The document discusses how forests in India were impacted by colonialism. It provides definitions for key terms like deforestation, commercial forestry, scientific forestry, shifting cultivation, and plantations. It also examines how the industrialization and policies of the British colonial government led to widespread deforestation between 1880-1920 through practices like expanding agriculture, building railroads, establishing plantations, and implementing commercial forestry that prioritized timber extraction over local needs. The Indian Forest Act of 1865 established rules that criminalized local forest use and displaced communities.

1. FOREST SOCIETY AND
COLONIALISM
Lijin Golden

2. Major Areas of this Chapter
 Items Available from the Forest
 Benefits from the Forest
 How are forest products are useful for forest people
 How the industrialization affected the forest
 Meaning and Causes of Deforestation
 Meaning of Commercial Forestry
 Meaning of Forest Management
 Meaning of Scientific forestry
 Meaning of Shifting cultivation
 NewTrades and New Employments
 Rebellion in the forest/ Case Study- Bastar and Java
 Dutch Scientific Forestry
 Samins Challenge
 War and Deforestation
 New Developments in Forestry

3. ITEMS AVAILABLE FROM THE FOREST
 Timber – For manufacturing the infrastructures like desks,
benches, Door,Windows etc…
Construction of buildings
 Paper, Dyes use to colour the cloth,Tea, Honey, Rubber,
Coffee, spices
 Fuel, Fodder and grass for animals (cattle food
 Medicinal- fruits, flowers, herbs, plants, roots
 Animals, Birds etc…
In the Amazon forests or in the western ghats- 500
different medicinal plant in one forest patch

4. Benefits from the Forest
 It helping for Soil Conservation
 It Protecting the Wild animals, birds and medicinal plants
 Offer good employment opportunities
 Maintaining the Climate
 Maintaining the life of theTribal people
 It maintain the life of Rural and Urban people (providing
necessary things)

5. Forest products useful for the forest People
 Fruits andTuber- Nutritious to eat in monsoon season
 Herbs- Medicine
 Wood- Agricultural implements like yokes and Ploughs
 Bamboo- Making for basket and umbrellas
 Dried Scooped-portable water bottle
 Leaves- Plates and Cups
 Oil for cooking and to light lamps can be pressed from
the fruit of the mahua tree.

6. How industrialisation affected the Forest
In the period between 1700 and 1995, was a period of
industrialisation 13.9 million sq km of forest or 9.3% of
total world forest area was cleared for industrial uses,
cultivation, Pastures, fuel wood.
Text page No: 77 ( Features of Sal forest in Chhattisgarh)

7. What is Deforestation/ Meaning
The disappearance of forest is called Deforestation. In
an area deforested the trees there are cut down or
destroyed.
In India the deforestation is not a recent
problem. But under the British rule it became more
systematic and extensive.

8. CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION
(OR)
Between 1880 and 1920, forest cover in
the Indian Subcontinent declined by 9.7
million hectares from 108.6 million
hectares to 98.9 million hectares-
Discuss the causes Deforestation
Agriculture Railway Tea/ Coffee Ship Commercial Tribal
Expansion Plantation Building Farming Peasant
Users

9. 1. AGRICULTURE EXPANSION
 In 1600, one sixth of India’s total area was under cultivation
 But at present half of the total area using for cultivation
 As a result of the population increased, the demand for food
increased. So the peasants extended the boundaries of
cultivation. So that they cleared the forest. During the time of
colonial rule cultivation extended rapidly based on two
reason.
1. British encouraged the production of commercial crop like
jute, sugar, wheat and cotton. In 19th century the demand of
food crops and food grains increased in Europe as a result
of the increased population.

10. 2. In 19th century, the colonial rule considered forest were unproductive.
So they cleared the land for cultivation and they thought that
agriculture product and revenue increase the income of the state. So
between 1880 and 1920, cultivated area rose by 6.7 million hectares.
2. RAILWAY
Railways were essential for colonial trade and for the movement
of imperial rule.They used wood for fuel and to lay railway line
sleepers were essential to hold the track together. In 1860
railway network increased rapidly. In 1890, 25,500 km of track
had been laid. In 1946 length increased to 765,000 KM. In 1850,
Madras province annually cuted 35ooo trees for sleepers. Each
mile of railway track required between 1760 to 2000 sleepers.
The govt gave the contracts to individuals and they cleared the
forest without any consideration t

11. 3. PLANTATIONS
The natural forest areas were cleared to make the plantations.As
a result of the growing needs of the Europeans different types
of plantations were introduced like coffee, tea and rubber.The
colonial government took over the forest, and gave vast areas
to European planters at cheap rates.They cleared the forest
and planted coffee, tea and rubber.
4. SHIPPING
In 19th century, Oak forest disappeared in England. It created problem
of timber supply for the Royal navy for making the ship. So in 1820,
they sent the search parties to search the forest resources of India.
With in few decades, large scale of timber were exported from India

12. 5. COMMERCIAL FORESTRY
The British considered the old trees had no use. So that
why they cut all the trees and planted same type of tree
in a straight row only for a commercial purposes.As a
result the natural forest has been disappeared.
6.THE ROLE OFTRIBALS AND PEASANTS
As a part of the shifting cultivation, they cut and burnt the forest
in rotation.They sowed seeds in the ashes after the first
monsoon rain.This process harmful for the forest.There aws
always a danger of forest fire.

13. During the time of colonial rule cultivation
extended rapidly increased in India Why?
In 1880 to 1920, cultivated area in India
increased in to 6.7 million hect- Why
During the time of colonial rule cultivation extended rapidly
based on two reason.
1. British encouraged the production of commercial crop like
jute, sugar, wheat and cotton. In 19th century the demand of
food crops and food grains increased in Europe as a result
of the increased population.
2. In 19th century, the colonial rule considered forest were
unproductive. So they cleared the land for cultivation and
they thought that agriculture product and revenue increase
the income of the state. So between 1880 and 1920,
cultivated area rose by 6.7 million hectares

14. How and Why Commercial Forestry
come in India?
(or)
Role of Dietrich Brandis in Indian
Forest System
(or)
Describe about Indian Forest Act
in1865

15.  As a result of the rapid decline of forest the British govt
worried that the use of forests by local people and reckless
felling of trees by traders would destroy the forests
(Why the British worried about the forest)
 So they invite a German expert, Dietrich Brandis, for
advice and made him first Inspector General of Forest in
India.
 He believed that a proper system had to be introduced to
manage the forest and people had to be trained in the
science of conservation.
 He set up Indian Forest Service in 1864 and he
formulated Indian Forest Act in 1865.
 He made rules and system made legal sanction.

16.  Felling of trees and grazing was restricted and forest could
preserved only for timber production.
 Any body violate the rules had been punished.
 The Imperial Research Institute was set up at Dehradun in 1906.
The system they taught here was called Scientific forestry.
 In scientific forestry, natural forests which had lots of different
type of trees were cut down. In there place, one type of trees
was planted in straight rows for commercial purposes.This is
called Plantations.
 Forest officials surveyed the forest, estimated the area under
different type of trees, and made working plans for forest
management.They planned how much of the plantation area to
cut every year.The area cut was then to be replanted so that it
was ready to be cut again in some years.

17. How the Indian Forest Act affected the
life of the Indian Forest people?
 Everyday Practices : cutting wood for their houses, grazing their cattle,
collecting fruits and roots, hunting and fishing became illegal.
 So the people forced to steal wood from the forest, and if they were
caught, they were at the mercy of the forest guards who would take
bribes from them.
 Police constables and forest guards would harass people by
demanding free food from them.
 The govt banned shifting cultivation.They considered it a waste of
fertile land which could instead be used for growing railway timber.
 Communities were forcibly displaced from their homes in the forests.
 Shifting cultivators were forced to change professions, while some
participated in large and small rebellions opposing the changes.

18. Usage of Forest to different Sector Groups
(or)
How did villagers and foresters differ in the
ideas of good forest?
 Villagers: They wanted forest with a mixture of species to
satisfy different needs- fuel, fodder, leaves.
 Forest Department: Wanted trees which were suitable for
building ships or railways. They needed trees that could
provide hard wood, and were tall and straight. Eg:Teak and
Sal.
 Forest Peoples: Fruits andTuber, Herbs,Wood, Leaves,
Bamboos, Dried Scooped, Mahua trees oil etc….

19. Scientific Forestry
A system of Cutting trees controlled by the forest
Department in which old trees were cut down and new
one type of tree was planted in straight rows.
Forest Management
It is a system for the management of forest.The forest
officials surveyed the forest, estimated the area under
different type of trees, and made working plan for
forest management.They planned how much of the
plantation area to cut every year.The area cut was
then to be replanted.

20. Plantation
In scientific forestry, natural forests which had lot of different
types of trees were cut down. In their place, one type of tree
was planted in straight rows.This is called plantation.
Shifting Cultivation
Is a traditional agricultural practice in many parts of Asia,Africa
and South America. It is otherwise known as swidden agriculture
or slash and burn activity. In shifting cultivation, parts of the
forest are cut and burnt in rotation. Seeds are sown in the ashes
after the monsoon rains, and the crop is harvested by October-
November. Such plots are cultivated for a couple of years and
then fallow for 12 to 18 years for the forest to grow back. A
mixture of crops is grown on these plots.

21. Local Names of Shifting Cultivation
Lading- Southeast Asia
Milpa- Central America
Chitemmene orTavy- Africa
Chena- Srilanka
India- dhya, penda, bewar, nevad, jhum, podu,
khandad, kumri

22. Why the British banned the Shifting
Cultivation
1. European foresters regarded shifting cultivation was harmful
for the forest.They felt that land which was used for
cultivation every few years could not grow trees for railway
timber.
2. When a forest was burnt, there was added danger of the
flames spreading and burning valuable timber.
3. It made it harder for the government to calculate taxes.
So govt decided to ban the shifting cultivation.As a result many
communities were forcibly displaced from their homes in
the forest. So had to change occupations, while some
resisted through large and small scale rebellions.

23. Why the ecologists criticised the
Scientific Forestry?
In scientific forestry, natural forests which had lot of
different type of trees were cut down. In that place only
one type tress are planting . So rare species of trees,
animals and birds is disappearing when the use of cientic
forestry.

24. Amendment of Indian Forest Act 1865
The Indian Forest Act amended twice in the years 1878 and
1927.The 1878 Act divided forests into three categories.
1. Reserved Forest
2. Protected Forest
3.Village Forest
Reserved Forest: The best forest were called Reserved
Forest.The village could not take anything from the forest,
even for their own use.
For house building or fuel, they could take wood from
Protected orVillage forests.

25. How the Forest Act affected the life
of the hunters?
 The forest law affected the life of the forest people.
 Before forest law many people they were survived by
hunting deer, partridges and variety of small animals- it
was prohibited by the forest laws.
 Those who were caught hunting were punished for
poaching.

26. What was the reason during the period of
the British hunting increased rapidly and
various species became almost extinct?
 The hunting of Tigers and other animals had been the part of the
culture in India especially during the Mughal period.
 But the British saw large animals as signs of a wild, primitive and
savage society.
 They believed that by the killing of dangerous animals the British
would civilize Indians.
 They gave rewards for the killing of tigers, wolves and other large
animals on the ground that they posed an threat to the cultivators.
 Many areas were reserved for hunting.
 As a result various species became almost extinct during the British
period

27. New Job Employment/ Trade/ Service after
the introduction of Forest Department
 The people lost out their job in many ways after the Forest
Department but some people benefited from the new
opportunities that had opened up in trade.
 Many communities left their traditional job and started trading in
forest product.
 It happened in all over the World.
Brazil
With the growing demand of Rubber in 19th century, Mundurucu people
of the Brazilian Amazon who lived in villages on high ground and
cultivated manioc, began to collect latex from wild rubber trees for
supplying to traders. Gradually, they descended to live in trading posts
and became completely dependent on traders.

28. India
In India, the trade in forest products was not new. From the medieval
period onwards,Adivasi communities trading elephants, horns, silk,
cocoons, ivory, bamboo, spices, fibres, grasses and gums through
nomadic communities like Banjaras.
But during the British government some European trading firms
occupied the sale of forest product in some particular areas.
Grazing and hunting by local people were restricted.
Especially from Madrass Korava, Karacha andYerukula nomadic
communities lost their jobs. Some of them began to called
CriminalTribes were forced to work factories, mines and
plantation under the government supervision.

29. Assam: both men and women from forest communities like
Santhals
Jharkhand : Oraons
Chattisgarh : Gonds
were recruited to work on tea plantations.Their wages were
low and condition of work were very bad.They could not
easily return to their home villages.