Section 2: Definitions

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-

(a) ‘cattle’ includes cows, oxen, elephants, camels, buffaloes, horses, mules, asses, pigs, sheep, goats and such other kind of animals as the Government may, by notification, specify;

(b) ‘Court’ means the principal civil court of original jurisdiction;

(c) ‘Divisional Forest Officer’ means the forest officer in independent charge of a forest division;

(d) ‘forest division’ means such area as may be declared, by notification, by the Government or by such authority as may be empowered by the Government in this behalf to be a forest division for the purposes of this Act;

(e) ‘forest offence’ means an offence punishable under this Act or any rule made thereunder;

(f) ‘forest officer’ means any person appointed by the Government or by any officer empowered by the Government in this behalf,-

(i) to be the Chief Conservator, Deputy Chief Conservator, Conservator, Deputy Conservator, Assistant Conservator, Divisional Forest Officer, Ranger, Deputy Ranger, Forester, Forest Guard, Forest Watcher, Thanadar, Checking Officer or Plantation Watcher;

(ii) to perform any function of a forest officer under this Act or any rule or order made thereunder;

but does not include a Forest Settlement Officer appointed under clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 4;

(g) ‘forest produce’ includes–

(1) The following whether found in, or brought from a forest or not, that is to say timber, bamboos, charcoal, rubber, cacutchour, catechu, wood-oil, resin, natural varnish bark, lac, mahuaflowers, mahuaseeds, myrobalans, tunki leaves, rousa grass, rauwolfia serpentina, adda leaves;

(2) The following when found in, or brought from a forest, that is to say-

(i) trees, such leaves, flowers and fruits as may be prescribed and all other parts or produce not herein before mentioned of trees;

(ii) plants not being trees (including grass, creepers, reeds and moss) and all parts or produce of such plants;

(iii) wild animals, wild birds, skins, tusks, horns, bones, silk cocoons, honey, wax, and all other parts or produce of animals and birds;

(iv) peat, surface soil, rock and minerals (including lime stone and laterite) mineral oil and all products of mines or quarries; and

(3) Such other produce as may be prescribed;

(h) ‘Government’ means the State Government;

(i) ‘magistrate’ means a magistrate of the first class or second class having jurisdiction and includes a magistrate of the third class specially empowered by the Government in this behalf to try forest offences;

(j) ‘notification’ means a notification published in the ¹Telangana Gazette;

(k) ‘owner’ in relation to a forest includes a mortgagee with possession, lessee or other person having right to the possession and enjoyment of the forest;

(l) ‘prescribed’ means prescribed by rules made under this Act;

(m) ‘red sanders wood’ means the wood derived out of any part of the tree known by its botanical name as “Pterocarpus santalinus” and include chips, dust or powder of such wood;

(n) ‘river’ includes a stream, canal, backwater, creek and other channel, natural or artificial;

(o) ‘sandalwood’ means the wood derived out of any part of the tree known by its botanical name as Santalum album and includes chips, dust or powder of such wood;

(p) ‘teakwood’ means the woods derived out of any part of the tree known by its botanical name as Tectona grandis;

(q) ‘timber’ includes trees fallen or felled, and all wood, cut up or sawn;

(r) ‘tree’ includes bamboos, stumps, brushwood and canes.