Canadian Forestry Journal, February, 1920 



67 



KEEPING COAS T FOREST S PRODUCTIVE 



By Hon. T. D. PatUillo, Minister of Lands, Victoria, B.C. 



Scientfic Study Necessary to Surmount Forestry 



Problems and Keep the Areas Permanently 



Under Wood Crops. 



Timber is, and always will be, one of the of which, young timber is growing up after pre- 



main assets of this province. The commercial vious destruct:on of the crop by fire and logging, 

 prosperity of our cities and towns and villages In the moist region of the Coast, we have 



depends very seriously upon forest mdustries, some of the fastest growing timber m the world, 



while in country districts, development is helped a fact established by actual investigation which 



forward by money which the latter derives from has shown, in places, an annual increase of 



the marketing of minor forest products. Re- Douglas fir, amounting to 1,000 board feet per 



sponsibility is upon the Government of 'he Pro- acre. Generally speaking, our knowledge of 



fince to safeguard the future of forest indus rate of growth throughout the province, is very 

 tries as well as to assist in their present day de- 

 velopment. 



FIRE PREVENTION. 



In an ordinary year, more than a thousand 

 organized logging operators cut into the present 

 stand of timber. There is each summer inevit- 

 able destruction by lire. Insects make heavy in- 

 roads in some localitites. The question that 

 must never be lost sight of is this, what is hap- 

 pening in the aggregate to this source of pro- 

 vincial wealth? Are we securing necessary in- 

 formation to enable us to know? Are our plans 

 for protection and management adequate? 



Necessarily the first duties of the Government 

 department in charge of forestry have been to 

 set up efficient machinery for forest fire pre- 

 vention, revenue collection and all such matters 

 of current administration. The long five years 

 of war prevented any general attempt to do 

 more than deal with daily business. But with 

 the return of men from overseas, it has been diminishing supply of immediately accessible 

 possible to review the whole field of work and timber. Yet while a great proportion of the 

 to provide, in reorganizing the department, for young forest is away back from present means 

 definite study of the condition of our forest re- of operation, it is there, growing up against the 

 sources to be undertaken. From now on such time when the cutting out of the present ma- 



meapre. Cedar, for instance, is thought to be 

 coming back slower than other species, though 

 it grows fairly rapidly to pole size. In the in- 

 terior, growth is, of course, far slower than on 

 the coast, and already in certain sections, this 

 matter is arousing attention because the im- 

 mediately accessible timber of the present ma- 

 ture crop is beginning to approach the cut-out 

 stage. But making all due allowance for an- 

 nual loss from fire and insects and decay, the 

 estimated average increase of 100 board feet 

 per acre every year certainly appears conserva- 

 tive. Yet at this figure, the area of young grow- 

 ing forest now conjectured to exist would show 

 an increase each year of something over six 

 million feet, five times the annual cut at present. 



DIMINISHING SUPPLY. 



It is this figure which has aroused consider- 

 able criticism among lumbering operators who 

 are faced, in their business, with an obviously 



study will be carried on side by side with ad- 

 ministrative work. 



ESTIMATE OF SUPPLY. 



More or less conjectural estimates have been 

 made of our forest areas. In a recent state 



ture crop will compel the extension of opera- 

 tions into it. At the same time a note of alarm 

 is struck by the statement of one investigator, 

 who finds that half the logged-ofT lands in the 

 southern coast region, are not sufficiently stock- 



ment, the mature merchantable timber is figured ed with young growth. Plainly it is the duty 



as covering something over 40,000 square miles. of our forest service to secure definite informa- 



Two and a half limes that area some <^7,000 tion to replace such conjectural calculations, 



square miles is thought by officers of the de- as those foregoing, since, in reality, the margin 



partment to be productive forest land on most of safety may be far less than is supposed and 



