forests and forestry

307 Pages·2012·11.95 MB·English

FORESTS AND FORESTRY

K. P. SAGREIYA

I
3J

NATIONAL BOOK TRUST, INDIA
NEW DELHI

INDIA - THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

FORESTS AND FORESTRY

First published : /967 (/888)

Second revised edition : 1971 (1893)
Third revised editioll : 1979 (1900 )

© K. P. Sagreiya, 1967

U. A. S. L ,I
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UNiV c. SITY
L1Jf~A. Y

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Rs. 17.50

PUBLISHED BY THE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL BOOK TRUST, INDIA, NEW DELHI-! 10016

AND PRINTED AT NATIONAL PRINTING WORKS, 10, DARYAGANJ, NEW DELHI-! 10002

PREFACE

"I wonder sometimes if there is any other natural resource which
r;ives us so much and of which we know so little as the forests. There is.
therefore, a good case for producing readable literature to enlighten the
common people about India's forest wealth."

- DR . RAIENDRA PRASAD

THIS BOOK Forests and Forestry has been written with the object of
making available to the ordinary educated Indian, the non-specia-
list, basic facts concerning the forests of the country and the practice
of forestry in simple language.
In general, as a result of protection and management in accordance
with the comprehensive forest policy of J 894, the forests have pro-
gressively improved. But as the population of men and livestock
increased, insufficiency of forests made satisfaction of the rapidly
rising agricultural and industrial demand more and more difficult.
Therefore when the country became independent it was considered
desirable to enunciate a national forest policy and then to plan for
the progressive development of the forests. This work is continuing.
There are, however, still certain lacunae because of which maximum
benefits cannot accrue from the forests, viz., their inadequate extent,
ill-distribution and low productivity.
The remedy is obvious. All suitable wasteland and marginal
agricultural land should be afforested. The production from forests
should be increased by their proper protection and introduction of
valuable fast-growing, site-suitable, high-yielding species of trees,
and by modernizing methods of felling, conversion, transport and
utilisation, to minimise waste and to meet the rapidly rising demand
for industrial wood. The forests should also be managed to fulfil
their protective and bio-aesthetic role.

The spokesmen of the people could do much to carry the message
of forestry to the masses and thus convince them of the need for
enforcing certain restrictions on the use of forests. If this book
makes the reader forest-minded and thus enlists his willing co-opera-
tion in protecting and developing the forests, so that eventually they
confer the greatest good on the largest number for all time. he shall
feel amply rewarded.

vi
PREFACE

The writer is grateful to Shri B.K. Bhalla, A.T.F.C. Chief, Dehra
Dun Centre, Logging Training Project (U.N. Sp. Fund), for going
through the typescript and for making some useful suggestions.
K.P. SAGREIY A

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

I HAVE availed myself of this opportunity to bring all data, as far
as possible, up-to-date, mostly from Government sources. I have
also given definitions of technical words according to the latest
departmental publication, "Indian Forest and Forest Products
Terminology", and added some matter here and there to make the
book more readable and useful.

JABALPUR
May 5, 1970

K.P. SAGREIYA

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

J am happy to learn that the second edition had a brisk demand
and the Publishers have asked me to get the book ready for another
edition. I have done this now.
Not only does this edition contain the latest available statistics-

mostly from Government publications, but I have also availed myself
of the opportunity to add from the interim reports dealing with
forestry of the National Commission on Agriculture with which
I have been associated, and from other sources.

~ am gratified to find that the book has received adequate publicity
aud only hope this has resulted in better appreciation of the
forester's view-point, namely, that the forests should be so managed
as would maximise production and prove useful to the nation for
all time.

NAPIER T OWN

JAB..t.LPUR.
A llgllst 5, 1974

q;:r ~cru.; ~ ~
K.P. SAGREIYA

CONTENTS

Page

Preface
v

PART I- FORESTS

Clrapter

1 Forests, Forestry and Man
1
1( Basic Data
22
1lI
Forest :'lOd Trees
36
IV
Forest Resources: Trends and Prospects
59

V Wild Life
77

VI forest Conservancy and Potential Productivity
89
VJI Organisation
99

PART l[- FORESTRY

VIJ[
Silviculture
121

IX Forest Mensuration
142
X Forest Economics
169
Xl
Forest Management
174
XII Forest Protection
195

XIII Forest Utilisation
208

XIV
Forest Industries
231

EPILOGUE
240

ApPENDICES

I
Temperature, Rainfall and Humidity Data
244

11 Compound Interest Table
246

III List of Plants Mentioned
248

Bibliography
256

Index
257

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Plate
Facing Page

I. Van a Mahotsava
16

2.
Rocks Exposed after Severe Erosion, Madan Mahal,
Jabalpur
16

3.
Unrestricted Goat Browsing Denuding the Forest

Cover, Bhakra Catchment, H.P.
16

4.
Northern Tropical Semi-evergreen Forest of Gurjan,
Bengal
16

5.
Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest of Sal (Shorea

robllsta), U. P.
17
6.
Sub-tropical Pine Forest (Pinlls roxbllrghii), U.P.
17
7.
Himalayan Moist Temperate Forest of Deodar
(Cedrus deodara), H.P.
17

8.
Tapping of Chir Pine for Resin. H.P.
48

9.
Bans- The Common Bamboo
48
10.
One-horned Rhinoceros (R. ullicomis) in Kaziranga
Sanctuary, Assam
48
II. The Swamp Deer (Ru(wl'uS dUl'aueeli) in Kanha
National Park, M.P.
48
12.
Intensive Gully
rosion, Ghumarvin Range, H.P.
49

13. Ravi ne Formation
49

14. Forest Research In titute. Dehrn Dun
49

J 5.
Teak (Tectona gra/ldi.\') Plantations. U.P.
80

16.
Deodar (Cedrus deodars) Plantations, H.P.
80

J 7.
World's Oldest Teak Plantation (1846), Nilamber,
Kerala
80

J 8.
Well-thinned Forest of Deodar, Punjab
80
19. Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus) Plantations, Madras :

45 Years Old
81
20.
Single Stem Silviculture, M.P. Teak Forest
(CI) Before Treatment
(b) After Treatment
81

X
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

21.
Rehabilitation of Degraded Ex-private Forests
(a) When Acquired
(b) After Rehabilitation
128
22.
Ravine Afforestation, U.P. (I0-year-old)
128
23.
Well-preserved Simla Cantonment Forest
128
24.
Skin and Bone Animals Dependent Solely on Forest
Grazing
129
25. A Sandal Tree Attacked by Spike Disease
129

26.
Heart-rot Decay in Living Sal Tree
129

27.
Three-dimensional Micro-photograph of Teak Showing
Anatomical Structure
V-Vessels; F-Fibres; P-Parenchyma; R-Rays
192

28. Micro-photographs of Wood

(a) Diffuse Porous Wood Sernal (Salamaliamalabarica)
(b) Ring Porous Wood Teak (Tectona grandis)
192

29.
Logging Operations, H.P.

(a) Log on the Long-dIstance Sky-Line Crane
(b) Logs Loaded on a Truck
192

30.
Modern Internal Fan Steam-Heated Seasoning Kiln
193

31.
Sala; Billets at NEPA Mills
193

32.
A Lofty Semal Tree (Sa/mafia ma/abarica)
193

33.
Sandalwood Trees in Scrub Forest, Mysore
193

LIST OF MAPS

1. Main Soil Types
2.
India Showing Forest Areas

3. India- Annual Average Rainfall
4. Forest Types of India
5. India Showing Productivity Regions

To/act page

24
40
64
112
176

PART I

FORESTS