220 



Canadian Forestry Journal, May, 1919 



,„iaj0dm- 



CANADA STARTS AERIAL FOREST PATROL 



First 



Experiments Will be 

 Central Quebec With 

 Aeroplanes. 



Conducted in 

 Hydro- 



There is every possibility that Canada will 

 enjoy the distinction of being the first nation 

 to institute an aerial forest patrol. By permis- 

 sion of Hon. C. C. Ballantyne, Minister of Mar- 

 ine and Fisheries and Naval Affairs, two hydro- 

 aeroplanes have been released to the St. Maur- 

 ice Forest Protective Association for use in 

 Central Quebec. At the date of going to press 

 the Association's pilots were at Halifax prepar- 

 ing to bring the machines to Three Rivers. 



The release of the hydro-aeroplanes for for- 

 est patrol experiments was obtained only after 

 great difficulty. The original application of the 

 St. Maurice Association, supported by the 

 Quebec Government, was favorably received 

 by Hon. A. K. Maclean, acting in Mr. Ballan- 

 tyne's absence, and later nulified by Mr. Bal- 

 lantyne, the latter's decision being again modi- 

 fied after a meeting of a deputation of the 

 Canadian Forestry Asociation and the Aerial 



League of Canada. The part played by the St. 

 Maurice Forest Protective Association in nego- 

 tiations IS worthy of high praise inasmuch as 

 this body volunteered to pay practically the 

 entire expense of maintenance of machines, 

 salaries of pilots and other items of heavy 

 expense so as to secure not only for the St. 

 Maurice region, but for all the Government 

 departments and other private associations in 

 the Dominion, the data absolutely necessary 

 before any system of air patrol can be entered 

 upon. Most observers of the negotiations will 

 doubtless conclude that the Dominion Govern- 

 ment has made a remarkably good bargain for 

 the reason that several of the Dominion Gov- 

 ernment departments have already applied for 

 the use of hydro-aeroplanes for forest patrol 

 and will now be able to avail themselves of the 

 experimental results in the St. Maurice ter- 

 ritory. The first pilot to inaugurate the patrols 



