FOREST POLICY IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE. U7. 
steamers, and the most valuable trade is that in gum-arabic, the 
produce of several species of Acacia, and especially of A. Verek, 
the “ hashab” tree. 
Of all parts of the empire, however, the most important, in 
a forest sense, is the Dominion of Canada, and, according to 
Dr Schlich, there seems some small chance of the urgent question 
of safeguarding the timber resources being taken up seriously. 
He gives the area of woodland as 1,249,000 square miles, or 
38 per cent. of the total area of the Dominion. The importance 
of the timber-trade is gauged by the following statistics :— 
Removals of timber in one year, 503,527,545 cubic feet = 10,070,551 tons. 
a3 firewood 3 707,082,080 53 = TAT S04 55 
Total, 24,224,192 tons. 
The value of the material removed is estimated at £10,216,539., 
Dr Schlich says: “It is of the utmost importance, not only for 
“‘ Canada, but for the empire generally, that the Canadian forests 
“ should, at an early date, be taken under systematic manage- 
“ment. The Governments of the several provinces should make 
‘‘up their minds to select and demarcate a sufficient proportion 
“of the area as permanent State forests, and bring them under 
** complete control and systematic management. There are large 
“ areas to choose from, so that no difficulties are likely to present 
“themselves in selecting out of the one and a quarter million 
‘‘ square miles, say, 150,000 square miles to be reserved, leaving 
“‘more than one million square miles for unrestricted lumbering 
‘‘and extension of cultivation.” In the early part of this year 
(1906) a Forest Convention met, under the presidency of the 
Governor-General and with the support of Sir Wilfred Laurier the 
Premier, and resolutions were passed indicating the chief points 
to be attended to. It may be hoped that from this beginning 
will start a real endeavour to preserve the Canadian forests and 
regulate their exploitation. 
In other American colonies much has already been done, and 
most especially in Trinidad. 
Interesting as is Dr Schlich’s account of the work done for 
forestry in the various outlying parts of the empire, members of 
the Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society will turn with even 
greater interest to Chapter V., on “Forestry in the United 
Kingdom,” especially as Dr Schlich is so well known as a writer 
and lecturer on the subject. His opening remarks are well 
VOL. XX. PART I. B 
