The British colonial rulers brought an end to the traditional relation of the people of Assam with forests by creating the Reserved Forests, Protected Forests etc. Prior to the arrival of the Britishers, the people of Assam had a symbiotic relation with the forests. At the time of the arrival of the British, Assam was full of forests. The Britishers were keen only to exploit the forest for commercial purposes. The Britishers attached more importance to the interests of the planters and agriculturists and as a result the Government alienated more and more forestland for exploitation. The proprietary right established by the British over the forests was later taken over by the Government of independent India. The nexus developed during the colonial period between the Forest Department contractors and the Government, thus survived and exploitation of the forests of Assam went on. For decades even after independence, the British Forest Policy was not changed to suit the environmental and other needs of the country.