The Forest Research Institute Museum

Founded as the Forest School in 1878, the institute was later named the Imperial Forest Research Institute. It acquired its present name in 1906 and stretches across 450 hectares of parkland, bamboo groves, tree-lined avenues, and imposing colonial buildings. The FRI’s six museums lie in a huge building of brown-red brick, cream-coloured domes, and massive columns surrounding grassy courtyards with weeping willows.

We first went to the Pathology Museum, which was (literally!) rot: dry rot, fungus, horrid growths eating away at the heart and surface of trees. It was dusty and badly maintained - avoidable.

The Social Forestry Museum was worse. It’s a vast hall filled with dull photographs and amateurish models depicting the adoption of social forestry programmes in rural India. Commendable - and boring.

The Silviculture Museum was better, with its watercolours of Indian wildlife, each creature painstakingly labelled Schedule I, II, or III (endangered, threatened, or rare). Also resident are a 10-foot long stuffed tiger and some pathetic dioramas depicting the results of deforestation.

But the Timber Museum’s worth it all. A glorious treat, this is a beautifully maintained gallery of wood and more wood. There are photographs, samples, and depictions of geographical spread for a vast number of Indian trees. Neat paintings and models show how wood’s processed (two glass jars show the comparative amount of water in wood - 1 cubic metre of green wood contains 16 litres, and the same amount of seasoned wood contains just 2.7 litres). And there are dozens of samples of timber: diapers (a revelation; nothing to do with babies!!) made of tiny scraps of waste wood, parquet boards, inlay boxes, tables, chairs, dressers, and suitcases (including one of golden bamboo). Near the main door is a tiny wooden room, panelled ceiling, floor, and walls, with furniture, a mantelpiece, chessboard, et al - all of warm brown-gold seasoned sissoo wood.

But the crowning glory is the huge circle of deodar at the end. It’s a cross-section of the grandfather of all deodars, a 704-year old giant planted when Delhi’s Qutub Minar was built in 1215. The tree was already 300 years old when the Mughals arrived in India and was finally cut down in 1919. Magnificent!

The Non Wood Forest Products Museum isn’t as good, but is well-stocked. This one has samples of forest products- tanning agents, dyes, gums and resins, drugs and spices, sandalwood, fibres, grains, nuts, fruit, and whatnot, virtually everything from shellac to limes. Many samples date from 1910 to 14; the limes were pickled in 1892!

The last museum was the Entomology Museum. We took a peek but retreated quickly - it’s an eerie, large hall crammed with graphic descriptions, oversized models, and photographs of trees devastated by bugs. Very ugly.

See the museums, if for nothing else than the splendid buildings, the Timber Museum, and the spectacular grounds of the FRI. Entry is Rs 10 per person for all six museums combined.