514 



Canadian Forestry Journal, December, 1919 



Popular belief in the utility of aircraft has de- 

 veloped from the wonderful accomplishments of 

 the air-fleets during the war., But warfare is 

 inevitably carried on regardless of cost. As 

 soon as aircraft come to be applied to a com- 

 mercial purpose they have to be dealt with on 

 a commercial basis. In forest protection work 

 a forest has a definite commercial value. There- 

 fore there is a definite limit to what can properly 

 be paid for protection work. 



As intimated at the start of this article, most 

 forestry people expect that eventually aircraft 

 will be extensively used in forest work. It 



seems certain the development will not take 

 place with a rush. The value of forests is 

 steadily rising. More and more attention is 

 being given to their conservation. And more 

 and more attention is being given to the utiliza- 

 tion of new methods and appliances in that con- 

 nection. It IS not unreasonable to anticipate 

 a complete revolution in forest fire systems and 

 not unreasonable to expect that just as the fire 

 warden is the main prop of forest fire protec- 

 tion to-day discovering the fires and putting 

 them out as well — the airplane will in the future 

 do exactly the same work and do it more ef- 

 ficiently. 



PROGRESSIVE LIMIT-HOLDERS READY TO PLANT 



Those readers of the Forestry Journal on the 

 lookout for signs of progress in the application 

 of forestry principles to the timber lands of 

 Canada will have a special interest in recent 

 developments in Quebec Province. In a con- 

 ference with the Minister of Lands and Forests, 

 Hon. Horace Mercier, an able and progressive 

 administrator, the Woodlands and Technical 

 Sections of the Canadian Pulp and Paper As- 

 sociation, together with the Quebec Limit-hold- 

 ers' Association, discussed the whole question 

 of the revision of regulations governing the 

 cutting of timber on public-owned forest lands. 

 It was argueJ, with great reason, that the pres- 

 ent diameter limit method of regulation is based 

 upon a desire of Canadian Governments in the 

 early days to leave sufficient trees on cut-over 

 lands to provide a timber stock for the ultimate 

 farmer. Such a regulation was made in a day 

 when many lumbermen were cutting on lands 

 destined to prove of agricultural value. Very 

 little of the present day timber cutting is on 

 other than non-agricultural soils so that the 

 diameter limit does not have its original justifica- 

 tion. Furthermore, adherence to a blanket 

 diameter limit irrespective of local conditions, 

 has not worked out in the public interest in that 

 it has failed to leave the cutting areas in a con- 

 dition to produce a second crop of wood. 



A PLAN TO REPLANT. 



The meeting also discussed the conditions un- 

 der which denuded Crown lands could be refor- 

 ested by co-operation between the limit-holders 

 and the Provincial Government. It was sug- 



gested that legislation should be adopted en- 

 couraging licensees to plant forest trees upon 

 areas of more than 10 acres deprived of coni- 

 ferous timber. A special license would be is- 

 sued in each case, planting to be undertaken 

 within four years of issuance. Tree species 

 would be limited to spruce and pine of all var- 

 ieties. Four years after planting it is sug- 

 gested the payment of one dollar per square 

 mile shall vest the lessee with the absolute pro- 

 perty of the land occupied under his license for 

 99 years and any after cost of the planting shall 

 be refunded to the lessee by the Government. 

 All land occupied or patented under the refor- 

 estation law should be free from all provincial, 

 municipal and school taxes of any kind during 

 the existence of the planting licenses. For any 

 timber taken from the plantation by the lessee 

 in the course of thinning for improvement pur- 

 poses, the stumpage taxes would not exceed 

 $1.50 per cord. The lessee would have the 

 right to clean cut the plantation after the trees 

 had attained a diameter of six inches at 4'/2 

 feet from the ground, the stumpage tax payable 

 to the Government not to exceed $1.50 per cord. 



Following the meeting with the Minister a 

 committee was appointed to prepare definite re- 

 commendations to the Provincial Government. 

 The members of this committee are W. Gerard 

 Power, manager of the River Quelle Pulp and 

 Lumber Co., Robt. P. Kernan, of the Donna- 

 cona Paper Co., and Ellwood Wilson, Forester 

 of the Laurentide Company. 



