law: Indian Forest Act, 1927
  4. Notification by State Government  –
  (1) Whenever it has been decided to constitute
  
  any land a reserved forest, the State Government shall issue a notification in
  
  the Official Gazette -
  a) declaring that it has been decided to constitute such land a
  
  reserved forest;
  b) specifying, as nearly as possible, the
  
  situation and limits of such land; and appointing an officer (hereinafter
  
  called "the Forest Settlement - officer") to inquire into and
  
  determine the existence, nature and extent of any rights alleged to exist in
  
  favor of any person in or over any land comprised within such limits or in or
  
  over any forest-produce, and to deal with the same as provided in this Chapter.
  
  
  Explanation  - For the purpose of
  
  clause (b), it shall be sufficient to describe the limits of the forest by
  
  roads, rivers, ridges or other well-known or readily intelligible boundaries.
  (2) The officer appointed under clause (c) of
  
  sub-section (1) shall ordinarily be a person not holding any forest-office
  
  except that of Forest Settlement-officer.
  (3) Nothing in this
  
  section shall prevent the State Government from appointing any number of
  
  officers not exceeding three, not more than one of whom shall be a person
  
  holding any forest-office except as aforesaid, to perform the duties of a
  
  Forest Settlement-officer under this Act.