Question

For what purpose did the British invite Dietrich Brandis, a German expert ? What did he do to manage the forests of India?

Answer 1

Hint: Dietrich Brandis was the first inspector general of India who advised many changes regarding forest systems with legal sanction.

Complete answer: In the colonial period, the dependence on Forest increased and cultivation expanded rapidly for production of commercial crops like jute, sugar, wheat and cotton as raw materials were used for industrial production. Trees were being felled on massive scale for ship building and for making sleepers for railways still they wanted more changes as they were worried that the use of forests by local people and reckless felling of trees by local people would destroy forest. They decided to come up with new reforms and invited Dietrich Brandis, a German expert, for advice.
He set up the Indian Forest Service in 1864 and helped to formulate the Indian Forest Act of 1865. He introduced the system of plantation and planned how much area to be cut every year for plantation and then the area to be replanted so that it was ready to be cut again some years. He enacted a forest act in 1865 which amended twice, once in 1878 and then in 1927. This act divided forest into three categories: reserved, protected and village forests. Best ones were called reserved forests. From these forests villagers could not take anything, even for their use and for house building or fuel, they could take wood from protected or village forests.

Note: The Imperial Forest Research Institute was set up at Dehradun in 1906. The system they taught here was called Scientific Forestry but many felt that this system is not scientific at all.