News and Notes. 127 



embraces California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Washington and 

 British Columbia, spent $200,000 patrolling forests last summer. 

 Only 76,000,000 feet of standing timber, less than one-seventieth 

 of one per cent, of the 500,000,000,000 patrolled, was destroyed 

 by forest fires in the season of 1912 in territory represented. Mr. 

 Allen states that this record was as much the result of fortunate 

 weather conditions as of preventive measures. 



The province of Quebec has inaugurated a novel plan for for- 

 mation of forest township reserves. In the old townships that 

 have been opened since half a century and more to settlement, 

 there is a good deal of waste lands that were never located by 

 settlers but were cut over in due form, or, if they were sold to 

 settlers, these were unable to live on them and had to abandon 

 them. All these lands that are vacant in a given township of 

 which there is not the least doubt as to their non-agricultural 

 character are to be grouped into reserves. But "to gild the 

 pill," the farmers or settlers of the surrounding parishes are to 

 be allowed to cut timber in these reserves on the following terms : 

 Each year only i-20th of the area is opened up to them; no 

 permit can be given for more than 10,000 feet b. m. ; the per- 

 mittees must cut where and how directed by the warden of the 

 reserve; they must pay one-half of the dues in taking the per- 

 mit and the balance when they have cut their timber, which 

 must be piled and is measured by the wardens. The cutting is 

 directed by a diameter limit, the same as on Crown Lands, and 

 the dues are fixed at the same rate. Thus, in the neighborhood 

 of each village, little forests aggregating from 2,000 to 15,000 

 acres more or less in blocks are to be created, where the farmers 

 can cut each year enough timber for their real wants. 



There are now 8 such reserves established, covering 255,000 

 acres and plans to establish 12 more. 



Three were under operation last year and produced good re- 

 sults. This year the inventory of at least 5 of these will be taken, 

 so as to prepare a working plan for each. 



It is proposed to establish each reserve on a sound basis by 

 building a good system of roads and trails, by providing it with a 

 main system of telephone lines, observation towers, and houses 

 for the wardens; eventually, by reforesting the parts denuded. 

 The reproduction is so good in this province that anywhere. 



