The British Forest Department and its forest policy had an everlasting and far-reaching impact on the Indian society. A society, which was primarily agrarian in nature, had a very close dependence on forests. It was not only the forest dwelling tribal communities which were dependent on forests but the entire rural population, agriculture being their main source of income, was dependent on forests in some way or the other. With their sustainable style of living, in the normal conditions poor peasants were dependent on forests for their supplementary needs. Artisans depended on them for their raw material. In case of natural calamities too, forest was the most important alternative to these communities on which they could rely for their survival. Also they could migrate from one place to another in case of famine or drought or any other disaster. Land without cultivation did not have any commercial value. However, with the establishment of the Forest Department, the poor people lost their supplementary source of livelihood.