At the request of the Timber Branch, an investigation is being made of 

 the feasibility of determining with sufficient accuracy, the volume of standing 

 timber to serve as the basis of payment of dues. Volume tables for use in this 

 work were prepared from data for 20,000 trees previously secured by the Timber 

 Branch. Three sample cruises were undertaken, of which two have been fully 

 completed with encouraging results. 



The gathering of growth data for white pine which was commenced in 1960 

 was continued on a moderate scale. The objective is to obtain data for estimating 

 the yield at maturity of white pine growing in mixture and at the same time to 

 test a proposed new method of estimating future yields, termed the Index Dia- 

 meter Method. 



Mechanical Research 



The operation of this section was carried on with a staff of five, namely, 

 section supervisor, three engineer's assistants and one maintenance machinist. 



Ninety per cent of the time was spent on the development of research 

 equipment for other sections and branches; the remainder on work of a more 

 general nature. 



Only projects having the broadest interest are mentioned, under their re- 

 spective headings. A partial list of the other work carried out is appended. 



Forest Protection Equipment Testing Program 



The purpose of this program, which is operated the year round, is to test 

 new equipment for forest fire fighting and other forest protection purposes in 

 order to assess its suitability for Departmental uses. 



The main test work carried out during the past year was on the Mark I 

 and Mark II Wajax fire pumps. In addition, some testing was done on forest 

 fire hose, hose washing equipment and brush burning torches. 



The test work on the Mark I pump was aimed at improving the rather un- 

 satisfactory engine endurance. These tests definitely showed that the endurance 

 could be increased very substantially by using naphthenic base two-cycle engine 

 oils which have quite recently been made available. 



The Mark II pump, a new model, was subjected to the regular performance 

 and endurance tests. Although it has a somewhat lower performance than the 

 Mark I, this unit will, because of its excellent endurance record, undoubtedly 

 give a good account of itself in the field. 



Fire Line Builder 



The purpose of this project is to develop a self-propelled fire line builder 

 of a type suitable for use in the northern part of the Province. 



Many attempts have been made to produce a machine of this nature but 

 none have proved to be very satisfactory. 



The new features incorporated in the design will, it is hoped, make this 

 an effective piece of fire fighting equipment. 



The construction has progressed to the point where preliminary tests will 

 be made during the coming summer. 



Aerial Seeder 



The object of this project was to develop a tree seeding device for seeding 

 forest areas by helicopter. 



Both the design and construction of this seeder have been completed. Test 

 patterns of the seed distribution taken during actual flight show that this seeder 



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