Current Literature. 229 



since the Branch had been in existence but a few months, fol- 

 lowing the passage of a model Forest Act earlier in the year. 



The forests of British Columbia are estimated to cover some 

 100 million acres, of which about two-thirds is considered abso- 

 lute forest land capable of carrying commercial timber- The 

 stand is estimated at about 300 billion feet. The present output 

 is about a billion and a quarter feet, much less than the annual 

 growth. 



The forests provide one-quarter of the province's yearly reve- 

 nue. The forest revenue for 1912 was $2,753,579, of which 

 $1,937,194 was license rentals, and $489,377 royalty. The total 

 expenditure of the Forest Branch, including fire protection ser- 

 vice, was but ten per cent, of this revenue. 



The Forest Branch has already made a good beginning in at- 

 tempting to educate the people of the province regarding the fire 

 evil, and towards the carrying out of the protective provisions 

 of the Forest Act. During the close season, May i to September 

 30, some 9,400 burning permits were issued by the fire wardens, 

 and of the fires set only eight escaped. About 300 donkey- 

 engines were inspected for compliance with the regulations re- 

 garding fire-preventive devices and fire-fighting equipment. In 

 addition, the regulations relating to spark arrester equipment of 

 all mill plants, and safeguards around sawmills, mines, camps, 

 and waste-burners were brought to the attention of those con- 

 cerned. The Forest Act does not require the logger to burn his 

 slash, but the department hopes to undertake an educative cam- 

 paign of slash-burning this season; as well as the disposal of 

 debris on right-of-way. Most of the railways in British Columbia 

 are under Dominion charter and hence come under the well- 

 known regulations of the Board of Railway Commissioners. The 

 provincial lines come under the provisions of the Forest Act, 

 which are similar. 



The patrol force in 1912 consisted of two supervisors, 16 di- 

 visional wardens, and 149 district wardens, with some 48 extra 

 patrolmen temporarily engaged during the height of the danger 

 season. This force protected 125 million acres, one-half of it 

 real forest land, at a cost of about one-seventh of a cent per 

 acre. During the season about 160,000 acres were burned over 

 and about 200 million feet of merchantable timber killed, the 

 total damage being about $300,000. The greatest immediate 



