Range Forest Officers.—The Range Forest Officers are in executive charge of each of the Ranges. They are responsihle for the efficient management of their Ranges, the condition and custody of all Government property and the discipline of all forest subordinates in their charge. They are also responsible for carrying out the marking, reservation and felling of the trees, the transport of timber and fuel, etc., to the sale depots, sowing, planting and other silvicultural works, construction of roads, buildings and wells, protection of forests and investigation of important forest offences, supervision and removal of forest produce by the purchasers and right and priviledge of holders and execution of all works concerned with the Development Schemes during the Plan period.

The Range Forest Officers have Pound Officers (Foresters) and Beat Guards (Forest Guards) under them who are in charge of smaller units, to assist them.

Forest Areas.— Forest areas in charge of Forest Department (Bhandara and Gondia Divisions) and Revenue Department are given in the following statement: —

System of Management.— The forests in Bhandara district are managed mainly under two silvicultural systems, viz-, selection cum-improvement fellings and Coppice-with-Reserves.

Selection-cum-Improvement Fellings : Forests assigned to this system of management extend over 59,577.476 hectares (1,47,469 acres) of reserved forests and 15,706.306 hectares (38,877.00 acres) of protected (Fazal) forests. Different exploitable girths are prescribed for these classes of forests since they differ in quality from locality to locality. Felling cycle of 20 years is adopted. Precipitous and very steep slopes, under-stocked areas and banks of main water courses are excluded from working. Groups of young pole crop is thinned. Areas containing abundance of teak reproduction is clear-felled. Selection-cum-improvement fellings of 50 per cent of trees over selection girth limits is carried out. Care is taken to see that the density in the worked area does not fall below 0.6. Plantations of teak are also raised over better quality areas. Cutting back operations are done soon after main fellings and clearings and thinnings in the patches of young teak crop in the 6th and 11th year, respectively, after main work is carried out.

Coppice-with-Reserve: The total area worked under this system of management extends over 65342.152 hectares (1,61,736 acres) of reserved forests and 53060.148 hectares (1,31,337.00 acres) of protected (Fazal) forests. Inferior quality areas as compared to the Selection-cum-Improvement fellings are assigned to this system of management. Rotation of 80 years is adopted. Regeneration is aimed mainly by coppice reproduction. These forests have been divided into 36 felling series of reserved forests and 58 felling series of protected (Fazal) forests. Steep slopes, poorly stocked areas, areas along banks of the perennial water courses and those devoted to the production of 1 acre are excluded from fellings. Patches containing profuse reproduction of teak are clear felled and young pole crop of teak is thinned. Area containing mature crop is felled after keeping at least 40 to 50 reserves in the medium and low stocked forests and 30 reserves in well stocked forests. Reproduction of miscellaneous species and teak, if not suppressed and malformed is retained. Young trees of valuable species whose timber is utilised in large sizes are also reserved against fellings.

Cutting back operations are carried out soon after main fellings. Cleaning and thinning are carried out in the 6th and 11th years after main fellings in patches of young teak crop. A thinning in 26th year is carried out in the teak and well stocked mixed forests wherever it is necessary.

Bamboos.—The entire forests are divided into 15 bamboo felling series from reserved forests and 26 from protected (Fazal) forests. Each felling series is divided into three annual working units called coupes. Felling of bamboo is done in sequence of coupes as laid down in the working plan. A felling cycle of three years is adopted. Felling of bamboos is not allowed between 1st July and 30th September. Clump having less than 10 culms is not worked. Culms which are more than two years old are permitted to be felled. Care is taken to reserve mature culms equal to double the number of clums of the current season in a clump. Digging of rhizomes is prohibited. Felling series are exploited partly by the consumers on rated passess, and a part of the area is assigned to the Ballarpur Paper and Strawboard Mills.

Tendu Leaves and Lac.— These are important minor forest products in the district. The entire forests are divided into 207 tendu and 101 lac units and are sold annually by public auctions.

Grass and Grazing.— Grazing incidence fixed is 3 acres per cow unit in the tree forests and two acres per cow unit in the minor forests. Regulated grazing as per grazing settlement is permitted all over the forest areas. Grass is sold by auction or is allowed to be cut and removed on sale by rated passes from the areas closed to grazing such as grass birs, closed coupes, plantation areas, etc.

Exploitation.— Forest coupes are worked partly through the agency of Forest Labourers' Co-operative Societies and contractors. Some of the areas are also worked through departmental agency employing modern methods and equipment for logging, dragging and transport. The main produce obtained is timber in round of teak and other valuable injaili species and firewood, part of which is converted into charcoal for export to Bombay and Pune and a part to North India particularly Rajasthan and Delhi. Bulk of the timber in round is exported to Nagpur from where it finds its market all over the country.

Income.—The annual out-turn of various kinds of forest produce and realisation of revenue thereof during the year 1968-69 is indicated in the statement furnished below: —

Employment.— Annually a large force of labour is provided with seasonal employment for various forestry operations through departmental agency, the Forest Labourer's Co-operative Societies and the forest contractors. This labour or the seasonally unemployed, try to supplement their slender resources by seeking employment on forest works and by collection and sale of forest produce such as fuel, bamboos, tendu leaves, gum, grass, khus and edible fruits. Carting of forest produce such as timber, firewood, charcoal, gums, etc., to the market places becomes an additional source of employment. Bamboos offer raw material for cottage industry such as making baskets, packing cases for bidis and other products of day to day usage in the mofussil areas. Manufacture of bidis is a flourishing industry in the District and as such it needs a special mention. Through sale of tendu leaves, the Forest Department annually realises considerable revenue. This in turn offers seasonal employment to hundreds of people to collect leaves, cure them and manufacture bidis. In short, bidi making practically forms the back-bone of the rural economy in general and even urban economy to a certain extent in the District. The principal requirements of the people for which they are dependent upon the forests are timber and poles of various species for their constructional works, agricultural implements and fencing posts, etc., fuel, bamboos, grass for grazing of livestock, edible fruits and thorny bushes and climbers for fencing. Forests thus play an important role in the rural economy.

Measures to Secure Scientific Exploitation and Development of Forests.— The exploitation of forests is done as per the ' Working Plan' which lays down the details of scientific management of the forests for a prescribed number of years. The accelerate amelioration of the forest flora and fauna and to improve the growing stock in quality and quantity various plan schemes are under execution in the District. Physical achievements under each one of such plan schemes is given briefly as under.

Plantation of general utility timber: As mentioned in the foregoing paras, forests in the District have preponderance mainly of inferior species which are economically less valuable. Areas suitable for raising plantation of valuable species such as teak are brought under plantation for improving the growing stock both in quality and quantity. So far 1752.764 hectares (4,336.89 acres) have been planted with teak.

Plantation of bamboos and eucalyptus: With a view to raise the potential of raw material for pulp, plantation of bamboos and eucalyptus is undertaken. So far such plantations have been raised over 3783.370 hectares (9,779.95 acres).

Conservation and preservation of wild life : During the Fourth Plan, the construction of wild life sanctuaries at Nagjhira and Nawegaon was undertaken. These places are being provided with modern amenities for the tourists, with adequate facilities for sight seeing, hiking, swimming, boating, etc. Wild life in the surroundings is apt to provide immense pleasure and thrill to the tourists in this tract.

Development of pasture and fodder : With a view to provide palatable grasses and succulents to the milch cattle in the District, this scheme was put into operation from the year 1969-70.

Farm Forestry.— After the abolition of ex-proprietary forests, the nistar forests under the management of ' Gram Panchayats' became depleted. Naturally, the villagers find it difficult to secure their nistar for their bona fide consumption. The villagers thus have to rely exclusively on the surrounding reserved and fazal forests to meet their requirements. To augment the supply that they can secure from the depleted forests, this scheme is introduced to raise plantations of village level utility species and transfer them to the Gram Panchayats for subsequent management after 5 years. So far plantations over 20 hectares have been raised.

Labour Welfare.— With a view to improve the living conditions of labourers camping in the forests during the period of their seasonal employment, basic requirements such as adequate shade and hygienically potable water are intended to be offered by erecting labour sheds and sinking new wells.

Roads, and Bridges.— The entire forests are in compact blocks and very few all weather roads serve them. This results in complete stoppage of activities during the monsoon season. As such works of upgrading of the existing roads and construction of culverts and causeways over the nullas crossing the roads, are carried out under this scheme. The total length of all weather forest roads in the District extends over 268.678 kilometres.

Central Nurseries.— Central nurseries are established to provide adequate planting stock of optimum size for raising various plantations and meeting the requirements of vana-mahotsava.

Forest Development Board.— With a view to speedily improve the qualitative and quantitative growing stock from the mixed forests of the State, a ' Forest Development Board' has been constituted under a Director (with a status equivalent to that of the Conservator of Forests) with headquarters at Nagpur. One unit of this board under a Deputy Director (an officer of the status of the Divisional Forest Officer) is set up in the District. This unit is entrusted with the task of improving the growing stock to the tune of 800 hectares annually. Besides, the board would also employ modern and scientific methods of logging, dragging, exploitation, etc.

On similar pattern Mechanised Logging Units have already been established at Nawegaon and Gadegaon for scientific exploitation of forests. Adequate machinery, live-stock and staff are all geared into efficient working of such units.

Forest Villages.—Forest villages were established in the past to obtain assured source of labour for forestry operations. Government has now decided to grant the tenure rights in respect of land under tillage by the forest villagers. In addition, co-operative housing societies have been registered to provide decent dwelling sheds for them. Similarly efforts are also made to raise their economical status by starting small scale and cottage industries for the forest villagers.