Dominion Forest Parties 



m 



DOMINION FOREST PARTIES. 



A number of the officers of the 

 Dominion Forestry Branch left Ot- 

 tawa during May for summer field- 

 work in various portions of the West. 

 The plans for work outside of the 

 regular work in connection with the 

 Forest Reserves will take the men 

 through a large area of country 

 which has not been previously trav- 

 ersed by men trained to look for mat- 

 ters pertaining to forestry. 



The most important trip will be 

 that of Mr. E. H. Finlayson, Inspec- 

 tor of Fire Ranging. This was brief- 

 ly referred to in a previous issue of 

 The Journal. Mr. Finlayson left Ot- 

 tawa during the latter part of May 

 and will be engaged for a short time 

 in administrative work connected 

 ^^'ith the fire-ranging organization 

 which is under his supervision. About 

 the middle of June, however, he will 

 leave Prince Albert on his way north. 

 Travelling by canoe from the end of 

 the Big River branch of the Canadian 

 Northern Railway, he will follow wat- 

 er routes until he reaches the Beaver 

 River. This river is one of the main 

 streams at the head of the Churchill 

 river which flows into Hudson Bay at 

 Fort Churchill. A number of large 

 lakes lie in this district, and some of 

 them will be traversed by Mr. Fin- 

 layson 's party. They include Lac 

 Dore, Lac la Plonge, He a la Crosse 

 lake, Clear lake, Buffalo lake and La 

 Loche lake. A portage over a low 

 height of land leads to the Clearwater 

 River, which will be followed for 

 about one hundred miles until the 

 Hudson 's Bay Company 's Post at Mc- 

 Murray is reached. This is situated 

 at the confluence of the Clearwater 

 and Athabaska rivers. The balance 

 of Mr. Finlayson 's trip will lie along 

 the regular routes of travel of the 

 Mackenzie river valley. Mr. Finlay- 

 son plans to go as far north as Fort 

 Simpson, situated at the point where 

 the Liard joins the Mackenzie river. 

 The route of travel follows the Atha- 

 baska river to its mouth at Lake Atha- 



baska, down the Slave river to Great 

 Slave lake,- and from there down the 

 Mackenzie river proper. 



The main object of Mr. Finlayson 's 

 trip is to obtain information in regard 

 to the country which will make it pos- 

 sible to organize a staff of fire-rangers 

 for the protection of the timberlands 

 of the region. The present organiza- 

 tion in this connection provides only 

 protection along the river, although/ 

 of course, that covers the area most 

 travelled. There will be this summer 

 two fire-patrol boats, of which one will 

 operate northward from Fort Smith 

 and the other in a southerly direction 

 from that point. 



Another matter that will engage 

 ]\Ir. Finlayson 's attention is the herd 

 of reindeer, which was transported 

 by the Dominion Government from 

 Labrador. The herd was secured 

 from Dr. Grenfell, who has done much 

 to encourage the introduction of this 

 useful animal into Labrador and New- 

 foundland. The Dominion Govern- 

 ment herd is at present located at 

 Fort Smith and is under the supervi- 

 sion of the Forestry Branch. The 

 reindeer have in the summer been 

 troubled a great deal by the mosquitos 

 and flies, and it is proposed to trans- 

 fer them to an island in Great Slave 

 Lake. 



Tlie reconnaissance survey parties 

 left for the various districts assigned 

 to them during the month of May. Mr. 

 J. A. Doucet with Mr. R. M. Watt as 

 assistant were the first to start off. 

 This part}^ will be engaged in an ex- 

 amination of lands in the valley of 

 the Peace river. This season's work 

 will complete the examination of 

 lands connected with the Rocky 

 Mountains Forest Reserve upon 

 which men have been engaged for 

 the f)ast three seasons. 



Messrs. Donald Grieg and T. A. 

 Trebilcock will be working between 

 Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba. 

 Mr. A. B. Council, with Mr. A. M. 

 Thurston as assistant will examine the 

 Pasquia Hills in the province of Sas- 

 katchewan. Mr. G. P. Melrose, of the 



