The numerous islands constituting the littoral forests of the Sundarbans have been formed by river-borne silts of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, the two main rivers of Bangladesh. The forests lie between latitudes 21°30’N and 22°31’N and between longitudes 89°E and 90°E.

The productive forest lands of 939820 acres of the Sundarbans produce only 15 million cubic feet of wood per annum at the present (1971)-one acre produces only 16 eft of timber per acre per annum. This poor yield is perhaps due to the inclusion of varied crops under one management plan, an improper management system, ill supervision and the complete reliance on nature for regeneration. The present (1971) poor yield of 16 eft of timber per acre per annum may still go down if proper attention is not given to restocking the forests under an efficient system of management instead of the current selection system.

At least two of the main littoral species, sundri and gewa can be managed in even-aged stands.