Timber Branch is divided into two sections and their sub- 

 ordinate units, and one separate unit, with duties and re- 

 sponsibilities as follows. 



TIMBER PRODUCTION SECTION 



silviculture Unit: Establishment and treatment of forest 

 crops on Crown lands and Agreement Forests, and on private 

 lands under The Woodlands Improvement Act agreements; 

 collection, processing, storage, distribution and improve- 

 ment of tree seed; production and improvement of planting 

 stock; and development of new equipment and techniques. 



Advisory Services Unit: Development and direction of an 

 active forest extension program on private lands; adminis- 

 tration of forestry agreements with private landowners; 

 administration of Agreement forests; administration of 

 regeneration agreements with licensees on Crown lands; 

 distribution of nursery stock; assessment of silvicultural 

 programs; and editorial and administrative services for 

 Branch publications. 



TIMBER SALES SECTION 



Forest Resources Inventory Unit: Continuing program of 

 forest re-inventory on Crown lands; preparation of maps 

 and compilation of reports for Crown Management Units; 

 co-operative forest inventories on Company Management 

 Units; preparation of contour plans for Provincial Parks; and 

 air photo library and map photo service. 



Management Planning Unit: Supervision of management 

 plan preparation; preparation of planning manuals and vol- 

 ume tables; and direction of access roads programs. 



Licensing and Finance Unit: Issuance and control of timber 

 licences; measurement of timber cut on Crown lands and 

 Agreement Forests; development of new methods of meas- 

 urement; licensing and registration of scalers; and prepara- 

 tion of scaling returns. 



FOREST ECONOMICS UNIT 



Mill licensing; analysis of the economics of timber produc- 

 tion, transportation and marketing; promotion of industrial 

 expansion; and preparation of industry directories and re- 

 gional reports of timber availability. 



A stand of 75-year-old red pine, Kenora Forest District. 

 Photo by R. Johnson. 



TIMBER PRODUCTION 

 SECTION 



SILVICULTURE UNIT 



The silvicultural operations of the Unit include the regen- 

 eration and tending of forests on Crown lands, on lands 

 managed under agreements such as Township, County and 

 Conservation Authority Forests, and on lands managed 

 under The Woodlands Improvement Act. 



Forests may be regenerated by natural or artificial means. 

 Site preparation is usually necessary to disturb the forest 

 floor and top soil, creating more suitable conditions for 

 natural regeneration, seeding or planting. Site preparation 

 also promotes better survival and growth. 



In natural regeneration, the forest crop is renewed by 

 self-sown seed. Site preparation is done adjacent to a seed 

 source, or the harvest system may be modified with the 

 retention of strips of green timber or seed trees to provide 

 the seed. 



Artificial regeneration may involve the site preparation of 

 large areas for planting or seeding. Nursery stock is planted 

 by machine or by hand. Container stock is planted by hand. 

 Direct seeding may be done from the air or from the ground. 



Tending includes treatments such as cleaning, herbicide 

 spraying for release, thinning, improvement cutting, and 

 pruning during the life of the forest. 



While the Department, directly or indirectly, supervises 

 all silvicultural activities on Crown lands, regeneration 

 agreements have been signed with all major licensees 

 whereby they may assume direct responsibility for approved 

 planting projects. The companies receive payment at an 

 agreed rate for work completed. Similarly, other projects, 

 such as site preparation, may be performed by the com- 

 panies. Under these agreements, 6,246,800 trees were 

 planted on 12,437 acres in 1970-1; 17,580 acres were site- 

 prepared; and a modified harvest cut was made on 1,359 

 acres. 



Acres 



Average Annual Cutover, 1967-70 371,600 



Average Area regenerated without 



silvicultural treatment, 1967-70 143,800 



Area regenerated by silvicultural 



treatment, 1970-71 123,100 



103 



