Canadian Forestry Journal, July, 1919 



305 



amination of the age of the various trees here ; 

 by counting the rings even the small and stunted 

 trees were found to be under half a century old, 

 while the largest trees would reach an age of 

 almost 500 years. 



I did not myself travel any further up the 

 Coppermine River than around Sandstone 

 Rapids, but from observations made by other 

 members of the expedition it is clear, that even 

 if the spruce growth gradually gets more ex- 

 tensive and the trees better developed, the char- 

 acteristics (stunted growth on exposed places, 

 many dead trees, etc.) remam the same. 



Curiously enough seems the fact, that forest 

 msects are prmcipally responsible for the kill- 

 ing of the trees or tree parts on the lower Cop- 

 permine River, and have passed unnoticed by 

 the various explorers and travellers who have 

 visited the region from time to time; though 

 they all comment upon the other characteristics 

 of the spruce vegetation. A deterioration of the 

 climate, coupled with destructive fires now and 

 then, and the exposed position of the trees at a 

 high latitude, have been given as reasons lor 

 their peculiar appearance in shape and growth. 

 Now we have definite observations upon the 

 spruce trees here; and remembering that the 

 destructive forest insects in question do not 

 attack dead trees, we may safely assume that 

 casual wounds inflicted by the traveller's axe 

 or a forest fire upon the living trees give the 



forest insects an opportunity to increase the 

 damage, and finally kill off the individual trees; 

 and thus accomplish in a few years the same 

 result which it will take a century or more to 

 affect by the present slow deterioration of the 

 climate only. It should also be remembered, 

 that a forest fire is less destructive on places 

 where the growth of trees is so scattered and the 

 underbrush so little developed as is the case on 

 the lower Coppermine River. The very isola- 

 tion and exposure of the individual trees here 

 make them ideal objects for attack by forest 

 insects, which by living under the bark are less 

 influenced by the shortness of the summer 

 season. 



REMOVED BY SPECIAL TRAIN. 



After fighting for 24 hours forest fires which 

 threatened to sweep the town, the inhabitants 

 of Natal, B.C., were removed from the town 

 in a special train, while a volunteer fire corps 

 urider Chief MacDougall extinguished blaze after 

 blaze within the town itself until the fire in the 

 immediate vicinity had spent itself. No serious 

 casualties were reported. Forest fires were re- 

 ported from many districts near, and some 

 ranching property was threatened. A fire one 

 mile east of Hosmer was confined to cut-over 

 land, and the fire wardens have been successful 

 so far in protecting valuable timber lands. 



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I 'linlu !)>• 1'". .li);;;illSrll 



In the Last Norllicrl^ Zone of Tree Cron<th. 



("ainpiiiK- aniDUf; wiiitr siinic.', near .^ainl.'^toni' Kapiils, ( 'opp. rmiin' Kiv.'f. X.W/r. 



