A Brief History of Forestry.: In Europe, the United States and Other CountriesFernow, B. E. (Bernhard Eduard)
History
A Brief History of Forestry.: In Europe, the United States and Other Countries
Fernow, B. E. (Bernhard Eduard)
Forests and forestry -- History
Contrary to a frequently expressed idea that the conditions and problems
of India are comparable to the conditions and problems of the United
States, so that the example of Great Britain in India rather than that
of any European country might serve us in the United States, the writer
thinks that the very opposite is true. Not only are the natural
conditions for the most part different, India being mainly tropical with
an entirely different flora and different conditions of growth, but
industrial, cultural, social and political conditions are also entirely
different; all of which entails difference in methods of procedure.
There are, to be sure, a few points of similarity: the large size of
country under one government, and that in the hands of an English
speaking race; the fact that the fire scourge, as with us, but from
different reasons, is still the greatest problem; that there are arid
regions and deserts (not over 10 per cent.), and irrigation problems and
flood dangers to deal with; and finally the long delay in establishing a
definite forest policy. Although this policy was inaugurated over 40
years ago, India has not yet, and will by the nature of things, not soon
pass out of the first stage of development which we may confidently
expect to pass through much more rapidly, due to the conditions in
which we resemble Europe more closely.
The greater part of India, namely 62 per cent. of the 1,773,000 square
miles, is under British administration, and is peopled by a subject race
of nearly 240 million, without a voice in their government, which is
carried on by a small handful of the conquerors (about 100,000
Englishmen are living in India), while the balance, around 700,000
square miles with 53 million people, is divided among a large number of
more or less independent native States, very different in their
civilization from ours.
Industrially, the difference will appear from the statement that about
70 per cent. of the population is engaged in agricultural pursuits,
hence there is no active wood market as with us, except for domestic
purposes, and, as the woods, like those of most tropical forest, are
mainly cabinet woods, even the export trade is insignificant, amounting
to hardly 3 million dollars, while minor forest products (lac, cutch and
gambier, myrobalan, caoutchouc, etc.) represent about 12 million
dollars.
Climatically, as is to be expected, on such a large territory, great
variation exists, which is increased by differences in altitude from the
sea level to the tops of the Himalayas. The climate is, of course,
largely tropical, with a rainfall which varies from the heaviest known,
of 600 inches, to almost none at all.
Nevertheless, in spite of these differences from our conditions, much
may be learned from Indian experience in the matter of organization,
both to follow and to avoid, and the fact that this can be done without
the need of a foreign language will be attractive to most Americans.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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