Report of the Department of Lar.ds and Forests for 1950 No. 3 



Tree Breeding 



The activities of the tree breeding section of the Division under Dr. C. C. Heim- 

 burger are progressing steadily. The widespread interest in tree breeding, which was 

 not too long ago considered as a useless fad, is evidenced by the appearance of a 

 publication of the Swedish Government describing the work of a number of individual 

 research workers and organizations in this field. 



The Research Division's program is divided into three parts: 

 (1) White pine; (2) Poplar; (3) Arboretum. 



The object in the white pine project is to select white pine seed from trees 

 throughout the Province that appear to be resistant to blister rust and to determine 

 if the progeny are also resistant to heavy infections. Crosses are also made using 

 native and exotic pines that are resistant to rust in an effort to produce resistant 

 strains that can be propagated. Some 600,000 seedlings grown from seed of selected 

 stock of apparent rust resistance have been produced at Orono, St. Williams, and 

 Midhurst and will be transferred to Maple in 1949. 



The chief effort in the case of poplar breeding is to produce an aspen hybrid of 

 good wood quality that will thrive on medium fertile sites and also a hybrid cotton- 

 wood for windbreak planting in Southern Ontario. The production of hybrid poplars 

 for wood pulp is a subject of active interest to certain pulp and paper companies in 

 the United States and Canada. 



An arboretum of all useful native and exotic species is being established at 

 the Maple Research Station. Fifty-three species have already been planted there. 

 This will form a reserve from which material may be drawn for research purposes. 



Wildlife Research 



This phase of Research work under Mr. C. D. Fowle, deals particularly with the 

 relation of wildlife to its environment. A wildlife research centre and wilderness area 

 was established near Lake of Two Rivers, Algonquin Park. Studies undertaken were: 



The physiology of the deer mouse, Determination of age in young pheasants, 



The introduction of ruffed grouse to Beckwith Study of wildlife food and cover plants, 



Island, Pelee Island pheasant study. 



For those concerned with the practical aspect, the projects are as follows: 



Mouse studies and records of numbers of these animals are of great importance 

 because they form the food of many other animals and feed to a large extent on tree 

 seeds, thus working to some extent against regeneration of the forest. Obviously, a 

 knowledge of their physiology and habits is important in all game management and 

 forest operations. 



The purpose of the Beckwith Island ruffed grouse study is to introduce disease 

 free grouse into an area that has not had grouse for many years and to observe if the 

 grouse disease that periodically decimates the population of this bird elsewhere, will 

 appear here. The Islands have been surveyed and the birds will be introduced in 1949. 



Studies of food plants for wild game and other birds is very important. It is 

 proposed to set up small local plantations of all species found useful. A start has been 

 made at the Southern Research Station. 



Miscellaneous 



An interesting and far reaching experiment dealing with the water require- 

 ments of soils according to the Thornthwaite index was carried out at the Orono 



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