Survey Methods and Costs. 



Expert Forester Writes of the Work on Large Quebec Limits. 



'What is a forest survey going to cost?' is 

 the first question that confronts the advocate 

 of this, the initial step in forest manage- 

 ment. 



Much depends on the character of the 

 survey, of course. In a former issue of the 

 Canadian Forestry Journal (December, 1909) 

 was given a description of the Nova Scotia 

 forest survey, or reconnaisance, concluded 

 this fall, together v/ith the estimated cost, 

 this being less than twenty-five cents per 

 square mile. 



In the September, 1909, issue of the For- 

 estry Quarterly, Mr. EUwood Wilson in an 

 article entitled 'Survey Methods and Costs 

 for a Large Area,' writes of survey work 

 of a different character, done for a large 

 pulping concern. The methods of the two 

 surveys are radically different, a fact which 

 must be borne in mind in noting the differ- 

 ence in cost, etc. 



Costs of the Survey. 



The cost of the first surveys was $20.00 

 per square mile, but this was subsequently 

 cut almost in half, i.e., to $10.28, and still 

 further experience is likely to bring the cost 

 below this latter figure. 



The cost per square mile varied greatly, 

 the lowest cost on any limit being $6.75 and 

 the highest $18.14. I" the latter cases the 

 limits were further away from the base of 

 supplies and the portaging was much heavier. 

 In the cheaper surveys two plane tables were 

 used where usually but one was employed. 



The average cost per square mile was 

 $10,279. The average cost for the party per 

 day was $18.12. The cost of food per man 

 per day was 17.5 cents. 



Preliminary Conditions. 



The territory to be surveyed had been, for 

 purposes of sale, roughly surveyed by the 

 provincial authorities into berths. These 

 were laid out along the principal rivers, and 

 measured ten miles along the rivers by five 

 miles in depth. In some cases limits are 

 laid out behind these again, where the width 

 of the land between the rivers permitted. 



The difficulties of the mapping were in- 

 creased by the fact of there being no satis- 

 factory maps to serve as a base for the mak- 

 ing of the more exact one. The territory 

 was practically unsurveyed, there had been 

 no triangulation work done, and so there 

 were no points located to which the work 

 could be 'tied,' and what surveys had been 

 made were inaccurate. 



Organization of tiie Party. 



The question of a large vs. a small force 

 was decided in favor of the latter as offering 

 the following advantages : (i) the first cost 

 of equipment would be less ; (2) the expense 

 would be spread over a longer time, and (3) 

 the men would be better trained for the 

 work. 



The party consisted of eight ^r nine men, 

 being composed usually of the chief, assist- 

 ant chief, two rodmen, the cook and three 

 laborers. Sometimes the party is enlarged to 

 nine or ten. 



Wliat the Maps Show. 



The amount of information to be placed on 

 the maps was decided by the purpose for 

 which the maps were required. No attempt 

 was made to mark elevations, as the company 

 lets out all its cutting to jobbers who do their 

 own road-making, in which work the ele- 

 vations are chiefly required. 



Boundaries, lakes, rivers and streams are 

 accurately located. 'The areas in the differ- 

 ent types of timber, burns, etc., were con- 

 sidered throughout the work as of paramount 

 importance. . . . Our maps show all riv- 

 ers, streams and creeks, all lakes, ponds, 

 swamps and muskegs, limit, county and ex- 

 ploration lines, summer and winter roads, 

 logging roads, trails, portages, camps and 

 dams, boundaries of burnt areas, windfalls, 

 lumbered areas, timbered areas, black spruce 

 swamps, jack pine in pure stand, etc. Care- 

 ful notes of types, reproduction, logging con- 

 dition, logging waste, etc., are made.' 



Field Work. 



The work of the parties included also re- 

 blazing the limit lines, the setting up of new 

 corner posts and other monuments, the run- 

 ning of lines that had been destroyed or never 

 run and the thorough clearing-out of all lines 

 and blazing of all trees within ten feet of 

 the line. 



In the field work a traverse board with 

 telescopic alidade was used. For the chief 

 traverses the distances were ascertained with 

 the stadia rod and for the minor traverses 

 pacing was used for the distances. The 

 party averaged 2.43 square miles per day. 

 The best day's work (distance in lineal miles) 

 was twelve miles in one day in March on a 

 river traverse, when the ice had formed a 

 crust on the snow after a thaw. 



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