Forests and Snowslides. 



Mr. Arthur Lakes, Sr., Ymir, B.C. 



When much of a theoretical nature 

 is being written and spoken with re- 

 ference to the influence of forests on 

 snow and water, it is stimulating to 

 receive the first-hand impressions of a 

 man whose many years of practical 

 experience in mining operations has 

 led him to some definite conclusions 

 on the subject. 



Mr. Arthur Lakes, Sr., of Ymir, 

 B.C., writing recently to Mr. H. R. 

 MacMillan, Chief Forester of British 

 Columbia, gives a description of a 

 snowslide in the vicinity of the mine 

 in which he is interested. 



Says Mr. Lakes: — 



'I saw yesterday what seemed to me a 

 striking object lesson in the importance of 

 conserving and preserving growing standing 

 timber and the benefit of the forestry policy 

 in averting or checking great forest fires. 

 The mountain opposite to the Wilcox Mine, 

 above Wild Horse Creek, is smooth-faced, 

 indented here and there by deep furrows or 

 shallow ravines which during last winter 

 were the pathways of small snowslides. Yes- 

 terday after a succession of severe and near- 

 ly continuous snowstorms which accumulated 

 «ome six or eight feet of snow on a level, 

 the entire face of the mountain for a space 

 of over half a mile and to a height of a 

 thousand feet above the river slid down 

 bodily in one continuous sheet or snowslide, 

 starting at every point simultaneously as 

 though by preconcerted signal, and cracking 

 oflf from the snow above, leaving a distinct 

 irregular or crenated line of cliff apparently 

 from five to ten feet, high along the zone 

 where the slide originated, strongly resemb- 

 ling an irregular brush fence at a distance. 

 The snow scaled off from the underlying 

 older and harder snow like the coat of an 

 onion and plunged down enveloped in white 

 foam and smoke-like mist, into the river. 



Began in Bare Places. 



'The remarkable feature, to me, of this 

 slide was the way in which at its starting 

 point it avoided all growing or standing 

 timber. The slide invariably had its incep- 

 tion and origination point in bare places 

 just at the lower edge of the timber — never 

 from within it although the timber occupies 

 V-shaped depressions well adapted for the 

 accumulation of snow. 



'During the year before last I noted that 

 none of the numerous individual slides head- 

 ed from within growing timber areas, but 

 invariably from bare places burned off by 

 the forest fires. If the timber covered the 

 mountain as it did before the fires there 

 would be no snowslides on that mountain 

 and no menace to mining houses or plants. 

 As it is it would be hazardous or impossible, 

 in case ore bodies (believed to exist) were 

 discovered, to mine the ore or to erect 

 buildings. 



' This little incident which I doubt not is 

 common enough and which the foresters 

 must often have observed in this country, 

 showed me clearly the protection from snow- 

 slides that standing timber affords, especial- 

 ly at their inception and near the summits. 

 No prudent miner would cut off to any ex- 

 tent the timber back of his mining plant on 

 the poor excuse of its being * * handy, ' ' there- 

 by destroying his best friend and protection 

 from the attack of his worst enemy, the 

 snowslide. At the same time he would, no 

 doubt, clear off a certain space around his 

 mining plant as security against forest fires. 



Deadly to Mining Camps. 



*It seems to me that a great forest fire 

 such as those which have swept these mount- 

 ains, is one of the greatest conceivable mis- 

 fortunes to a mining camp. It endangers 

 the plant. It destroys necessary timber for 

 future use. It extinguishes the timber pro- 

 tection against snowslides. It even encour- 

 ages slides, originates them or makes them 

 possible, and seriously affects the water 

 supply. 



'The effect of these snowslides is dam- 

 aging on the water supply. Not only does 

 it demolish our flumes, as in our own case 

 at the Wilcox, but it carries away uselessly 

 a vast amount of snow that should be stored 

 up for gradual use in the spring, season. 

 Both lode miners and placer miners realize 

 this. On the other hand, timber left stand- 

 ing gathers the snow and lets the water out 

 gradually — about the time it is most re- 

 quired in the spring and summer, not in use- 

 less torrents swept away rapidly in swollen 

 rivers, but quietly and beneficially. I have 

 read of several placer mines in Northern 

 British Columbia being placed hors de com- 

 bat by the sudden departure of the snows 

 and water borne away in unavailable tor- 

 rents. 



* To me the sight of the effects of a great 

 forest fire such as that which swept through 

 these mountains is a most pitiable one. The 



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