138 Forestry Quarterly 



Action was advocated which should place the non-agricultural 

 crown lands on the Trent Canal Watershed, in Ontario, under 

 the Dominion Forestry Branch. Of the 2,000 square miles in 

 this watershed, about one-third still remains in the ownership 

 of the provincial government. Considerable areas have been cut 

 over and badly burned, and are in urgent need of restoration. 

 The Dominion Government has expended some $10,000,000 upon 

 the construction of the Trent Canal, which fact gives it a vital 

 interest in the preservation of this watershed. The suggestion is 

 that the Dominion Government buy or lease these provincial 

 lands and turn them over to the Dominion Forestry Branch for 

 protection and restoration. It is proposed, in the event of 

 favorable action, that an experiment station be established upon 

 this area, to serve also as a demonstration of proper methods of 

 handling such depleted lands in the White pine belt, of which 

 there are vast areas in both Ontario and Quebec. Should this 

 proposal be carried through, it will be somewhat parallel, on a 

 much smaller scale, to the establishment of national forests in 

 the eastern states, under the Weeks law. 



In this connection. Dr. Fernow presented a plan of establish- 

 ing a demonstration forest in the Trent Watershed, showing 

 that in fifty years the property of 100,000 acres would have 

 repaid the expenditure of one and three-quarter million dollars, 

 with interest at 3 per cent., and then be worth $10,000,000 by its 

 yield. The possibility of such results was argued by exhibiting 

 the experiences of France in waste land planting and New 

 England experiences. 



C. L. 



Legislation is now being advocated in the State of Maine which 

 would require the disposal of all brush and slashings on logging 

 operations within 50 feet of any railroad right of way, highway, 

 or woods road traveled by the public, within the State. The pro- 

 posed alternative is the leaving of the forest growth uncut on a 

 strip of similar width along all such roadways. The proposed 

 law also provides for the disposal of all inflammable debris 

 resulting from the construction of all railroads, highways, and 

 woods roads to be traveled by the public. A measure of this kind 

 would undoubtedly be efficient in reducing the fire hazard. 



