In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) "appointed day" means the date on which this Act comes into force ;
(b) "Code" means the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 (Mah. XLI of 1966);
(c) "Collector" includes an officer not below the rank of a Deputy Collector appointed by the State Government to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the Collector under this Act ;
[(c-i) "forest" means a tract of land covered with trees (whether standing, felled, found or otherwise), shrubs, bushes, or woody vegetation, whether of natural growth or planted by human agency and existing or being maintained with or without human effort, or such tract of land on which such growth is likely to have an effect on the supply of timber, fuel, forest, produce, or grazing facilities, or on climate, stream flow, protection of land from erosion, or other such matters and includes
(i) land covered with stamps of trees of forest ;
(ii) land which is part of a forest or lies within it or was part of a forest or was lying within a forest on the 30th day of August 1975 ;
(iii) such pasture land, water-logged or cultivable or non-cultivable land, lying within or linked to forest, as may be declared to be forest by the State Government ;
(iv) forest land held or let for purpose of agriculture or for any purposes ancillary thereto ;
(v) all the forest produce therein, whether standing, felled, found or otherwise ;]
(d) "Forest Act" means the Indian Forest Act, 1927 (XVI of 1927) in its application the State of Maharashtra ;
(e) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act ;
(f) "private forest" means any forest which is not the property of Government and includes,-
(i) any land declared before the appointed day to be a forest under section 34A of the Forest Act ;
(ii) any forest in respect of which any notification issued under sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Forest Act, is in force immediately before the appointed day ;
(iii) any land in respect of which a notice has been issued under sub-section (3) of section 35 of the Forest Act, but excluding an area not exceeding two hectares in extent as the Collector may specify in this behalf ;
(iv) land in respect of which a notification has been issued under section 38 of the Forest Act ;
(v) in a case where the State Government and any other person are jointly interested in the forest, the interest of such person in such forest:
(vi) sites of dwelling houses constructed in such forest which are considered to be necessary for the convenient enjoyment or use of the forest and lands appurtenant thereto;
(g) "Tribunal" means the Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal constituted or deemed to be constituted under the Code;
(h) words and expressions used in this Act but not defined therein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Code, or as the case may be, in the Forest Act.