Colonial exploitation of forests
Topic: Natural Vegetation and Forests of India · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Natural Vegetation"
Meaning
Under British rule, Indian forests were cut on a very large scale. The wood went into railways, ships and buildings. Large areas were also cleared for tea, coffee and rubber plantations (big commercial farms growing one crop). Before this, many forests had been kept to protect land and water. The British began using them to make money instead. This history helps explain why so much of India's forest is still owned and controlled by the state today.
Example
In Garhwal and Kumaon (now Uttarakhand), the British replaced natural oak forests with chir pine, because pine gave timber for railway sleepers. Chir pine needles are dry and full of resin (a sticky, burnable sap). Today they help spread forest fires in Uttarakhand every spring.
Don't confuse with
- Indian Forest Act 1927: a colonial law that still applies today. Colonial exploitation is the cutting and clearing that happened during British rule, not a law.