Canadian Forestry Journal, February;, 1920 



WORKING PLANS FOR QUEBEC'S TREE CUTTING 



Hon. Honore Mercier, Minister of Lands and 

 Forests, in addressing the Canadian Lumber- 

 men's Association at its annual banquet at Que- 

 bec, referred to fire protection and reforestation, 

 dealing with constructive policies that should 

 prove of undougted benefit. While he dealt 

 primarily with conditions in Quebec, his words 

 have a national application. 



"Quebec has before it a vast colonization 

 programme," said Hon. Mr. Mercier. "With a 

 determination to understand each other's needs 

 there is no reason why the lumbermen and the 

 settlers should not get on perfectly well together. 

 The lumbermen of St. Maurice have much for 

 which to thank the settlers of Abitibi. With 

 mutual forbearance and consideration, I feel 

 there will not be much difficulty in deciding 

 where the forests are to remain and where the 

 land may be taken by settlers. A law was 

 passed requiring settlers to take permits before 

 burning to clear their lands. They have com- 

 plied with this enactment and we have now a 

 system of fire protection which is the envy of 

 all the other provinces. The province has now 

 to look to the development of its unsettled 

 lands. 



WILL MAKE COMPLETE SURVEY. 



"Lumber has always meant much to Quebec, 

 and the forests still remain one of the chief as- 

 sets of the province. Our resources are great. 

 We have 45,000,000 acres of timber lands un- 

 der license, and approximately 73.000,000 of 

 virgin timber lands. We do not, however, know 

 the value of these forests, and we should like 

 to make a complete survey of all forest land in 



order to build up a definite forest policy. For 

 this we shall require the assistance of limit- 

 holders so far as the survey of their limits is 

 concerned; and the task of the Government in 

 surveying the remaining territory will still be a 

 vast one. In a word, the time has come for us 

 to require the preparation of working plans in 

 lumbering operations. You will admit that it 

 is in the public interests as well as your own 

 to plan your operations ahead, so as to heave the 

 forest after cutting it in the best possible con- 

 dition for future growth. The objection which 

 may once have existed to such a policy has dis- 

 appeared. With our well-organized fire protect- 

 ive system, due largely to your co-operation, the 

 danger of fire has been greatly reduced and 

 therefore you can afford not to cut the forest 

 too close, in order that you can cut over again 

 in a reasonable time. 



ADXOCATES REFORESTATION-. 



"For the same reason private owners of waste 

 lands may safely commence their reforestation. 

 The Government intends to deal with lumber 

 limits in a generous manner, but expects the 

 limit-holders to do their share, too. The lumber 

 industry in the past has done wonderful things 

 to encourage the efficiency of mill operations 

 and to reduce waste in the utilization of wood 

 products. There is still much more to be done 

 in this respect, notably in the use of hard- 

 woods which have been practically untouched 

 by present operations. I think we may rely 

 upon lumbermen to devise proper and adequate 

 methods of transportating these logs from the 

 forest to the mill." 



SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION SUPPORTED 



"Whereas, it is manifestly to the interest of 

 Canada as a whole, and of the wood-using in- 

 dustries in particular, that the fullest possible 

 information be made available as to the char- 

 acter and extent of the forest resources of the 

 Dominion, and as to the conditions which gov- 

 ern the reproduction and growth of the com- 

 mercially valuable tree species; 



"Resolved, tha t this meeting endorse the 

 work along these lines already under way by 

 the Commission of Conservation, with particular 

 reference to the survey of the forest resources 

 of the several provinces, in co-operation with 

 the provincial governments, and the investiga- 



tion of conditions of growth and reproduction 

 of Dulpwood species, in co-operation with pulp 

 and paper companies, and the Dominion For- 

 estry Branch and the Provincial Forestry Ser- 

 vices, and recommend to the Dominion Gov- 

 ernment that financial provision be made for the 

 continuation of these projects upon a more ade- 

 quate scale." 



(.\ resolution adopted at the meeting of the 

 Woodlands Section. Canadian Pulp and Paper 

 .Association. Montreal.) 



WAR ON FOREST INSECTS. 



Ihe Resolutions Committee further recom- 

 mended: 



