Whose power increased due to state control over forests in Java?

Correct answer: Dutch colonial government

In colonial Java, the Dutch government increased its authority by bringing forests under state control. Forest laws and regulations restricted local access and made the state the main authority over valuable forest resources, especially timber. Officials could control cutting, collection, use and movement in forest areas, while local people faced penalties or new demands. This changed earlier patterns of community use and strengthened the colonial administration’s ability to extract resources and enforce its rules.

Option C is correct because it names the Dutch colonial government, whose power grew through state forest control. The local village council did not gain authority from these colonial restrictions, and cotton farmers were not the main beneficiaries of forest administration. The Saminists were a movement that resisted colonial authority; their opposition does not mean that their power increased through the forest laws. The key historical point is that control over forests helped the Dutch state expand its political and economic grip.