yo Forestry Quarterly. 



common conifer, with cedar entirely absent. White pine repre- 

 sents about ten per cent, of the coniferous cut, hemlock about 30 

 and spruce 60 per cent. ; the composition, however, varying con- 

 siderably from locality to locality. 



Outside of the three main hardwoods, beech, maple and yellow 

 birch. Paper birch is the only one worthy of mention, with bass- 

 wood entirely absent. 



A detailed land classification of the province follows, showing 

 that there are on the mainland 5,053,000 acres of green forest and 

 552,000 recently burned which may recuperate. Of the green 

 area, 10.8% is coniferous growth in pure stands, 3.4% pure 

 hardwoods and the balance mixed forest. Fully 70% of the 

 province is classified as potential forest land, and of this forest 

 area about 30% or about 1,400,000 acres of virgin, semi-virgin 

 and moderately culled area is furnishing the present supply of 

 lumber. Assuming the annual cut as 300 million feet B. M. and 

 the available stand as about ten billion feet, the life of the in- 

 dustry in its present development is indicated as not more than 

 20 to 30 years. 



Attention is called to the erroneous idea held by most of the 

 people in regard to the rapid growth of spruce, such assumption 

 being based upon the White spruce of pastures rather than upon 

 the Red spruce in virgin stands, whose rate of growth on the 

 stump may be annually as slow as an inch in 10 to 12 years on the 

 average. 



Under recommendations, it is advised that the province ap- 

 point a technically trained provincial forester whose duties would 

 be analagous to those of the state forester, in the United States. 

 Besides making investigations in regard to the restoration of bar- 

 rens and waste land planting, such an official would carr}^ on 

 educational work in the province at large and in the Agricultural 

 College at Truro, and the province could more successfully carry 

 out its forest policy. The author, in conclusion, expresses the 

 hope that the survey may at least emphasize the importance of the 

 forest as a resource in Nova Scotia — a province which on account 

 of its intelligent and well distributed population, has unprece- 

 dented advantages for the inauguration of a successful forest 

 policy. 



R. B. M. 



