390 



Canadian Forestry Mai^azinc. Aiin^ust-Scptcnihcr, i(;20. 



"riiere is a profligious growth of young 

 pine on many of tlie cut-over areas along 

 the Ottawa River, an 1 future harvests of 

 mature timber are assured if fire can 

 be kept out. The future consequences 

 to inihistrial estaljhsliments dependent 

 upon that young growth of pine should 

 make no bill of expense for ranging or 

 educational work seem excessive. 



A good deal is being written l)y 

 amateur observers as to the timber and 

 ])ulpwood resources of the region north 

 of tlie height of land in Ontario and 

 Quebec, but it should not be forgotten 

 that forest fires are annuall\- making 

 such tremendous inroads that the future 

 utility of timber tracts on the northern 

 drainage areas is at best a speculation. 

 When single fires can run for thirty 

 miles, as reported by travellers north of 

 the Transcontinental this season, what 

 hope is there of realizing on such a 

 timber area vears from now when its 



A badly burr.ed piece of country in KaMgne 

 Valley, B.C. 



operati(jn l)ecomes commerciallv feas- 

 ible? 



d'wo forest fires of special violence 

 were those at CJstrom, C)ntario, about 

 ninety miles north of Sudburv on the 

 Canadian National, in July. 'Ihe dam- 

 age was as follows : 



Area fire swept: 25,000 acres. 



10,000 acres of young growth burned 

 (chiefly jackpine). 



300 acres of cr)mmcrcial timber de- 

 stroyed. 



1.^0.000 saw Icjgs and a saw mill burn- 

 ed. 



Damage estimated at $30,000. 



At this point were 5,500 acres of 

 slashings, where fire, once started, could 

 not be fought. 



At Makwa, 55 miles west of Ostrom, 

 this was the record of one fire in May: 



12.000 acres burned, including 500 

 acres of young growth, 5,000 acres of 

 timber, wdiite pine, jackpine and spruce; 

 the white pine destroyed was equal to 

 900,000 feet, board measure ; the jack- 

 pine amounted to 1,500,000 feet, to- 

 gether with 5,000 cords of pulpwood. 

 Camps valued at $5,000 also went up in 

 flame. 



\\'hile the country has been passing 

 through a bad fire year, it is essential to 

 point out that at no period in our history 

 have forest protection organizations been 

 ^o thoroughly organized or so well 

 equipoed. Many "old timers" point 

 proudly to the davs when their books 

 showed very small fire losses in the 

 timber areas, but this may be attributed 

 to one of several causes, or to all of 

 them. The isolation of manv timber 

 limits forty years ago was itself an ef- 

 fective protection, but new conditions of 

 land settlement have introduce! new 

 population and ilew fire hazards. Again, 

 the more intensive fire protective organi- 

 zations of to-day make quicker and more 

 (V^ailed reports concerning forest fires, 

 and in most cases map out the burned 

 area and collect data regarding the 

 ('amage done. 



Lives Lost in Manitoba 



About 30.000 forest fires. L'reat and 

 small, occurred in the United States this 

 Aear. It is probable that Canada has 

 had to suffer from at least 5.000 fires 

 between April and September. There 



