Answer:
(a) Railways: Railways were essential to facilitate trade and the movement of troops. To establish a railway network, wood was needed for fuel and sleepers to hold the railway tracks together. By 1946, the length of the railway track reached to over 7,65,000 km. As railway tracks increased, the number of trees which were cut also increased astronomically. In the Madras Presidency alone, 35,000 trees were cut annually to make sleepers. The government gave out contracts to individuals and they began cutting trees indiscriminately. Forests around railway tracks started disappearing. (b) Shipbuilding: By the early 19th century, Oak forests in England had almost disappeared. This created a shortage of timber for the Royal Navy. Thus search parties were sent to explore the forest resources of India. Within a decade, trees were cut on a massive scale and vast quantities of timber were exported from India. (c) Agricultural expansion: During British rule in India, cultivation expanded rapidly. The British encouraged the production of commercial crops like jute, sugar and wheat. In 19th century, in Europe, food grains were needed to feed the growing urban population and raw materials were needed for industrial purposes. So between 1988 and 1920, cultivated area rose by 6.7 million hectares which mean the cutting of many trees and destruction of forests. (d) Commercial farming: Large areas of natural forests were cleared to establish tea, coffee and rubber plantations to meet Europe's need for these commodities.
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