187 
ering 
covered 
potential 
d 
otal 
small 
are not uniform fixed plot sampling was found better 0 Investigations 
into plot size of 0 o 05, 0 o l and 0 o 2 hac. circular plots resulted in the 
optimum size of 0.1 ha circular plots. Aerial photographs provided a 
good basis for initial stratification and the design for most of the 
tropical forest area was found suitable. However in wet evergreen type 
of forests, broad categories of strata were not useful and due to the 
difficulty of location of sample plots and poor access strip plot sampl 
ing gave good results. 
ielinea- 
nination 
i. By 
l the 
was 
•pographic 
rests on 
poor 
and 
s the 
Worst 
in was 
A large type of data on accessibility, nature of terrain, soil, 
slope and on the tree resources was collected on coded forms and 
processed by Electronic devices. These have provided quantitative data 
on a large number of species (volume regression equations) and the 
availability of the resource in utility classes such as pulp and paperwood 
material, sal milling, plywood and other resources. Based on these 
basic data, feasibility studies were carried out and suitable management 
models were made to work on a sustained supply of raw materials to 
forest industries. Actually the basic problem in forest inventories in 
India is not what resources are present but how much of that and in which 
form. Almost the entire country's forest are under scientific management 
but the actual resource position for industrial development on a regional 
basis is lacking. It is hoped to bring the entire country's forests within 
the purview of resource inventories in a decade. 
CONCLUSIONS 
lg designs 
Lsting of 
ls used, 
is forests, 
used, 
ng was 
; sample 
ded the 
varied 
va ria 
Forestry aerial photo interpretation is becoming increasingly 
popular with foresters in India. The main use however at present is in 
the execution of forest inventories. The biggest limitation at present 
seems to be in the procurement of good quality and recent photographs 
and due to this fact alone the use of aerial photographs is not very 
popular with foresters. A systematic plan of research in regard to 
optimum scale, optimum season of photography on the basis of reflect 
ance properties of various species is lacking. There are not many 
problems with instrumentation (although indigenous production is yet to 
start) as simple instruments serve forestry purpose well. VERSTEEGH 
ls 
(14 ) It is encouraging that identification of our important commercial 
species is possible while technique has to be developed to bring 
within the scope of identification as many species as possible. The 
iifferent 
;ed on 
sampling 
he coni- 
sses was 
ing. 
, In 
tried 
volume 
t size. 
Die plot 
nces 
estimates 
ty of the 
1 trees 
situation is not final as apart from judging their performance on colour, 
false colour and other imageries their performance on panchromatic films 
in different seasons and different scales for all parts of the country 
has not been tested. What is felt is that for photo interpretation it 
is not necessary that all species should be identified but how much 
various forestry works could be improved in precision, time and cost by 
use of aerial photographs. This has been proved time and again by 
investigations. 
REFERENCES 
1. E. Van Es, Joshi, S.C., Growing stock estimates from aerial 
1974: photographs in Bastar, Madhyapradesh. 
Commonwealth Forestry Review, Vol 
53(1) No.155, March 1974 Page 30 to 
38.