Forest society and

colonialism
What is deforestration ?
The disappearance of forests is referred as
deforestration.
Why deforestration happened in india?
reformation of land:
*in 1600,population was increased and the
demand for food went up,peasants extended
the boundaries of cultivation,clearing forests
and breaking land.
*britishers encouraged the production of
jute,sugar, and wheat.
*colonial state thought the forest were
unproductive,so they brought it under
cultivation so that the land could grow
agricultural products and enhance the income
of state.
sleepers for the railway track:
*oak forests were disappearing from
england.this created problem of timber for the
royal navy.so the britishers explore the forest
resources of india.trees were being felled and
exported from india.
*to run engines,wood was needed as fuel,and
to lay railway lines sleepers were needed to
hold the tracks together.
*in 1890,25,500 km of track had been laid,in
1946,the track had increased over 765,000 km.
*in the madras presidency alone 35000 trees
were being cut annually.