398 



Canadian Forestry Journal, October, 1919 



quence, induces a cumulative hazard which in- 

 creases in intensity until early September when 

 early fall rains may be expected. These are fol- 

 lowed by another dry period, but the danger 

 is decreased by longer nights, greater humidity 

 and lower average temperatures. Considering 

 the Railway Belt as a whole the fire season 

 terminates usually more through decreased tem- 

 perature and increased atmospheric humidity 

 than by reason of heavy rains. 



The total area burned over during the five 

 year period amounted to 1 33,344 acres, or an 

 average of 26,670 acres per year, which works 

 out at approximately one-quarter of one per 

 cent of the total area patrolled. Of this area 

 an average of 4,360 acres was merchantable 

 timber, loss of which has averaged approxim- 

 ately twenty million feet B.M. per year, or one- 

 tenth of one per cent of the standing timber. 

 Young growth has also been destroyed at the 

 rate of approximately 10,000 acres per year. 

 The remainder of the burned area has been in 

 slashings, old burns, grass land, etc. Loss of 

 privat eproperty has averaged something over 

 $10,000 per year. 



To obtain these results we have spent on 

 patrol work an average of $64,000 per year 

 which works out at .64 cents (sixty-four one 

 hundredths of a cent) per acre. Improvements 

 have cost $15,900 per year or .16 cents (six- 

 teen one hundredths of a cent) per acre, so that 

 the total expenditure has averaged eight-tenths 

 of one cent per acre per year. 



The average area of the district patrolled by 

 one man is, in forest reserves, 88,000 acres, and 

 in the fire ranging organization 107,000 acres. 



Fire Fighting Equipment. 

 These figures are in proportion to the degree 

 of protection afforded all around which is about 

 25 per cent more intensive on forest reserves 

 than outside. On the reserves our protection 

 plant is nearing completion. It includes ranger 

 headquarter buildings, cabins ,tool caches, 

 roads, trails, telephone lines, and lookout sta- 

 tions. Of the latter, two are equipped with Os- 

 borne Fire Finders, the success of which is 

 marked. As soon as maps of sufficient ac- 

 curacy can be secured the remaining stations 

 will be supplied with this instrument. Our 

 plans call for three additional lookouts which 

 will complete the detection system for our pres- 

 ent reserve area. 



These lookouts naturally serve the fire rangi*:"- 

 districts outside the reserves as well and owing 

 io the fortunate presence of a very compleLc 



system of rural telephone lines also owned by 

 the Dominion Government, they are of extreme 

 value. Even at the present time our detc- 

 tion systm is on a more efficient basis than our 

 suppression, which needs additional personnel 

 and further organization. 



We believe in a national forest policy as the 

 best means to secure adequate protection and 

 proper administration of our forest resources 

 on a permanent basis. Our policy aims at de- 

 velopment based on the continuous extension 

 of the areas under national forest, until prac- 

 tically all of the absolute forest land in the 

 Railway Belt is included. The fire-ranging 

 organization is properly considered as a tem- 

 porary stage in the development of forest policy, 

 holding the line until public opinion, which it 

 serves to help awaken, will back the forest ser- 

 vice demands for further permanent reserva- 

 tions. The fire-ranging organization is also a 

 useful preliminary training ground for develop- 

 ing the personnel which extensions in national 

 forests will require. In this connection I might 

 state thtat we have specialized to a very large 

 extent on returned soldiers in accordance with 

 our general Canadian policy that they shall be 

 given preference in Government appointments. 

 Through an arrangement made with the De- 

 partment of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment, a 

 forest ranger course has been established in 

 Vancouver, a majority of the graduates of 

 which have entered our service. Their records 

 have been gratifyingly satisfactory, due, in large 

 measure, to the valuable nature of the services 

 given by their instructor, Mr. E. J. Hanzlik, 

 Forest Examiner of the United States Forest 

 Service at Seattle. 



The 1919 Situation. 



Now, as to the 1919 situation which I have 

 not discussed thus far. In the first place I must 

 admit that our records at the time of writing 

 are not compiled sufficiently to give a satis- 

 factory summary. This is due to the fact that 

 our worst troubles were concentrated in an area 

 about fifty miles wide in the region of the Shu- 

 swap lakes all within one fire ranging district, 

 where the expenditure on fire fighting will run 

 close to $50,000. Every ranger has had a 

 series of fires to contend with all burning at 

 the same time, and proper reports have not yet 

 been received. This locality was practically 

 without rain from June until August 31st, dur- 

 ing which period, in addition, temperatures were 

 above normal and dry lightning storms were 

 frequent. One such storm caused twenty-six 



