RKVIEVVS 867 



There are three interesting chapters cleahng in broad aspects with the 

 effect of geographical, physiological, and climatic and soil relations on 

 occurrence of forests and forest types, their economic importance and 

 utilization, and on forest fires. 



The chapter on land tenure describes the salient features of the 

 various forms of tenure and their relationship to forest administration, 

 including timber leases and timber sales. Chapters on forest adminis- 

 tration on provincial and Dominion land describe the workings of for- 

 estry regulations and revenue secured on these two general classes of 

 land. 



A chapter on forest policy draws attention to a few points not suffici- 

 ently covered in preceding chapters, including the subjects of forest 

 revenues and of the need for scientific forest research and for a college 

 of forestry. 



A chapter on forest exploitation describes the development of the 

 lumber industry in British Columbia, methods and costs of logging, 

 amount of timber cut in various years, logging regulations, and stump- 

 age values. The largest reported lumber cut is for the year 191 1, when 

 1,342 million feet were cut. The State of Washington cut over 4,000 

 million in the same year. 



The report forms an encyclopedia of information on forest con- 

 ditions and forest resources of British Columbia and gives an excellent 

 basis for developing a permanent forest policy for the Province. 



W. D. S. 



The Northeastern Minnesota Forest Fires of October 12, IQ18. By 

 H. W. Richardson, U. S. Weather Bureau, Duluth, Minn. The Geo- 

 graphic Review, April, 1919. 



The situation under discussion loses nothing from being retold again 

 and again. In fact, until the pubhc has more thoroughly learned the 

 lesson which catastrophes such as these teach, the oftener they are 

 retold and thus kept before the public the better, and the sooner we 

 may hope to see an end of them. 



And it is this phase of the subject which needs especially to be em- 

 phasized, namely, that the ultimate and final responsibility for the 

 devastation and ruin wrought by such forest fires rests zmth the public. 

 This is so in twofold degree : first, through the individual carelessness 

 and indifference of those who start fires and neglect to control and put 

 them out when they are small and can be easily handled ; and, second, 

 similar collective carelessness and indifference of society in failing to 



