86 



Canadian Forestry Journal, June 1913. 



in the field upon short notice. With the 

 development of the Branch and the appli- 

 cation of even a small part of the moneys 

 which come into the public coffer from the 

 forest resource every year, a thorough sys- 

 tem of patrol equipment may be establish- 

 ed and maintained, to the very great ad- 

 vantage of all those who have with them 

 at all times the anxiety of a forest fire. 



So far only a very small part of British 

 Columbia has been accurately described for 

 topographical and economic features. The 

 work which was carried on by the Branch 

 under twelve parties of reconnaissance 

 men, as result of which five thousand 

 square miles were accurately plotted on 

 maps, was a remarkably good start upon 

 an enterprise which will be greatly devel- 

 oped in the course of the next few years. 



The timber sales which have been insti- 

 tuted have already brought to the Gov- 

 ernment approximately $200,000 without 

 having alienated any other rights than 

 that to cut the standing crop of timber. 

 The method of proceedure adopted by the 

 Government is to cruise for sale blocks of 

 timber in various parts of the country 

 whenever application is made by an oper- 

 ator. A value is placed upon the timber 

 and bids are called in order that the Gov- 

 ernment may receive the highest amount 

 over the upset price. The successful bid- 

 der has to comply with all the regulations 

 of the Government with regard to cutting, 

 and after the tract in which he operates 

 has been cleared he has no further in- 

 terest in the area. The timber which once 

 belonged to the Government, is now deem- 

 ed sold and the operator, if he chooses, 

 may go to another location and buy timber 

 in the same way again. As market condi- 

 tions become improved and the demand 

 for British Columbia timber increases, the 

 great part of the timber now in Govern- 

 ment hands will be disposed of in this 

 way. Of course, all the product, of the 

 fourteen thousand special licenses which 

 were issued between 1907 and 1908 from 

 which the Government at the present time 

 is receiving approximately $2,000,000 an- 

 nually, will be dealt with as the licenses 

 provide. 



The institution of the new methods of 

 administration have caused a large in- 

 crease in the staff necessary for the com- 

 piling of statistics and returns in connec- 

 tion with the timber sales and the moneys 

 from licenses throughout the Province. The 

 Chief of Records, therefore, has had a 

 large office staff installed, and a thorough 

 double-checking system has been devised 

 which will ensure the accurate handling 

 of all that part of the provincial revenue 

 which comes through the Forest Branch. 



Chief Forester MacMillan has happily 

 combined the scientific knowledge of the 

 twenty technical foresters whom he has 



secured for the service of the Branch with 

 the practical experience of the timber 

 cruisers, fire rangers and other executive 

 officers, to the end that the whole force 

 can deal with conditions in the best pos- 

 sible way. The technical men have been 

 drawn from all parts of the Dominion of 

 Canada, and it is evident that a strong 

 force of scientific foresters is already with- 

 in the borders of this country. The ma- 

 jority of the school trained men are en- 

 gaged in survey and timber cruising work. 

 As time goes on other branches will be 

 developed, particularly those connected 

 with the careful utilization of the pro- 

 ducts of the forest after they have passed 

 the sawmill. Co-operation with the lum- 

 bermen of the province in securing an 

 expert of standing as the head of this par- 

 ticular branch when established is looked 

 upon with great favor in all parts of the 

 Province. It is expected that the lumber- 

 men and the Forest Branch will work to- 

 gether in almost every detail of the ad- 

 ministration of the forest resource to the 

 end that me greatest possible amount of 

 value shall be returned to the people of 

 the Province. 



One of the most notable achievements 

 of the Government, the Railway Commis- 

 sion and the railways now under coiistruc- 

 tion in the Province is the adoption of a 

 system of fire protection which involves 

 careful patrolling by the Government 

 rangers and at the same time advanced 

 measures by the railroads for eliminating 

 the sources of danger from construction 

 and locomotive fires. All brush which is 

 being created by those cutting the right 

 of way and those making ties near the line 

 is to be piled and left to the orders of the 

 District Forester. This and the further 

 fire preventive measure of burning this 

 slash upon the right of way are being car- 

 ried out in the Tete Jaune Cache district 

 where the line of the Grand Trunk Pacific 

 is being constructed. That which was 

 thought impossible and utterly unpractical 

 a few years ago is being shown to be rea- 

 sonable and thoroughly economic. It is 

 a following out of the principle which is 

 becoming generally recognized, that slash 

 which is created in the forest is bound to 

 burn at some time, and it is well to do 

 away with it when its burning can be con- 

 trolled than to wait and have swept away 

 by a large fire originating in this timber 

 a great part of the forest resource. 



There were but few amendments to the 

 Forest Act proposed in the last session of 

 the Legislature. All were passed with the 

 exception of those dealing with the royal- 

 ties and the use of the Doyle rule. These 

 questions have been left over until the 

 session of 1913-14. 



