Canadian Forestry Journal, January, 1919 



19 



Regarding Ontario's Pine. 



What should then be done under the circum- 

 stances? I maintain that no wood should be cut 

 at all unless it is mature, that is to say, can no 

 longer earn by growth increment sufficient to 

 permit it to remain standing, or is so situated 

 that it is liable to be destroyed before it can be 

 cut down. 



The only way this can be done is by selection. 

 This means, speaking broadly, the marking of 

 such trees as may be properly cut, or that must 

 be cut, and the protection of those that must not 

 be cut, and at the same time it entails full in- 

 spection and measurement of such trees as are 

 cut. It would no doubt surprise some of our 

 citizens to see 60 per cent of the contents of 

 pine trees felled for lumber, left to rot upon the 

 ground because the quality is not sufficiently 

 good to pay the Crown dues. It would also 

 astonish them tto learn that in the so-callsd pine 

 reserves of the Province, taking the total con- 

 tents of the stand of timber as a whole, there is 

 no increase or growth increment whatever of the 

 total quantity, and that this condition is not 

 the case where stands of timber are properly 

 operated. These details are only an insignificant 

 part of a great number of conditions which exist 

 to the detriment of the forest unknown to the 

 owners which are in the last analysis the citizens 

 of the Province. 



The System at Fault. 



With the present system the officers of the 

 Crown are engaged in seeing that contracts and 

 regulations, made largely by their predecessors, 

 are carried out in the best way possible under 

 the circumstances, and they have not either the 

 time, the authority, nor the means at their dis- 

 posal to carry on or control the exploitation of 

 the people's forests to their greatest benefit. 

 Even if they knew what was the best method, no 

 fault lies with them, it is in the system. 



It is only by continued personal inspection 

 and properly graded instructions and the deci- 

 sion of moot points by a competent staff that the 

 lumbermen can get fair treatment and at the 

 same time be obliged to conform to regulations 

 based on a continuous timber supply. This 

 means a staff of employees not at present con- 

 templated. The required staff should consist 

 under the Provincial Forester, of District For- 

 esters, Assistant Foresters, Forest Examiners, 

 Forest Assessors, and a host of Forest Assistants 

 to be graded and controlled by their respective 

 chiefs and to be subject to promotion as well as 

 to discharge on the recommendation of their 



superior officers after examination or appeal to 

 a Board appointed by the whole body, and 

 sitting with the Provincial Forester as its head. 



o 



BIG ORDER OF CANADIAN LUMBER. 



Ottawa, Jan. 7. — As the outcome of negotia- 

 tions carried on by the Canadian Trades Com- 

 mission for the past month the timber controller 

 of Great Britain will purchase in Canada half a 

 million standards of lumber, equivalent in the 

 Dominion to one billion square fee. The lumber, 

 which is to be of all grades, will be bought under 

 the direction of the timber controller through 

 British brokerage houses and Canadian timb'er 

 agents in London who will deal direct with the 

 Canadian lumber producers. 



It IS understood that every Canadian producer 

 who is registered on the lists of the trade board 

 at Ottawa will be given an equal opportunity to 

 sell. There is also to be an allocation of pur- 

 chases upon a territorial basis, thus ensuring a 

 fair proportion of purchases to Western Canada. 



This lumber is t be bought within the next 

 twelve months. It will represent a total trans- 

 action in money value of about $40,000,000. 



The necessary Canadian credit which render;d 

 the large lumber transaction possible was ar- 

 ranged some weeks ago between the Dominion 

 government at Ottawa and the Imperial govern- 

 ment. This credit is to be availed of°to the 

 extent that is rendered necessary by the state 

 of international exchange. The British govern- 

 ment IS to supply the shipping to carry this 

 cated the character of business which it is 

 lumber to Great Britain. The transaction indi- 

 expected the trade mission will be able to obtain 

 from now on, particularly upon the continent. 



THE JOURNAL'S QUESTION BOX. 



Readers of the Forestry Journal are invited 

 to take advantage of the Forestry Association's 

 facilities for securing authentic answers to 

 questions relating to forestry, tree planting, re- 

 forestation, and kindred subjects. A great 

 number of questions are answered by mail and 

 such of these as may have general interest will 

 be used henceforth in the Journal. 



Send along your question. We will do our 

 utmost to obtain a satisfactory reply. 

 o — 



"^ou can talk on the long distance now be- 

 tween midnight and 4.30 a.m. for a quarter what 

 It costs during the day; and. speaking of us 

 Scotch again, we see where some folks are 

 going to get very little sleep. 



— American Lumberman. 



