News and Notes 135 



The inventory of forest resources of British Columbia, begun 

 in 1913, has now covered over 200,000 square miles, at an average 

 cost of about 6 cents per square mile. The explanation of this 

 low cost lies in the fact that a very large amount of detailed 

 information had been previously collected at great cost by the 

 British Columbia Forest Branch, the Dominion Forestry Branch, 

 the Canadian Pacific Forestry Branch, and a great many limit- 

 holders. Practically all this information has been placed at the 

 disposal of the Commission's investigators, and has been supple- 

 mented to a limited extent by further data collected by them 

 at first hand, on the ground. It is expected that the collection 

 of data for the balance of the province will be completed by the 

 end of 1915. This work is being conducted by Dr. H. N. Whit- 

 ford and Mr. R. D. Craig. 



In Saskatchewan, the similar work under Mr. J, C. Blumer has 

 covered some 60,000 square miles, for a part of which only 

 partial data have been collected. This work is now temporarily 

 discontinued, on account of lack of funds. The indications, 

 from this uncompleted investigation, are that of spruce saw tim- 

 ber there are in that portion of the province of Saskatchewan 

 accessible by present logging methods some 2,100,000,000 feet, 

 board measure. This area comprises 27,000 square miles and 

 includes all the timber limits, for which specific estimates have 

 been secured from most of the limit-holders. Between this tim- 

 ber-limit belt and the Churchill River is another area of 33,000 

 square miles, with no timber limits, and for which the incomplete 

 data available indicate a total stand of 1,200,000,000 feet of 

 spruce saw timber, generally inaccessible under present conditions. 

 North of the Churchill River is another vast area of 88,000 

 square miles, on which the timber is generally poor and scattering. 

 Assuming this vast inaccessible area to contain 200,000,000 feet 

 of spruce saw timber, we have roughly for the whole of Sas- 

 katchewan a total of only 3,500,000,000 feet of spruce of saw 

 timber size, of which not quite two-thirds is accessible at present. 



While no detailed study has been made in Manitoba and 

 Alberta, a very rough indication may perhaps be secured by 

 applying the averages found in Saskatchewan. If this be done, 

 we would have for Manitoba about 2,500,000,000 feet of spruce 

 and for Alberta some 6,000,000,000 feet, making a rough total 



