498 Forestry Quarterly 



eral. On good sites, at high elevations, stands of spruce and 

 Alpine fir are common. Douglas fir occurs at elevations below 

 2,500 feet over all but the northwestern part of the region ; in the 

 southern part it ascends as high as 4,000 feet. It is generally 

 mixed with Lodgepole pine, though almost pure stands are found 

 in limited areas, e.g., along the Fraser and North Thompson 

 Rivers. 



The whole region has suffered very severely from fire, which 

 has resulted in the present predominance of Lodgepole pine over 

 great areas where once the Douglas fir existed in considerable 

 quantities, but is now marked only by traces. Adequate fire pro- 

 tection should in the course of time allow the proportion of 

 Douglas fir to greatly increase. Poplar is found in nearly all 

 the reproduction following fires. 



The forests are not very valuable commercially at present, 

 except for local uses as lumber, railway ties, etc. Lodgepole 

 pine, however, can be utilized as pulpwood, and when markets 

 are available the region is capable of yielding in the aggregate 

 great quantities of this product, as well as of posts, poles and 

 common lumber. 



3. The Yellozv Pine or Semi Arid Region. — This is restricted 

 to the southern parts of the deep valleys of the Fraser and North 

 Thompson Rivers, which cut their way southwards through the 

 great interior plateau. The presence here of the open, park-like 

 Yellow pine forests is due to the long growing season, hot sum- 

 mers and limited annual precipitations of 10 to 20 inches. Doug- 

 las fir and Lodgepole pine occur as associates of the Yellow pine. 

 On account of the open stands, the rather short and scrubby 

 timber and the small area of the region, the commercial value of 

 its forests is small, except for local use. 



4. Interior Wet Belt Region. — This is a region of parallel 

 mountain ranges separated by deep valleys, lying east of the inte- 

 rior plateau. It includes those portions of the Gold, Cariboo, 

 Selkirk and Rocky Mountains extending from the railway belt 

 north to the north fork of the Fraser River. The climate is 

 intermediate between that of the Coast and the interior plateau. 

 The annual precipitation averages 30 to 40 inches. The summers 

 are warm and the growing season comparatively long. The win- 

 ters are cold, with heavy snowfall. The growing conditions on 



