Answer:
(a)
Railways
(i) The spread of railways from the 1850s created a new demand. Railways
were essential for colonial trade and for the movement of imperial troops.
To run locomotives, wood was needed as fuel and to lay
railway lines sleepers were essential to hold the tracks together. Each mile of
railway track required between 1760 and 2000 sleepers.
(ii) From the 1860s, the railway network expanded rapidly.
As the length of the railway tracks expanded, a very large number of trees were
felled. As early as the 1850s, in the Madras presidency alone 35000 trees were
cut annually for sleepers. Forests around the railway tracks started
disappearing very fast.
(b) Ship Building
By the early 19th century, oak forests in England were
disappearing. This created a problem of timber supply from the Royal Navy.
English ships could not be built without a regular supply of strong and durable
timber. Imperial power could not be protected without ships. Therefore by the
1820s, search parties were sent to explore the forest resources of India.
(ii) Within a decade trees were being felled on a massive scale
and vast quantities of timber were being exported, leading to disappearance of
forests.
(c) Agricultural Expansion
(i) As population increased, the demand for food went up.
Peasants extended the boundaries of cultivation by clearing forests.
(ii) In the early 19th century, the colonial state thought
that the forests were unproductive. They were considered to be wilderness that
had to be brought under cultivation so, that the land could yield agricultural
products and revenue and enhance the income of the state. Thus, between 1880
and 1920, cultivated area rose by 6.7 million hectares by clearing the forests.
(iii) The demand for commercial crops like jute, sugar, wheat,
cotton and raw material for industries increased. Therefore, the British
encouraged expansion of cultivation by clearing forests, leading to decline in
forest cover.
(d) Commercial Farming of Trees
(i) In commercial farming, natural forests which had lots of
different types of trees were cut down. In their place one type of trees were
planted in straight rows.
This is called a plantation. To promote plantation farming
or commercial farming, different varieties of trees were cut down leading to
loss of many species and loss of forest cover when the trees were cut for commercial
use.
(e) Tea/Coffee Plantation
(i)Large areas of natural forests were also cleared to
make way for tea, coffee and rubber plantations to meet Europe's growing need
for these commodities.
(ii) The Colonial Government took over the forests and
gave vast areas to European planters at cheap rates.
(iii) These areas were enclosed and cleared of forests and
planted with tea or coffee.
(iv) Plantations were large in area leading to loss of
large forest areas.
(f) Adivasis and other Peasant Users
(i) As in most parts of the world, shifting cultivation
was done by the Adivasis and other peasant communities, in India also it is was
practiced.
(ii) In shifting cultivation, parts of the forest area are
cut and burnt in rotation. Seeds were sown in the ashes after the first monsoon
rains and the crop was harvested by October-November. When fertility decreased,
the process was repeated at another location. This led to a large loss of forests.
Note In the examination, this question will not be asked
completely, only its one or two sub-parts will be asked.
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