REPORT OF THE SOCIETY 15 



disappearing in the same waj', and that the once despised balsam is most 

 seriously threatened; yet such is the case. 



The gravity of the situation is now impelling attention along two lines of 

 action, namely utilization and restoration, the making best use of what remains, 

 and the re-establishing of a forest cover over the despoiled wastes, or,inbri^f, 

 the adoption of purposeful and beneficial systems of forest management. 

 Happih" the fundamental necessity of protection has already been recognized 

 and is being practised; so the way has been prepared for the formulation of 

 policies of regulation. 



The ideal regulated forest is a healthy forest; we are starting towards 

 that ideal with extremely decrepit forests. The undisturbed virgin forests 

 in the aggregate probably exhibit a balance between disease and accretion, 

 but through the interference of man, the stronger healthier trees of our forests 

 in general have been removed, sanitation has been neglected, and as a result, 

 the normal tone has been distintly lowered. Therefore it is not surprising 

 to discover that a large proportion of the problems of the transition period 

 which we anticipate will culminate in regulated forests are problems of forest 

 pathology. j\Iany of them are of fundamental importance in relation to fire 

 protection, utilization, productivity, stumpage values and type successions. 



The role of forest pathology in the planted forests of Europe is clearly 

 defined; European foresters remove weak and infected trees from their planta- 

 tions, and the rangers are taught to recognize and instructed to destroy the 

 fructifications of disease-producing fungi. Campaigns against specific fungi 

 have at times been organized and carried through successfully. The case is 

 similar with regard to nurseries, parks and street trees; in such locations spra}'- 

 ing can be profitably adopted and even individual trees can be medicated or 

 placed under the surgeon's saw and chisel. 



But it is very different with our great untamed American forests. It is 

 plain that the methods applicable to plantations and nurseries are unsuited to 

 them; their problems, often complicated, demand separate and special consider- 

 ation. By waj' of concrete examples of representative problems solved or 

 under investigation, let me cite three types drawn from work in Ontario— (a) the 

 needle blight of the whitepine, a special problem with reference to a cutting 

 policy, (6) a stuclj- of the heart rot of birch, a problem relating to the utiliz- 

 ation of this wood for purposes demanding maximum strength and (c) studies on 

 butt and heart rots, a complex of problems affecting almost evey phase of 

 forest management. 



(a) Needle blight of the white pine. 



Among the special problems that have been called into review in Ontario, 

 particular attention has been given to the ne^^dle blight of the white pine. This 

 malady is especially' prevalent in some of the white pine stands of northern 

 Ontario, and though perhaps not so frequent elsewhere, may be found to occur 

 in anj' part of the Province. An investigation was undertaken in 1918 and 



