H. Hf. the Lieutenant-Governor. In Assam, the
11 forests have been placed under the immediate control of the Com-
12 missioner and Civil Officers for purposes of administration, under
13 whose orders the Forest Officers have been subordinated for exe-
14 cutive work: the same plan has been adopted in Chittagong. In
15 both these ._provinces, complications with the Lushais and other
16 frontier tribes have rendered this measure necessary. In
17 Cuttack, the following judicious proclamation had been issued by
18 the Government, with the purpose of stopping the destruction of
19 forests in the Tributary Mehals :—
20 NotTiFIcaTION.
21 To the Tributary Rajahs of Cuttack.
22 “The great and unnecessary destruction of valuable forest timber trees
23 through the Tributary Mehals has been noticed by Government and observed
24 by me. Experience has shown that in course of time, as civilization and culti-
25 vation advance, serious inroads have been made on the heretofore uncleared
26 forests, and every year good timber fit for building purposes is becoming more
27 scarce, and more difficult to procure, This is not the only evil. Denudation of
28 timber on the hills affects the climate of the country, and also the rnain-fall as
29 well as the fertility of the soil. Moreover, the great store of timber wealth
30 providedby Nature in these provinces 1s uselessly dissipated without any
31 corresponding advantage accruing to Rajahs or people in this gencration ;
32 the next generation is, moreover, deprived of a valuable source of timber supply,
33 and eventually, if the destruction proceeds, even fuel will become scarce.”’
34 ‘In issuing this notice, Government has no desire to interfere in any way
35 with thé legitimate profits obtainable by the use or sale of timber by the
36 proprictors of tributary estates ; on the contrary, Government desires to induce
37 carcful conservation of forests, so that timber may be allowed to reach maturity,
38 and its sale become a source of permancnt income to the Rajahs and at the
39 same time benefit the country at large.
40 ‘¢ The following are the chief causes of useless destruction of timber :— -
41 * 1et.—~The habit of cutting and clearing large tracts of valuable forests
42 for toila or temporary cultivation. These fos/a lands are only cultivated for
43 tivo or three years, when the land is exhausted and lapses into useless thicket
44 and jungle. The profit derived from such cultivation is very small to the ryot,
45 and generally little or nothing to the Rajah or zemindar.
46 “© 2nd.—The practice of giving potfas, or permitting Sal forests to be
47 girdled for the sake of procuring dgmmer. Thousands of magnificent trees,
48 worth, if sold as timber, very large sums, aro annually destroyed to procure a
49 few chittacks of dummer. It is known that extraction of dammer does not
50 necessitate destruction of the Sal trees, but that a good supply can be obtained
51 by eutting merely a portion of the bark, extending over not more thana quarter
52 of the girth of the tree. In a few years the cut heals over and the tree is again
53 fit to yield resin ; whereas, if it is girdled completely, the tree dies, and no more
54 resin can be obtained from it: thus the zemindar loses his valuable timber for
55 the present, and also loses his revenue for the future. Every Rajah will in
56 future prohibit the girdling of trecs to procure dammer, and will sct apurt
57 such tracts as may be suitable and do not produce the finest timber fgr extract
58 of dammer.
59 * 3rd.—Among many of the till tracts some of the finest trees are felled
60 to procure honey. The value of the honey is only a few pice to the finder,
61 and the loss of a fine tree is irreparable to the Rajub. Felling trees for honey
62 should be prohibited : a very little additional labor and pains would secure the
63 honey without damaging the tree. Besides Sl timber, there are many other
64 valuable woods—such ae Teak, SisG, Kuruin, Asun, Ablis, &c., &e.—which
65 are similarly destroyed: in fagt, the only trees preserved systematically ure the
66 rea oe and Mango, and these are valuable not only for timber but
67 or fruit.