Canadian Forestry Journal, February, 1920 



81 



HOW FAST DO SPRUCE FORESTS GROW? 



"If the pulp and paper mills of Canada can 

 use 90 or 95 per cent of balsam in newsprint 

 manufacture we have nothing much to worry 

 about as to the future pulp wood supply of 

 Eastern Canada," said Dr. C. D. Howe, at the 

 meeting of the Woodlands Section of the Cana- 

 dian Pulp and Paper Association at Montreal 

 last month. Dr. Howe's mteresting remark was 

 brought out by questions from members of the 

 audience as to the economic effect of the very 

 slow reproduction of spruce on the cut-over 

 lands of Central Quebec. Dr. Howe empha- 



sized, however, that spruce must be produced 

 to meet the demands for better grades of paper 

 and for sawlogs. 



As to the rate of growth of spruce trees on 

 the sample plots established by the Commis- 

 sion of Conservation and the pulp and paper 

 companies in Central Quebec, Dr. Howe said 

 that he found the new spruce trees, coming in 

 since the previous cut, showed a growth of one 

 ince in diameter in forty years and two inches 

 in sixty years. 



THE FIRE EXPERIENCE OF QUEBEC ASSOCIATIONS 



The months of May and June last year con- 

 stituted one of the most hazardous seasons that 

 has imperilled the forests in the St. Maurice 

 Valley for many years. This put a special 

 pressure upon the organization of the St. 

 Maurice Forest Protective Association (Henry 

 Sorgius, manager), but as usual, found this as- 

 sociation equal to any emergency. Fifty-two 

 per cent of the fires were traceable to ihe .ail- 

 way companies, chiefly the government-owned 

 railways. President Robert F. Grant strongly 

 recommends that more money should be ex- 

 pended for educational purposes. 



Manager Sorgius reports that the fire losses 

 in 1919 were the heaviest since 1915. The 

 patrol force consisted of six inspectors, one sub- 

 inspector, and 69 patrolmen. There were 169 

 forest fires, 48 per cent of the total area burned 

 was cut-over land, 37 per cent in old burn, and 

 15 per cent in merchantable timber and young 

 growth. Fifty-nine per cent of the damage done 

 was caused by two fires set by locomotive and 

 dam-keepers. The area burned amounted to 

 41,320 acres. 



The Ottawa River Forest Protective Associa- 

 tion, Mr. Arthur Graham, manager, covers 

 26,618 square miles of territory. In 1919 was 

 encountered one of the worst fire seasons since 

 1914. The permanent patrol staff numbered 

 200 men, including 1 1 inspectors. In the east- 

 ern section, 4,717 acres were burned over, only 

 218 acres representing merchantable timber. 

 In the western section 83,467 acres were burned 

 over, of which 20,694 acres were under mer- 

 chantable timber. These figures include both 

 member and non-member areas. 



The Laurentian Forest Protective Association 

 utilized a staff of 67 men, covering an area of 

 11,163 square miles. There was a total of 69 

 fires as against 96 in 1918. The damage, how- 

 ever, was the heaviest since the association was 

 formed, 58,037 acres being burned over. Mr. 

 R. L. Seaborne, manager of the association, lays 

 emphasis upon the carelessness of employees 

 of the companies and fishermen in failing to ex- 

 tinguish fires during the dry season. He also 

 stresses the urgent need of more intensive edu- 

 cational work. 



The report of the Eastern Division of th? 

 Southern St. Lawrence Forest Protective As- 

 sociation, gives a total of 148 fires in 1919. 

 burning over 1 ,590 acres. The total area pa- 

 trolled was over 5,700,000 acres. Mr. J. D. 

 Brule, manager of the eastern section, did most 

 valuable work along publicity lines and man- 

 aged to deliver 25 lectures during February and 

 March, and do a great deal of other valuable 

 educational work. In the western section, the 

 manager, Mr. C. B. Guerin. reports 76 fires. 

 which burned 1,726 acres. Mr. Guerin's ter 

 ritory covers over 3,400,000 acres. As with the 

 other managers of the Forest Protective .Associa- 

 tion, Mr. Guerin is an enthusiast regarding edu- 

 cational work and has given every co-operation 

 to the Canadian Forestry Associa tion. besides 

 inaugurating special features of his own. 



NEW OFFICERS WOODLANDS SECTION. 



President, Bi igadier-Genoral J. B. White. D. 

 S.O.; vice-president. S. H. DeCarteret: mem- 

 bers of council. Frank Ritchie. Ellwood Wilson, 

 and 1 . r. Keiinv. 



