Reserve Regulations Revised. 



More Adequate Provision for Grazing and Fire- Protection. 



The new Regulations for Dominion For- 

 est Reserves, which became law in August, 

 1913, are in some respects much superior 

 to the oM regulations of 1906. These 

 latter maile no adequate provision for 

 grazing, in fact, it was prohibited except 

 bv special permit from the Director of 

 Forestry, and could only be obtained by 

 an actual settler in the vicinity of a For- 

 est Reserve in Manitoba, Saskatchewan 

 or Alberta, and then only for fifty head 

 of cattle. But the new Regulations are 

 framed to encourage grazing rather than 

 discourage it, for, not only settlers, but 

 also ranchers and non-resident land-own- 

 ers, can now obtain permits from the local 

 forest officer to graze cattle to the full ex- 

 tent of the range capacity of such Re- 

 serves, as determineil by the Director. 

 The number of head which each cattle- 

 owner is allowed to pasture, is determined 

 by the number of applicants for permits 

 and the range capacity of the Reserve, the 

 minimum number being fixed by a ' graz- 

 ing unit ' based on the number of cattle 

 which can be carried through the winter 

 by a homestead or small ranch. The min- 

 imum dues for cattle and horses shall be 

 five cents per head per month and the max- 

 imum shall be ten cents per head per 

 month, the dues for sheep being one-fourth 

 of those for cattle. As many applications 

 have already been received for grazing 



permits, it is likely that the revenues of 

 the Dominion forest reserves will be sub- 

 stantially augmented by this "new law. 



Quite as important from the standpoint 

 of the forester are the improvements in 

 the regulations regarding fire-protection on 

 Dominion Forest Reserves. Previous laws 

 provided for the maintenance of plowed 

 fire-guards and the clearing of rights-of- 

 way within Reserves, and also for the 

 maintenance of fire-rangers by the rail- 

 ways during the construction of the same, 

 but in the case of railways not subject to 

 the control of the Board of Railway Com- 

 missioners, no regulations had been made 

 previous to those of 1913, for the main- 

 tenance of fire-patrols by railways in ac- 

 tual oiieraiion within Reserves. 



These new regulations also requires that 

 all timber-cutting upon the Reserves shall 

 be done under the control of the forest- 

 officers, permittees and existing licensees 

 being required to dispose of tops, of 

 branches and other debris, to prevent, as 

 far as possible, the danger from fires. 

 Lopping of branches and piling of brush 

 is already required of all settlers and 

 others cutting small lots by permit. 

 Whether licensees lumbering large areas 

 wnthin the Reserves, can be induced to 

 take similar precautions against fire is con- 

 jectural.— G. E. B. 



United States National Conservation Congress. 



Washingrton, Nov. 18-20, 1913. 



The Fifth National Conservation 

 Congre.ss has been called to meet in 

 Washington, D.C., Nov. 18-20, 1913. 

 While the Congress will take up the 

 whole subject of conservation, 

 special attention is to be given this 

 year to the subject of forestry. It 

 has been decided that at least two 

 full sessions of the Congress will be 

 devoted to forestry matters. Special 

 committees have been at work since 

 the last Congress under the direc- 

 tion of the Forestry Committee, of 

 which Chief Forester Henry S. 

 Graves is the Chairman, investigat- 

 ing subjects of importance to for- 

 esters and lumbermen, and these 

 committees are to make their report 

 at the meeting. The President of the 

 United States is expected to address 



the Congress. Members of the Cab- 

 inet, Senators and Representatives, 

 the Chiefs of the government bur- 

 eaus and the representatives of prac- 

 tically every State, will be heard. 

 There will be a number of important 

 social functions, including a recep- 

 tion by the President of the United 

 States. The headquarters will be 

 the New Willard Hotel, Washing- 

 ton, in the assembly halls of which 

 most of the sessions will be held. The 

 President of the Congress is Mr. 

 Chas. Lathrop Pack and the Secre- 

 tary Mr. Thos. R. Shipp, New Will- 

 ard Hotel, Washington, D. C, from 

 whom information in regard to rail- 

 way rates, registration, membership, 

 etc., may be obtained. 



157 



