Growth of Red Pine in Ontario. i6i 



whole Dominion was i6 per cent, less than in 1910 and the aver- 

 age price rose 43 cents per M ; being $17-73 per M during 191 1. 



Notwithstanding the commercial importance of red pine, there 

 seems to be very little definite information concerning its rate of 

 growth. Last October the writer had an excellent opportunity to 

 secure data concerning its rate of growth in northern Ontario, 

 and the present article gives the results of that investigation. 

 The ring counts and measurements were made by the senior 

 students of the Faculty of Forestry in the University of To- 

 ronto, the practice camp being held on the south shore of Lake 

 Nipissing. This is a large body of water 641 feet above sea level 

 and lying between the Ottawa and French Rivers. Some day it 

 will form an important link in the Georgian Bay Canal connect- 

 ing Montreal and Ottawa with Lake Huron. The ecology of this 

 area is discussed by Mr. Connell in the preceding article (p. 149). 

 A stand composed of 85 per cent, of red pine and 15 per cent, of 

 white pine was being cut, and a complete stem analysis was made 

 of 43 red pine stems representing the different diameter classes. 

 A number of measurements were also made on 98 other stems 

 for the purpose of supplementing our information regarding 

 height and diameter growth and the construction of volume 

 tables. All of the trees measured were grown on a sand plain 

 25 to 30 feet above the lake level and composed of a fine to me- 

 dium coarse sand of rather poor quality. 



Sample strips covering 20 per cent, of the area showed that 

 the average number of red pine trees between 7 and 26 inches 

 in diameter was 153 per acre, and of white pine 31, making a 

 total of 184 merchantable stems per acre. The age of the stand 

 is between 150 and 160 years and it appears to have established 

 itself on a burned over area, as shown by the uniform age of the 

 trees cut and the fire scars found on trees which survived the 

 fires. Traces of three distinct burns were found, one of them 

 occurring 355 years ago. 



Taper. 



Measurements made on 120 trees ranging from 7 to 14 inches 

 in diameter, and averaging 10 inches, showed that the average 

 taper for the first 16 foot log was 2.3 inches; for the second log 

 i-o inches; for the third 0.8 inches; for the fourth 1.7 inches. 

 For the trees between 14 and 26 inches, and averaging 16 inches. 



