The large aspen tortrix, a close relative of the spruce 

 budworm, continued to be very active across the entire 

 breadth of northern Ontario, defohating trembling aspen in 

 many areas. Most trees will survive despite four or five 

 consecutive years of defoliation. 



The activities of the birch leaf skeletonizer also increased 

 in 1971 to cover many areas throughout the Province from 

 the Manitoba border to southern Ontario. Birch trees were 

 browned in late summer over an area well in excess of 

 25,000 square miles. 



The Dutch elm disease is spreading northward at a slow 

 rate because of the scattered occurrence of the elm tree in 

 northern Ontario. The most northern record of the disease 

 is east of Cobalt. 



The scleroderris canker of red and jack pines continued 

 to cause some mortality of natural regeneration and young 

 plantations of these species in several local areas across 

 northern Ontario. Increasing attention is being paid to this 

 disease in an effort to determine its current and potential 

 impact on the survival of young trees. 



CONTROL OPERATIONS 



The total area sprayed in 1971 to control the spruce 

 budworm amounted to slightly over 80,000 acres. Most of 

 this was in northwestern Ontario where spraying continues 

 to be aimed at controlling the budworm, rather than 

 protecting the foliage on the trees, which is the basis for 

 spraying in northeastern and southern Ontario. 



In northeastern Ontario, portions of Missinaibi, The 

 Shoals, and Lake Superior Provincial Parks were sprayed to 

 keep trees in a green condition. Total acreage was 8,600. 



Operations to control the white-pine weevil totalled 

 approximately 3,500 acres. The principal area was in Sault 

 Ste. Marie District where 1 ,500 acres were sprayed from the 

 air. 



The balance of the weevil control program is in 

 sourthern Ontario where treatment is by back-pack 

 sprayers, and by hand-clipping infested shoots. 



Several species of sawflies damage pine and spruce 

 plantations, principally in southern Ontario, and in 1971 a 

 total of about 5,000 acres were sprayed for control of the 

 red-headed, European, and jack-pine sawflies, and the 

 yellow-headed spruce sawfly. As part of the program to 

 control the European spruce sawfly, the Department 

 collects and uses (and distributes to interested plantation 

 owners) a virus which is effective in killing the insect. 



The major tree-killing disease in the forests of Ontario is 

 the white-pine blister rust. A substantial control program 

 has been in progress for several years to protect the trees in 

 specific areas managed for the production of white pine. 

 The disease is controlled by using the herbicide 2,4,5-T as a 

 spot spray to kill the other plants (wild currants and 

 gooseberries) necessary in the disease's life cycle. In 1971, 

 approximately 4,000 acres of high-value young pine stands 

 were protected against the rust in parts of the Sault Ste. 

 Marie, Pembroke, Lindsay, Tweed and Kemptville Districts. 



The entrance of annosus root rot into southern Ontario 

 pine plantations is prevented by the application of sodium 

 nitrite solution to the freshly cut stumps during thinning 

 operations. In 1971, about 2,000 acres were treated in this 

 manner. 



ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 



The following activities were undertaken in 1971-72. 



Study of legislation and regulations pertaining to 

 environmental quality and co-operation in determination of 



needed revisions, e.g., The Lakes and Rivers Improvement 

 Act. 



Devising standards and guidelines, e.g., pipelines on 

 Crown lands. 



Policies and guidelines re waste disposal, e.g., garbage 

 dumps on unorganized lands. 



Devising and co-ordinating production of position papers 

 on a wide range of policy strategies, e.g., snowmobiles and 

 all-terrain vehicles, motor boats, and once-through cooling 

 in respect of new power plants. 



Co-ordinating environmental impact studies, e.g., loca- 

 tion of new electrical power plants. 



Co-operating with other departments in devising oil and 

 hazardous materials contingency plans. 



Representing the Department on various task Forces and 

 committees, e.g.. Sub-committees on Energy and the 

 Environment, Task Force Hydro, Private Dams Committee, 

 Litter Control Task Force, Interministerial Task Force on 

 Oil and Hazardous Materials Contingency Planning, and 

 Generating Station Siting Task Force. 



COMMUNICATIONS 



Mid- 1971 saw the installation of a Communications Centre 

 on the fifth floor of the Whitney Block in Queen's Park. By 

 remote control therefrom, via several landline circuits, the 

 SSB and VHF radio equipment located at Maple twenty 

 miles distant, is operated and provides a back-up facility to 

 Telex system forming a portion of the Centre. Six SSB 

 channels at one kilowatt power output and six VHF 

 channels at fifty watts power output are available. The 

 Centre provides province-wide communications, both air 

 and ground, and a local mobile facility. 



Initial steps toward a complete province-wide change to 

 FM radio communications were taken in 1971 when the 

 Lake Erie District was supplied with total replacement 

 equipment including mobile, ground, patrol vessel and 

 portable units for Parks, Fish & Wildlife and Forest Fire 

 Control purposes. 



Radio facilities supplied for Dryden Fire Control 

 Retardant Base operation from the Dryden Airport 

 included SSB, VHF 46 MHZ, and 122.9 MHZ, an SSB/VHF 

 repeater system and Telex. 



Several additional Telex installations were made 

 throughout the province, bringing the total to 46 with 13 

 of them being seasonal and removed from service in the 

 off-season winter months. 



MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT 



The fixed complement of various types of land motorized 

 vehicles is steadily increasing each year and now amounts to 

 some 1,600, including 242 tractors, 583 trailers, 349 snow- 

 mobiles and 12 motorcycles. The complement of vehicles 

 increases for peak period use by utilizing replaced vehicles 

 and rentals to a figure in excess of 2,000. 



Specialized vehicles are becoming part of the fieet. 

 Examples are a fish hauling tanker, garbage packers, and 

 sewage tankers. Canopys for pick-up trucks are becoming a 

 popular option. 



Air compressors boats, motors, fire pumps, electric 

 Generators, chain saws, lawn mowing equipment, water 

 pumps and stationary engines make up an additional 4,000 

 pieces of equipment. 



With this volume of equipment, the present mechanical 

 staff and facilities cannot continue to maintain the fieet in 

 accordance with our minimum standards. Consequently, a 



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