6.
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have the benefit of any potash salts in solution which
the resultant rainy season may bring down into the valleys.
"Leased forest lots" are deliberately kept sparsely
covered in order that grass may be taken from them also.
Therefore, unless grass activities can be restricted to
definite areas or be entirely suppressed, the possibilities
of extensive forest development on the open grass/ is very
small. The fact that greater supplies of wood for fuel could
be available for domestic use and to supply wood-ash for
manurial purposes, is unlikely to impress the present
generation of peasants but a new generation may be induced
to appreciate it by educational methods.
areas
Development in forestry matters will have to take into account
the local customs of the people but it should be possible to
improve the "leased forest lots" by additional legislation,
for the conditions of the present permit fall short in many
respects as also, do the penalties involved in the violation
of them.
The above deals in a broad sense with that part of the area
not under direct Government control. The remainder comprises
the Crown Forests and the hillsides which bear a shrubby covering. The latter could be developed as forest land if the practice of cutting wild tree wood could be stopped. Without proper protection the fate of afforested land of this
nature can easily be forecast.
This narrows the question to the Crown Forest areas and what possibilities there are for their development on economic lines. Of the area already afforested (some 22 sq. miles) the majority of it is required for general scenic purposes and for the reasons mentioned under 2(a). The sections available for exploitation at the present time are negligible except for emergency purposes, and such timber as is likely to be extracted will consist chiefly of "cleanings". There- fore, any proposed economic development will have to be
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