CHAPTER I 



INTRODUCTORY 



During your walks in the country you will very 

 likely have seen men with saws and long ropes cutting 

 down trees and carting them away. If you have stood 

 and watched them you will have noticed the skilful way 

 in which they arrange the ropes so that when the tree 

 comes down it falls where they wish it to, and does no 

 damage. You may also have wondered what will be- 

 come of the tree and to what use it will be put when it 

 is taken away. 



When trees are cut down they are usually taken 

 straight to a saw-mill. Here a great saw cuts the trunks 

 up into the planks which are found to be the most con- 

 venient form in which to store quantities of wood or to 

 send it to other places. Although nowadays iron has 

 almost entirely taken its place for shipbuilding, wood 

 is still put to such a number of different uses that 

 we should soon not have a tree left in the country if we 

 depended only on our native supplies. Large quantities 

 of the wood used in England are therefore imported 

 from more thickly wooded countries. 



In Canada tree felling takes place on an enormous 

 scale. When the trees are cut down they are cut across 



a. 1 



