Canadian Forestry Journal, January, 1919 



Trained Woodsmen Wanted. 



One of the great needs in Canada to-day is 

 that for forest "rangers", that is, men who will 

 act as fire-rangers, forest guards, scalers, in- 

 spectors of logging operations, drive foremen 

 and the like. The day of the untrained man in 

 the woods is passed. The old wasteful, careless 

 methods must go, and for this we need the 

 trained ranger. The professional forester we 

 have already and he is more and more becoming 

 a factor in the development of the country, but 

 where we need one forester we need one hun- 

 dred rangers, and there has been no effort to fill 

 this want until rcently, a ranger school having 

 been started in British Columbia. With such a 

 school training returned soldiers, this want would 

 be filled and a valuable new craft opened for 

 them, for which their campaign experience 

 would be extremely valuable. They could also 

 be trained as game protectors and guides for 

 both of which there is great need. Canada is 

 not yet fully alive to the immense asset which 

 the tourist traffic would be to her and this 

 shoulci be developed. The wonderful lake 

 countries of Northern Ontario and Quebec only 

 need to be rendered accessible to bring in 

 large numbers of wood lovers who would prove 

 an important source of revenue. But to-day in 

 these sections good guides are almost unknown, 

 the game is slaughtered with practically no at- 

 tempt at law enforcement whatever. 



The Soldier in Planting. 



Another wonderful opportunity for the re- 



turned soldier would be in Provmcial police 

 forces modeled on the Northwest Mounted 

 Police, whose method has been so successfully 

 copied in New York and Pennsylvania. 



With the beginning of planting operations on 

 a large scale by corporations, whose example 

 will soon be followed by the Provincial Govern- 

 ments, a large field opens up for the returned 

 soldier with ranger training. The men who have 

 been over with the so-called Forestry Battalions 

 would be especially easy to train for woods 

 work and should naturally be employed in lum- 

 bering operations in this country on their return. 

 The lessons of the French forests with which 

 these men have come in contact should make 

 them valuable to us here. 



The Task Only Begun. 



We can well be proud of the work which has 

 been accomplished by our Canadian Forestry 

 Association, which has put Canada well in the 

 van of forestry progress, but we must by no 

 means rest content. We have only scratched 

 the scurface, our fight has just begun and we 

 still have many worlds to conquer. The secret 

 of the whole thing is the education of the public 

 in regard to our forest wealth and all that it 

 means to the Country. We must strive first of 

 all to build up an enlightened public opinion and 

 then go forward to the conquest of the great 

 problem.s which are crying out to us for solu- 

 tion. "Wake up Canada!" 



THE PROBLEM OF ONTARIO'S PINE SUPPLY. 



By W. F. V. Atl^inson, Chief Forester, 

 Spanish River Pulp and Paper Mills. 



The forests of Canada, from which practically 

 speaking must come our future supply of wood 

 for all purposes, are now suffering serious deple- 

 tion and are within a measurable period of ex- 

 haustion, not only for export but also for home 

 use, unless some efficient laws and regulations 

 be soon put into effect. Indeed, this disaster is 

 possible within the lives of some of our present 

 citizens if the fact is not quickly admitted and 

 sinks in deep enough to produce a definite and 

 consistent organization to prevent it. 



I have no doubt that the intelligence of our 

 citizens will insist in efficiency with regard to 

 their forest estate before total depletion takes 



place, but I wish to bring out the point that 

 every season, almost every day, that passes 

 while present methods prevail means a loss to 

 the country as a whole, and to each citizen 

 respectively. If each citizen to-day could realize 

 how much it actually means to himself and to 

 his family in dollars and cents which he, or they, 

 will have to pay out in taxes for their share of 

 this loss, I am sure that the necessary steps to a 

 remedy would be immediately forthcoming. I 

 wish this was as clear and real to all as it is to 

 those of us who have had the opportunity to see 

 and study conditions and the experience to ap- 

 preciate them. 



