EDITORIAL COMMENT 



SiLVicuLTUKAi. Problems ix Mixed Forests 



The most serious obstacle to the proper handhng of the mixed forests 

 of eastern Canada has been the lack of utilization of the hardwood 

 species, particularly birch. This has been especially true as to mixed 

 forest lands held as pulpwood limits, where over vast areas the conif- 

 erous species comprise only from 25 per cent to 50 per cent of the stand, 

 the balance being hardwoods. The cutting of the conifers, particularly 

 spruce and balsam, has a constant tendency to convert the stand into a 

 hardwood forest, partly because of the actual reduction in numbers of 

 the conifers, while the hardwoods are left standing, and partly because 

 the coniferous seedlings are prevented from making adequate growth 

 on account of the dense overhead shade of the hardwoods, which spread 

 out and close in the spaces made by the removal of the conifers. 



If the hardwoods, particularly birch, could be used to commercial 

 advantage, their removal would permit spruce and balsam seedlings to 

 come in much more satisfactorily and to make a much better rate of 

 growth, on the average, instead of .so many remaining suppressed for a 

 long period of time. 



The primary reason why the hardwoods have not been utilized in 

 most of our northern forests has been the difficulty of transportation 

 in the absence of railways. Hardwoods are too heavy to be driven long 

 distances in streams without very severe loss by sinkage, and besides 

 the amount of flood water in the majority of driving streams is hardly 

 ade(|uate in volume to float the spruce and balsam to their destination, 

 to say nothing of carrying large quantities of birch in addition. .\s a 

 con.sequence birch has remained practically a weed tree over enormous 

 areas of eastern forests where there is no rail transportation. 



At last, however, there is a possibility that the problems of transpor- 

 tation may be at least partially solved through the winter use of motor 

 tractors for log-hauling on iced roads. This would apply not only to 

 hardwoods, but to coniferous species as well, where in the case of long 

 drives the loss by sinkage is serious, especially as to the smaller sizes, 

 and more particularly in the case of balsam. Several concerns are 

 experimenting, or are preparing to experimeiU. along these lines, the 

 River Oui-lU- I'ul]) and Lumber Company being the i)ioneer in this direc- 

 tion as to eastern Canada. The 1 .auii-ntidc Company, Limited, h.-is this 



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