216 



Canadian Forestry Journal, May, 1919 



more illustrations to drive home my assertion 

 that we have not attained the first objective of 

 forestry practice because we have not rnain- 

 tained the forest capital unimpaired and in a 

 continuously productive condition. 



Who Should Manage the Forests? 



Let me point out to you a great anomaly that 

 very largely accounts for our present forest 

 conditions. As business men you will appre- 

 ciate the point. The Forestry Branch at Ot- 

 tawa is charged with the care of 25,000,000 

 acres of Dominion Forest Reserves. It has a 

 staff of technically trained foresters. With the 

 exception of settlers' permits and a few odd 

 logging jobs, the activities of the Branch are 

 confined to fire protection. All the licensed 

 lands, all the big logging operations within the 

 forest reserves are in charge of another branch 

 at Ottawa, which has not a forester in it. Let 

 us come nearer home. The Province of Ontario 

 has around 7,000,000 acres in forest reserves. 

 It has 10,000,000 acres under timber license 

 and practically the same area in pulpwood con- 

 cessions. There is a Forest Branch with tech- 

 nically trained foresters. There are no better 

 foresters in the Dominion, yet they have no part 

 in carrying out the timber regulations for the 

 licensed lands. That is in the hands of another 

 branch which has no forester in it. Managing 

 forests so that they will remain continuously 

 productive is a big job; it calls for men with 

 special ability and special training. Those of 

 you who are manufacturers — to whom do you 

 turn with your technical problems? Do you turn 

 them over to your clerks? 



A Challenge to Business Men. 



May I refer you back to my text: Canada 

 stands practically naked of any forestry prac- 

 tice. The reason for this is that you and 

 business men like you throughout the Dominion 

 have not taken interest enough in your property 

 to see that it is properly managed, to demand 

 an account of stewardship. I thing it is the 

 part of patriotism as well as the part of element- 

 ary business policy to make an effort to sus- 

 tain an industry which stands third as a pro- 

 ducer of wealth in this country, an industry that 

 created for Canada in 1917 forest products 

 valued at $116,000,000, an industry that em- 

 ploys over 50,000 people and distributes nearly 

 40 million dollars in wages. These are con- 

 cerned with wood products as such. If we add 

 to these sums the industries partially dependent 

 upon wood in some farm, we find that they in- 



creased the wealth of Canada in 1917 by over 

 $250,000,000. Surely in the interests of the 

 continued prosperity of our country, the wheels 

 of these industries should continue to turn. 



The Brighter Side. 



Gentlemen, I hope I have not drawn the pic- 

 ture too dark. I have failed in my effort, if I 

 have given you the impression that the case is 

 hopeless. It is far from that. We are still 

 much better situated in regard to timber sup- 

 plies than any other country, but that does not 

 justify indifference or the delay of recuperative 

 methods. Four-fifths of Canadian soil is prob- 

 ably better adapted to the growing of trees 

 than to any other purpose. No other country 

 has such large forest areas, so accessible to 

 transportation by water and by rail, so near the 

 great consuming markets. Russia may have 

 more timber; the United States undoubtedly 

 has more and in greater variety, but I repeat, no 

 other country has such large forest areas so 

 near the great consuming markets of the world. 

 With proper forethought and prooer fore-action 

 there is no reason why Canada should not sup- 

 ply the timber requirements of the world. Pro- 

 perly manager our great forest areas might turn 

 for all time continuous streams of sylvan wealth 

 into our public treasuries. But they never will; 

 they will he as idle waste lands, a burden upon 

 the tax-payer, as so many of them already are, 

 unless recuperative methods are inaugurated 

 at once, unless you and the business men like 

 you throughout the country take more interest 

 in them in the future than you have in the past. 



= =TREES= = 



Some trees drink deep draughts beside brooks, 

 Delighting in gurgle and black moisture ; 

 Coolness and strength they draw up into their limbs 

 And pay it out for the passer-by to enjoy. 

 In the shadow and amplitude of their noble branches, 

 And in their clean, shining, exquisite leaves. 

 Thin and translucent for green light to trickle 



through. 

 Harmoniously curved as musical instruments, 

 They instill fortitude by their robust trunks, 

 Moulded as individually as men's bodies; 

 Valiant and comfortable; 

 Some shaggy, 



Some glossy as lithe animals. 

 All of them full of kindness and tree-humor 

 And the dignity that springs from belonging to 



one place. 



