For what purpose was the Forest Service established?

Correct answer: For forest administration

The direct answer is option A: for forest administration. A Forest Service was created so the state could organize officials to survey forests, define boundaries, classify land, prepare management plans, regulate cutting, protect valuable timber, collect revenue, and enforce forest rules. In colonial India, this administration supported commercial forestry and increased government control over resources that communities had traditionally used. Option A is correct because administration is the central purpose of a forest service. Option B is wrong because naval war belongs to military and maritime institutions, not the Forest Service. Option C is wrong because cotton trade is a commercial activity outside forest administration. Option D is wrong because collecting folk songs is a cultural or research activity, not the service’s main official purpose. The Forest Service could have scientific functions, but those functions operated within forest administration and management. Memory cue: Forest Service = survey, manage, regulate, protect, and control forests.