Dominion Forest Service 



Outline of Present Organization and Projected Lines of Work. 

 T. ^y. Dwight, Assistant Director of Forestry. 



The Dominion Forestry Branch has, dur- 

 ing the past three months, been directing 

 its best energies to a comprehensive con- 

 sideration of the possible means of taking, 

 during the coming season, a big step for- 

 ward in the direction of putting its or- 

 ganization into definite form. It has been 

 for some time apparent that radical 

 changes and elaborations in the general 

 structure of the organization and in the 

 methods of handling business were requir- 

 ed. The urgent necessity for this has been 

 brought about by large increases in the 

 area of the forest reserves that followed 

 the careful examination of the mountain 

 regions in Alberta and British Columbia. 

 These reconnaissances have been con- 

 tinued in the newly surveyed districts ly- 

 ing in the wooded belt of country ex- 

 tending to the north of the prairie regions 

 of the Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatche- 

 wan and Alberta. They have revealed the 

 fact that there, too, are extensive areas 

 that will be great sources of wealth and 

 benefit to the rapidly growing population 

 of the unbroken agricultural regions to the 

 south, if they are managed scientifically 

 with a view to continuing permanently 

 on them the production of wood. With 

 this situation prominently in their minds, 

 the chief thoughts of the Director of 

 Forestry and his chief lieutenants have 

 been directed towards taking the steps 

 necessary to enable the Forestry Branch 

 to cope with problems that will be thrust 

 upon them at a rate all too fast to enable 

 it to keep pace. There has been, too, 

 the feeling of the responsibility of the Do- 

 minion organization to take the leadership 

 in efficient and progressive administra- 

 tion, so that their action might serve as 

 a stimulus to the provincial organizations 

 in making similar progress towards plac- 

 ing under wise and provident care the 

 valuable resources entrusted to them. 



The Framework. 



A tentative framework for the organi- 

 zation was outlined at the beginning of 

 the season of 1912, and preliminary steps 

 were taken to carry on the work in ac- 

 cordance with it. The practical problems 

 immediately encountered when the actual 

 operation was in effect showed, in innum- 



erable instances, the necessity of rapidly 

 developing, the organization along the gen- 

 eral lines laid down. The most pressing 

 details requiring attention were brought 

 prominently into view, and, with the pur- 

 pose of considering these, a meeting was 

 arranged at Ottawa of the Inspectors 

 having charge of the different divisions 

 of the work in the field. For the space 

 of a month there were taken into consid- 

 eration such problems as the general re- 

 vision of the regulations governing forest 

 reserves, the construction of fresh outlines 

 to indicate the methods by which the busi- 

 ness of the Forestry Branch should be han- 

 dled, and the delineation of the present 

 and future steps necessary to the develop- 

 ing of an efficient and well-trained person- 

 nel. The management of forest reserves 

 for the fullest benefit of the public in- 

 volves many problems. There is not only 

 the control in a scientific manner of the 

 disposal of the timber grown on them, but 

 also the making available of the grazing 

 lands in many places intermingled with, 

 and inseparable from, the timberland. The 

 disposal of the mining rights, which in 

 the Rocky Mountain coal areas are enor- 

 mous in extent and value, must be pro- 

 vided for. The regulation of the use of 

 land for railways, summer resorts, towns 

 and other numerous purposes is a many- 

 sided problem. Fish and game must also 

 be protected, so that the forest reserves 

 may remain a permanent asset to the 

 general public, not only on a material 

 basis, but also from the standpoint of 

 health and recreation. When this is real- 

 ized, the extent of the problems to be met 

 may be comprehended. 



The subdivision of the organization into 

 distinct branches to handle the various 

 lines of work was an initial step. The 

 duties of the Head Office at Ottawa were 

 first outlined. Here the general plans 

 ?niiMt be submitted and considered, and the 

 control and co-ordination of the wrok se- 

 cured. Detailed recor/ls of all work must 

 also be kept here, in order that informa- 

 tion in regard to it may be put before 

 the public through the agencies of the 

 press and of government publications, and 

 •iirectly before the representatives of the 

 peo[)Ie, the ministers of the Crown and the 



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