Why did commercial forestry create problems for local herders?

Correct answer: Grazing could be restricted or limited

Direct answer: Option A is correct. Commercial forestry treated forests mainly as sources of valuable timber for markets, railways, ships, and industries. To grow selected trees and protect planned timber production, officials often introduced permits, reserved areas, and rules about cutting, collecting products, and grazing animals. Local herders therefore could lose old grazing routes or be allowed to graze only at certain times or places. Option A correctly identifies restriction or limitation of grazing. Option B is wrong because commercial forest rules usually reduced free access rather than opening grazing everywhere. Option C is wrong because forest laws were strengthened, not ended. Option D is wrong because forests did not become seas. The key lesson is that a policy designed for commercial timber could conflict with traditional livelihoods based on common forest use. Memory cue: commercial forestry often meant timber priority and grazing restrictions.