Forest Society and Colonialism

The Rise of Commercial Forestry

The Rise of Commercial Forestry

• How were the lives of the people affected?

• How did Forest Rules affect Cultivation?

• Who could hunt?

• New Trades, New Employments and New Services

The Rise of Commercial Forestry

1) British needed forest to build ships and railways

2) They were worried about the reckless felling of trees by local traders

3) British invited a German expert, Dietrich Brandis and made him the first IG of Forests in India

4) Proper system to manage forests and Science of Conservation

5) Rules about the use of Forest Resources

6) Brandis set up the IFS in 1864 and helped formulate the IFA of 1865

7) The Imperial Forest Research Institute at Dehradun in 1906 and ‘Scientific Forestry’ was taught

Dietrich Brandis

The Imperial Forest Research Institute at Dehradun in 1906

The Rise of Commercial Forestry

Scientific Forestry

One type of trees

Trees are planted instraight rows

Natural Forestry

Has lots of differenttypes of trees.

Trees are grownrandomly

Process of Scientific Forestry

Planted 1 type of

nurseries

Plantation was in a

straight row

Forest Officials surveyed the forest

Working plans for

Forest Mgnt

Planned how much

of the plantation area to cut every year

The area cut was

then to be replanted

The India Forest Act 1878

Reserved Forest

• The best forests were called reserved forests

• Villagers were not allowed to take anything from these forests

Protected Forest

• Villagers were allowed to take wood for house building or fuel

Village

Forest

• Villagers were allowed to take wood for house building or fuel

Idea of good forests

1. Forest Dept wanted trees to build ships and railway s

2. They needed trees that could provide hard wood and were tall and straight

3. Only teak and sal were promoted and others were cut.

4.

1. Wanted forests with a mixture of species to satisfy different needs

2. Villagers were dependent on forest for forest products

3. Wood for houses, grazing cattle, collecting fruits and roots, hunting and fishing,

4.Forest Act meant severe hardship for villagers across the nation

Fore

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Villagers id

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How were the lives of the people affected?

Cutting wood for building houses, grazing their cattle, collecting fruits and roots,hunting and fishing

People were forced to steal wood form the forests and if they wee caught, they were at the mercy of the forest guards who would take bribes from them.

Police constables and forest guards harassed people by demanding freefood from them

Illegal

Steal

Harassment

How did Forest Rules Affect Cultivation?

1. Shifting Cultivation or swidden agriculture is a traditional agricultural practice in many parts of Asia, Africa and South America.

2. Parts of forest are cut and burnt in rotration.

3. Seeds are sown in the ashes after the first monsoon rains.

4. The crop is harvested by Oct-Nov.

5. Such plots are cultivated for a couple of years and then left fallow for 12 to 18 years for the forest to grow back.

6.

Shifting Cultivation

Who could Hunt?

1. People survived by huntingdeer, partridges & a variety ofsmall animals

1. Forest Law prohibitedhunting

2. Those who were caughthunting were punished forpoaching

After Forest Laws Before Forest Laws

New Trades, Employments and Services

1. Many communities left their traditional occupations and started trading in forest products. For example, Mundurucu peoples of the Brazilian Amazon.

2. British Govt gave many large European firms the sole right to trade in the forest products of particular areas.

3. Grazing and hunting in local people were restricted.

4. Many tribes were forced to work in factories, mines and plantations under govt supervision.