The New Forest Reserves Act. 



Forest Reserves and National Parks to be Administered by Director 



of Forestry. 



The present Ression of Parliament 

 has 8»'en the pa.ssa^^o of u uvw Do- 

 minion FoH'st Reserves and Parks 

 Act, to which the royal assent was 

 given on May 19th. As may be in- 

 ferred from the tith», the scope of 

 this hill is hroader than the Forest 

 Reserves Act of KMH). hihI hy it are 

 superseded hotli the Forest Reserves 

 Act of IDOG and the Korky .Moun- 

 tains Park Act. 



In the new hill tin- lirst six sec- 

 tions of the original Forest Reserves 

 Act are left practically uiialt»'red. 

 These relate to the withdrawal of 

 lands from sale and occupancy for 

 the purpose of creatinji tore.st re- 

 serves, the eonstitutinjr of forest re- 

 serves and the provision for their 

 control hy the Director* of Forestry, 

 authorizing the appointment of for- 

 est ranjrers and f?niiitiiijr tlu'm the 

 powers of a Justice of the Peace and 

 providing? for- the ranjrer's oath. 



Section seven gives the Governor- 

 in-Council power to |)urchase and ex- 

 propriate (under the K.xpropriation 

 Act) land within a reserve whicli is 

 not the property of the crown. Ex- 

 ehauffe was formerly the only me- 

 thod of dealing; with such lands. 



The rights of holders of leases and 

 licences within reserves are specific- 

 ally protected. Denuded timbe Hands 

 may be withdrawn from such leased 

 or licensed areas by the Government, 

 upon notice being given the holder 

 of the licence or lease. 



It is enacted that railway com- 

 panies must pay one-half the cost of 

 fire patrol along their lines under 

 construction, and rangers, when on 

 duty on such patrol, are to be car- 

 ried free. 



•The title of the chief officer of the 

 Forestry Branch is chanjjed from Super- 

 intendent to Director of Forestry. 



Rangers are given summary power 

 to arrest and bring before a magis- 

 trate, or to remove from the reserve, 

 any offenders against the Act. They 

 may seize, in any place, any timber 

 cut within the reserve or removed 

 therefrom, any minerals removed 

 and any game taken or killed within 

 the reserve, and, within the reserve, 

 may confiscate firearms, fishing 

 tackle, etc., unlawfully there. The 

 rangers are given the right of search 

 of building.s, etc., in the reserve and 

 within ten miles of its boundaries. 



Lands may be withdrawn from the 

 reserve for railway purposes. 



The powers of the Govemor-in- 

 Council to make regulations for re- 

 serves and parks are defined. 



The Governor-in-Council is given 

 power to designate, by proclamation, 

 areas for parks and to make regula- 

 tions for their management. 



Reserves and Their Areas. 



British Columbia — 



Among the Hritish Columbia re- 

 serves tlie Long Lake. Monte Hills. 

 ]\Iartin Mountain, Niskonlith. Tran- 

 quille. Hat Creek and Larch Hills 

 reserves are left unchanged. The 

 Donald forest reserve is abolis'ned, 

 and the Yoho Park and Glacier Na- 

 tional Park are brought under the 

 Act. 



Manitoba — 



In Manitoba the Riding Mountain. 

 Turtle Mountain and Porcupine re- 

 serves are left unchanged. The Lake 

 Manitoba West reserve is dropi>ed. 

 The Spruce Woods reserve is 

 doubled, being increased in area from 

 110 square miles to 224.5 square 

 miles. An addition of 153 square 

 miles is made to the Duck Mountain 

 reserve, making its total area 1.401 

 square miles. As this reserve has 



67 



