378 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



for instance, each fire district comprised, three years ago, an area 

 of three and a half million acres of wood-lands. This is not the 

 way to proceed if real success is to be achieved. The Govern- 

 ments of the several provinces must make up their minds to 

 select and demarcate a sufficient proportion oj the area as reserved 

 State forests, and gradually bring them under complete control, 

 with a rational and systematic management. Considering the 

 large areas available to choose from, there should be no difficulty 

 in permanently reserving an area of 100,000,000 acres, which 

 would still leave 700,000,000 acres open for more or less unre- 

 stricted lumbering, extension of cultivation, etc. The annual 

 revenue derived from the Canadian forests amounts, at least, to 

 some £700,000. If half that sum were devoted to the above 

 purpose, substantial progress could at once be made to secure not 

 only the present, but an increased outturn for any length of time, 

 leading ultimately to a revenue tenfold, and more, the present 

 amount, and securing a permanent supply of coniferous and other 

 timber for the world. 



A.s to the large stocks of timber in Columbia, any surplus over 

 home requirements will all be taken by China, when once that 

 immense empire has entered upon an era of development. 



It has been stated in official publications that more than 

 £20,000,000 have been invested in the Canadian lumber and 

 saw-mill industry, and that some £5,000,000 are paid annually in 

 wages. Surely these are sums not to be trifled with, apart from 

 the fact that under a proper system of forest management they 

 would be capable of developing in the course of time to two and 

 three times the present amounts. 



So far I have hardly touched upon a very important matter, the 

 manufacture of paper stuff, or pulp and cellulose. There is some 

 difficulty of getting at the actual quantities of timber consumed 

 by that industry. Those used in importing countries, like Britain, 

 Germany, France, and Belgium, are included in the data given 

 for those countries. As regards exporting countries, it is stated 



that — 



Tons. 

 Sweden uses now annually . . . 1,000,000 



Norway ,, ,, 



Finland, ,, ,, 



Canada, ,, ,, about 



Total, 



1,400,000 



200,000 



1,200,000 



3,800,000 



