Canadian Forestry Journal, February, 1920 



79 



TO EVERY MEMBER — A TIMELY WORD! 



The Dominion Government grant, which has been paid to the Canadian Forestry 

 Association for the past twelve years, has been suspended. In 1919 the amount provided 

 in the Parliamentary Estimates for the Association was $4,000. Only a part of this was 

 received and the Association has no notification that any further sums will be paid to it 

 from the Dominion Treasury. 



The Association appeals to its great body of members to modify the handicap placed 

 upon its work through the loss of the Dominion grant by prompt payment of the annual 

 fees. 



Please bear in mind that your Membership in the Association is a vital force working 

 towards a great national end. The subscription to the Illus trated Journal is just one 

 feature of your relation to the Association. The two-dollar inclusive fee for 1920 pays 

 for the higher publishing costs of the Journal and puts muscle into the widespread 

 educational activities of the Association. 



The Canadian Forestry Association is not identified with any Government or com- 

 mercial interests. It is a Union of Ten Thousand Citizens. 



BRITISH COLUMBIA'S FINE RECORD 



The cost of fire-fighting during the 1919 sea- 

 son is placed at $153,000, to which is added the 

 cost of patrol, trails, forest fire pumps, cars, 

 launches, and fire-fighting tools, bringing the 

 total for the year to approximately $330,000. 

 When this is compared with the fire loss for the 

 neighboring United States Forest District No. 1 , 

 with the destruction of three billion feet of green 

 timber and a fire-fighting cost of $2,500,000, it 

 will be seen that the British Columbia Forest 

 Service emerged from a season of exceptional 

 fire hazard with a comparatively small loss and 

 not a little credit. 



EXCEPTIONAL HAZARDS. 



Special mention is made of the fact that the 

 fire season of 1919 was one of exceptional 

 hazard not only throughout British Columbia, 

 but throughout the Dominion and the United 

 States. Quite early in the fire season-, the for- 

 est protection force was actively engaged in fire- 

 fighting, the most serious situation being found 

 in the southern interior. 



AE^EA PATROLLED. 



The actual area over which patrol is main- 

 tained is 124 million acres, divided into seven 

 districts under district foresters. These are 



again divided into ranger districts, of which 

 there are fifty in the province. During the 

 close season, from May 1 to Oct. 1, an ad- 

 ditional temporary force is employed. This 

 force of assistant forest rangers acts under the 

 local ranger. For certain districts, which have 

 periods of intense fire risk, an additional force 

 of patrolmen, employed for periods ranging 

 from one month upwards, are put on to help in 

 the work of fire prevention. Appointments to 

 the ranger and assistant ranger positions are by 

 examination; woods experience, fire fighting 

 and general knowledge being taken into consid- 

 eration. Practically every vacancy in these 

 positions during the season 1919 was fi,lled by 

 a returned soldier. 



PLENTY OF EQUIPMENT. 



The report shows that modern fire fighting 

 equipment has been tried out, notably the forest 

 fire pump, which proved to be of great value 

 to fire fighters during the past season. During 

 the coming year, a far greater number of these 

 pumps will be placed in the hands of the field 

 force. These pumps \\ill embody all the im- 

 provements suggested as a result of last year's 

 trials. 



