Canadian Forestry Journal, January, 1920 



31 



THE REMEDY PROPOSED. 



It is far better to look this question of a rap- 

 idly diminishing timber supply squarely in the 

 face and try by practical methods to put off 

 the day of reckoning as long as possible, and 

 I advocate the following remedial measures: 

 An active campaign of education carried 

 on by literature, and illustrated lectures, so 

 as to reach all timberland owners and the 

 public in general. 



The creation of a strong public sentiment 

 by various methods, so as to establish a 

 greater appreciation of the value of forests 

 to all, and a desire on the part of the public 

 to help actively in preventing forest fires. 



Improvement and enlargement of the pres- 

 ent fire protective service. 



Reforestation on a large scale by Govern- 

 mental appropriation, regardless of cost. 



Burning of slash under certain conditions 

 and in certain cases. 



Change the present wasteful method of 

 logging by a closer supervision of woods 

 operations by intelligent practical foresters. 

 An embargo or export duty on raw mater- 

 ial taken from fee lands; or the 



Annual purchase of fee land wood by a 

 combination of all the Canadian mills. 



I will personally subscribe ten thousand 

 dollars to the Canadian Forestry Association, 

 if each of the other pulp and paper mills in 

 Canada wil Isubscribe a like amount, to be 

 used in carrying out the work outlined above, 

 under the direction of an executive com- 

 mittee to be appointed by the subscribers to 

 the fund. This will give us a fund worthy 

 of the name and will enable us to do some 

 real work. 



I am giving freely of my time and money 

 towards an educational campaign along these 

 lines, as I feel that it is the duty of every 

 Canadian citizen to do everything in his or her 

 power to safeguard, preserve and perpetuate 

 our forest resources as they are the backbone 

 of our country. 



With rgard to reforestation, I am glad to 

 note that the bud worm has not invaded this 

 part of Nova Scotia owing largely to the fact 

 that it is practically all spruce, the amount of 

 fir being almost negligible, and probably also 

 to the fact that the spruce is of such a sound, 

 vigorous and rapid growth. I presume that the 

 quality of the growth here is due to the fact 

 that soil and climate conditions are ideal for 

 spruce growing, the amount of precipitation 

 being very great. Records at Halifax covering 



a period of 35 years show an average annual 

 rainfall of 57 inches. 



I have a sample section of red spruce tree in 

 my office what shows a growth of 20 inches in 

 20 years, an inch a year in diameter. That is, 

 of course, abnormal, but it is a fact that spruce 

 makes the most rapid growth here of any section 

 on this continent, which hints at possibilities in 

 reforestation that are not applicable elsewhere. 

 This phase is well worth the serious considera- 

 tion and careful investigation of the Canadian 

 Forestry Association. 



In the old days when railroads were first built 

 in Nova Scotia the timberlands were of little 

 value and there was no such thing as fire pro- 

 tection, this province shared the fate of the 

 rest of Canada and vast areas were destroyed 

 by fire, but this is a thing of the past, as Nova 

 Scotia has to-day one of the very best forest 

 fire protective systems, and her citizens are 

 thoroughly alive to the fact that timber is one 

 of the most important assets. 



I LETTERS /o//ie EDITOR I 

 I i 



TREE PLANTING ON HIGHWAYS. 



I am glad to see in the September number of 

 the Canadian Forestry Journal that the Forestry 

 Association is devoting some attention to the 

 planting of trees along highways. Though this 

 may not be the main object of the Association, 

 nor have much connection with the growing of 

 timber for commercial purposes or with conser- 

 vation of rainfall, it is here that the spheres of 

 forestry and road-planning meet. 



It is of the utmost importance to the com- 

 munity that roads should be pleasant. As the 

 country develops they will carry an ever-increas- 

 ing traffic, and a pleasant road not only raises 

 the value of the country through which it passes 

 but is actually more effectual and traversed with 

 less fatigue than a monotonous one. 



The character of tlie planting must depend on 

 the road allowance. Great continental highways 

 should have a road allowance of 200 feet (or 

 more at special points) and should in the main 

 follow the contours of the land: and here the 

 most effective way of disposing trees is by group- 

 ing them in plantations on the eminences or at 

 curves or angles, or if the road is straight .ind 

 level, at intervals of. say. 200 or 300 yards on 

 the average. On second class liighways trees 

 might be planted in groups of four, and on ord- 

 inary highways in single rows. 



