4.1. Past Forest ManagementScientific forest management in this sub-continent was started during British rule by the appointment of Sir D. Brandis as the Inspector General of Forest in 1865. A separate forest department was created for Bengal in 1876. Chittagong Forest Division was the first division created in Bangladesh by British ruler in 1872 and the Sundarban Forest Division was created in 1879. In those days, forests were managed primarily for revenue collection under the control of the Revenue Department. Only valuable trees were extracted from the forest to get more revenue,. Keeping in mind, the importance of forest, a forest management plan, or work plan is prepared for each forest division. This management plan guides the forest managers to manage forests or to perform day to day work in the forest. This plan spells out where to cut trees, how much to cut and what to plant to cover up the cleared up forest etc. on an annual basis.
4.2. Present Forest ManagementThe present forest management is almost totally different from the past one in respect of its objectives and philosophy. Present forest management objectives are not only to produce timber only but also to provide clean air, clean water, healthy habitat for wildlife and to act as a major source of biodiversity and nature-based tourism. The present philosophy of forest management is to involve people in the management and create an environment so that people can feel that they have also some stakes on trees growing on the forestland and to improve the living standard of the people residing in the vicinity of the forests.
4.3. Present Management objectivesPresent forest management is primarily guided by the Forestry Master Plan (FMP) completed in 1993 with assistance from ADB, UNDP, and FAO. The objectives of present forest management are adopted following FMP and these are:
enhancing environment preservation and conservation
introducing rational forest land use
increasing public participation and benefit from the forest
creating forests on marginal and private land
institutional strengthening
improving management practices
Improving efficient resource utilization.
4.4. Recent Improvement in Management Practices: Inventories of all major forest formations in the country except the forests in the Chittagong Hill Tracts were carried out. This has provided the necessary database for using quantitative information for writing more comprehensive management plans for different forests. Small units of the uniform crop have been identified and information on these units was recorded with the help of a computer-based Resources Information Management System (RIMS) unit in FD.
The inventory and associated activities have made long-desired information on the status, growth, and yield of forests in the country available. It has been possible to develop volume and yield functions for all major plantation species and volume functions for major species in natural forests. This has made it possible to regulate the yield for a long period of time. A new working plan format has been devised to make it possible for the use of the available information in future management plans. An annual plan of operation is included as part of the management plan. This is basically a detailed plan of operation within the forest division and is prepared by the Divisional Forest Officer.
In recent years there has been a substantial shift in the emphasis in Forestry and Forest Management from maximizing yield towards maximizing sustainability through increased participation of the local population, conserving biodiversity, and maintaining forestry services. .The present management systems are evolved from the past ones through various modifications in order to incorporate the present objectives of forest management. Some new forest management systems are also added to address new concepts in forest management such as agroforestry, homestead plantation, strip plantation, participatory forestry on the encroached forest, mangrove afforestation on newly accreted land in the coastal area, conservation area management to preserve wildlife habitat and biodiversity.
4.5 Resource Information Management System:Bangladesh Forest Department initiated the Resource Information Management System (RIMS) during 1984-85 under the auspices of IDA funded Second Forestry Project. The main objective of the RIMS was to produce reports and maps relevant to all aspects of the management plan, silvicultural prescriptions, and to provide information on present and predicted yields from relevant operations. This was designed as an aid to intensive forest resource management of all Forest Divisions through management plans and also in perspective planning in forestry.
Thus the RIMS is a two-way information system. The raw data are supplied to the computer from the field divisions. The processed information is sent back to the field Divisions from the RIMS Unit. After performing operations, the data on the new situations are fed to the computer for updating the database.
Along with the technological development, RIMS Unit adopted Geographical Information System (GIS), a computer-based data management, mapping, and analyzing system of spatial information. Forest Department integrated GIS with the existing RIMS under the World Bank-financed Forest Resources Management Project (FRMP) in the mid-’90s. RIMS/GIS unit now is bestowed with modern GIS set up with the state of the art and technology, software, computers, plotters, digitizers, and experienced personnel as well.