Eminent personalities of Forest Research Institute

Great institutions are evolved on the shoulders of towering personalities.Forestry in India has been founded by great visionaries.  Sir Dietrich Brandis, Brandis was an eminent German forester and the first Inspector-General of forests to the Government of India, spawned scientific forestry in the country in 1864.

 

Brandis was ably supported by two other German colleagues Sir Wilhelm Schlich and Berthhold Ribbentrop. The former started the reputed journal The Indian Forester in 1875 and authored the book Manual of Indian Timbers in 1881 while the latter made remarkable administrative improvements in the forest departments besides writing the book Forestry in British India.

Botanical research was one of the earliest initiatives of foresters. it took Hooker and associates twenty years to complete seven volumes of Flora of India. After 1880's officers trained in other parts of Europe too joined the forest department, notable among them were Hill, J. Skyes Gamble, W.R. Fisher, E.E.Fernandez, E.Wilmot, etc. 

Sir George Watt, the reporter on Economic Products. babu Upendranath Kanjilal, botanist, authored Forest Flora of the School Circle, North West Provinces.

After the formation of Imperial Forest Research Institute in 1906, Sir Eardley Wilmot worked as its first President. Six research posts were created as Imperial Sylviculturist, Forest Zoologist, Forest Botanist, Forest Economic, Forest Chemist and Superintendent of Working Plans. The first incumbents of these posts were Hobart Hampden, E.P. Stebbings, H.H. Haines, R.S. Troup, Sardar Puran Singh and A.M.F. Caccia, respectively.

J.F. Duthie, a botanist of international repute and author of List of North-West Indian Plants in 1881 and Fodder Grasses of North India in 1888, R.S. Troup, a legendary silviculturist who published Silviculture of Indian Trees in three volumes in 1921,H.G. Champion, silviculturist who wrote two books of paramount importance viz. Experimental Manual and Forest Types of India and Burma in 1931, H.H.Haines, botanist and author of The Flora of Bihar and Orissa in six parts during 1920 and 1921 are known world over. E.P. Stebbings published The Forests of India in three volumes covering historical development of forests inIndia up to mid-1920's. 

Between 1930 and1947, work on forest protection, management and utilization gained further momentum. P.H. Cltterbuck, as Inspector general of Forests, was largely responsible for expansion of FRI to its present dimensions. H.Trotter is known for Manual of Forest Utilization published in 1940. Sir Gerald Trevor is remembered for works on regeneration of deodar, spruce and silver fir.F.C. Osmaton carried out detailed studies in management of tropical and temperate forests and published a scholarly treatise The Management of Forests after returning to Britain. C.F.C. Beeson did pioneering work in the field of forest entomology and brought out a monumental book Forest Insects. K.D. Bagchee carried out pioneering research on documentation and control of forest diseases. N.L. Bor published Manual of India Forest Botany and worked with M.B. Raizada on grasses, climbers, shrubs and flora of upper Gangetic plains. W. Nagle received patent on foldable box.

Rash Behari Bose earned name in the struggle for India's Independence. He joined as a clerk at FRI in 1906 and clandestinely got associated with national leaders of India's freedom movement. Onbasis of request from Lahore police, an enquiry was conducted and this national hero was removed from service.

After India'sIndependence, C.R.Ranganathan served as the first President of FRI. M.D.Chaturvedi contributed greatly to working plan and silvicultural research. He is credited for the 'Van Mahotsav". S.K. Seth, S. Kedharnath, B.K. Bakshi, G.S. Puri, S.Krishna, S, Kamesan, etc. made landmark contributions in forestry research. S. Kamesan developed ASCU preservation. The post of President was redesignated as Director after formation of the umbrella organisation Indian Council of Forestry Research and education. The momentum and quality of work continues unabated.

Painters such as Rai Sahib Thakur Ganga Singh, P.N.Sharma, M.D. Dhoundiyal, etc. took creativity to a new high as they brought alive plant specimens with immaculate paintings and served as bridges between science and art.

A galaxy of personalities, countless of them remain unsung, have beenr esponsible for the creation and development of FRI. Their painstaking efforts have earned the institutional brand name which we all are proud of. The photogallery is a flash in the pan if compared with their real contributions. They will remain immortal in literature and practice of forestry and cherished forever; our heads bow with humanity at a mere thought of their contribution.