REPORT OF THE SOCIETY 23 



obviate total loss, since the fire injured trees become centres of infection for 

 the multiplication of boring insects. 



The owner should form a definite plan of what he wishes to obtain; just 

 as the farmer must in the springtime foresee how he will sow his different 

 fields, so the forest owner ought to decide toward what ends he will direct 

 the management of the different parts of his woodlot. Thus, certain portions 

 will serve for the maple grove, on account of the poor soil and the ease with 

 which the different parts ma^' be reached in springtime when he goes to 

 collect the sap. Another part, rather wet, will only serve for fir, tamarack 

 and ash, and other parts, where the soil is dry and poor, should favour the 

 growth of pine. In a word the forest owner should endeavour to learn, 

 first, the different soils and the other conditions of the land, and what 

 species of trees are most appropriate for his conditions, and in the course of 

 the management of the woodlot he would only have to remove the trees 

 which would retard the development of the species that he intends to favour. 



Finally, when it is necessary to cut the timber, needless to say, the stumps 

 are left as near the ground as possible, so that all the merchantable wood that 

 the trees can give, whether in logs or otherwise, may be obtained. And the 

 debris from the cut which is useless for fire w^ood should be distributed over 

 the ground so as not to interfere too much with the circulation of the air or 

 to constitute a fire menace. For this purpose it will only be necessary to 

 trim off the branches from the tops so that the latter will be reduced to as 

 small a space as possible. Then, with the heavy snowfall which we have in 

 this province, they will be pressed close to the ground, so that they will 

 remain wet longer and will be on that account less likely to ignite and 

 more likely to decay rapidly. 



It is evident that there is really very little extra trouble in managing 

 a wood lot properly so that it can give the proprietor a fair revenue. Natur- 

 ally, if there are places bare of trees it is of the greatest importance to plant 

 them with suitable species, and for this purpose one can obtain from the 

 nursery at Berthierville, Que., all the plants desired under advantageous 

 conditions, for the Provincial Government takes great interest in the ques- 

 tion of reforesting. The Hon. Mr. Allard, Minister of Lands and Forests, 

 will be very pleased to see all the forest owners cover the clearings in their 

 woodlots with .judicious plantations, that is to say, with species appropriate 

 to the local conditions. He would be glad to have all those who need advice 

 write to the Chief of the Forest Service, Quebec, explaining to him the 

 conditions obtaining in their woodlots, whose management they wish 

 properly organized; the Government Forest Engineers will then furnish 

 freely the necessary advice on the management of the plantation so as to 

 improve and perpetuate the property. 



