146 



Canadian Forestry Journal, October 1913 



started years ago. The graduates of 

 forest schools will open out useful 

 work in directions that at present 

 are not thought about. The case for 

 forestry is so good that the more it is 

 talked about the mor^ progress is 

 going to be made. 



But while progress is being made 

 on the popular side foundation 

 work must not be overlooked. 

 The whole art is so new on this con- 

 tinent that however sure conserva- 

 tionists are of the necessity and pro- 

 fit of forestry, the man in the street 

 has yet to be convinced. People 

 would be aghast if told by responsible 

 men that in so many years agriculture 

 or manufacturing would come to a 

 stop, but the public either does not 

 believe the forests will disappear in 

 the periods named for different 

 areas, or it does not realize the econ- 

 omic results of that disappearance. 



As to how close we are to the time 

 when our virgin forests will be de- 

 pleted, while there are differences in 

 details there is a general agreement 

 that it will not be long. For the 

 United States the National Conserva- 

 tion Commission put it at thirty 

 years from 1907 and subsequent in- 

 vestigation has not materially alter- 

 ed their conclusion. In Canada some 

 industries are largely existing on 

 second growth timber, while indus- 

 tries in our old hardwood belt are im- 

 porting five times as much hardwood 

 as we produce. It takes from sixty 

 to one hundred years to grow a tim- 

 ber tree. If our virgin timber is go- 

 ing to disappear in less than half a 

 century then, even if we start refor- 

 esting now, there is going to be a 

 gap between the old and the new. 

 And we have not started reforesting 

 either by natural regeneration or by 

 planting. 



But even more serious than this is 

 the fact that the thing we say we 

 believe we ought to do we are not 

 undertaking as if we meant it. 

 Everybody is agreed there should be 



fire protection, that our existing sup- 

 plies should be harvested without 

 waste, and that cut over areas that 

 are absolute forest land should be 

 allowed to grow up again into tim- . 

 ber, even if we do not go the length 

 of seeding or planting. 



One of the most vital things re- 

 quired to get efficiency in carrying 

 out work, all agree to be necessary, 

 is the extension of civil service re- 

 form to the outside services federal 

 and provincial. The Ottawa Citizen 

 dealing with this matter says:^ — 



The position of the outside government 

 servant, not appointed by the Civil Service 

 Commission, is demoralizing and humiliat- 

 ing to a degree. No matter how efficient 

 the outside government servant may be,, 

 merit is not taken into consideration when 

 the question of promotion comes under 

 review. The permanent officials at head- 

 quarters are not allowed to appoint, dis- 

 miss or promote an outside servant with- 

 out the approval of the political hierarchy. 



The newspaper is here discussing 

 the customs service but the argu- 

 ment applies with even more force to 

 the forest services because the men 

 are miles away from the eye of 

 superiors and from the restraining 

 and correcting force of public notice 

 and public opinion. Urging the ex- 

 tension of civil service regulations to 

 the outside services is not as pleasant 

 and popular work as opening for- 

 estry schools or securing the appoint- 

 ment of state or provincial foresters 

 but it appears to be the most neces- 

 sary work now before the Canadian 

 Forestry Association and indeed be- 

 fore the Canadian people. There is no 

 reason to doubt the intention of the 

 Dominion Government, to extend 

 civil service reform to the outside 

 services but the pressure against this, 

 is tremendous on the part of party^ 

 workers and it is only fair to the- 

 Government and to governments, 

 generally that the friends of forest 

 conservation should throw their 

 weight on the scales that the balance 

 ma}^ be in favor of reform. 



