Question

Why were forest cleared off rapidly during the colonial period?

• A. To fulfil the demand of commercial crops
• B. Forests were considered to be wasteland
• C. To fulfil the demand of timber
• D. All the above

Answer 1

The correct option is D All the above

First, the British directly encouraged the production of commercial crops like jute, sugar, wheat and cotton. Second, in the early nineteenth century, the colonial state thought that 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. By the early nineteenth century, oak forests in England were disappearing. This created a problem of timber supply for the Royal Navy. Within a decade, trees were being felled on a massive scale and vast quantities of timber were being exported from India.