518 



Cini(i(li(iii /■crcstry Maya.-jiitc, Xorcnihcr, j(jjo 



fires, were noted in the vicinity of Xortli 

 I'.iN' over forty miles away and also si>nu' 

 north of Xcw Liskeard, at an e(|ual (hs- 

 tancf. I f tliese lires had heen a >(innc' ol 

 dandier, dn'ir cxaci loraliuii fmild lia\e 

 heen delerniin(.-(l in a few minutes and, 

 if necessary. ranL;i'i> and tire-ht?htin- 

 equipment could ha\-c Ijcm lanrled on tlu- 

 nearest lake in an Imur. In this rc-ion. 

 where there is such an ahundance of 

 lakes, the sea-plane is the most satisfac- 

 tor\ t\pc n\ machine to use, for smooth 

 open landing; ])laces for aeroplanes are 

 few and far hetweeu in the forest. 



riic BVv^ht of Fire. 



This aerial reconnaissance plainly re- 

 vealed the widespread damage wn night 

 by forest fires in the Timagami i'orest 

 Reserve. When travelling- along the 

 lakes and rivers one gets the impression 

 that the .area is very largely covered with 

 virgin stand of pine, but from above, the 

 prevalence of the white birch and po])lar 

 growth, or bare rocks, shows that im^ 

 niense areas have at one time or another 

 been burned over, leaving a comparative- 

 ly small percentage of the original forest. 

 There is verv little evidence of recent 



fires, wjiicli relied s credit to the fire pro- 

 tection ■>er\ice in that district. 



Trees .Ire Re-eslahlishiiv^. 



I'^xcejit wliere tlie lires have been so 

 severe tliat the- thin covering of soil on 

 the rocks ha> been destroyed. ])oplar and 

 \\\ych \er\ (|uickly become established and. 

 exte])t where fires have occurred repeat- 

 i-dly. nature has also established an ex- 

 cellent reproduction c)f conifers. These 

 young red i)ine, white pine, jack ])ine, 

 si)ruce, balsam and cedar struggle along 

 under tlie shade of the faster growing 

 I )roa<l-lea fed trees, but in time they sur- 

 ])ass these tem])orary species and domin- 

 ate tlie stand. It would cost millions of 

 dollars to replant the area to the same 

 extent which nature has reforested it. 

 and now only protection from fire is 

 necessary to secure another stand of 

 valuable timber. The development of 

 the softwoods woidd be greatly stimul- 

 ated if the i^oplar and birch were re- 

 moved, but until a market is developed 

 for this material, this cannot be consider- 

 ed economicallv feasible and nature's- 

 slower method will have to be depended 

 on. 



Australia Sets Aside Large Reserves 



At a conference held at ]\Ielbourne of 

 the Premiers of all the States of Aus- 

 tralia, it was decided — 



(1.) That an Australian School of 

 Forestry be established in New 

 South \\'ales, and the cost and 

 maintenance of the school be 

 borne by contribution from each 

 State on a population basis, and 

 a subsidy from the Common- 

 wealth equal to one-sixth of the 

 total contributions from the 

 States. 



(2.) That an area of 24,500,000 acres 

 be set aside as a permanent na- 

 tional forest for Australia. 



It is happily clear from these resolu- 

 tions that the leaders of the Governments 

 of Australia recognize the urgency of 

 the forest position, and are prepared to 

 adojjt a remedial policy on an adequate 



scale. The acreage of 24,500,000 refer- 

 red to is based on data supplied by the 

 forest authorities of the various States, 

 and consists of the wdiole of the prime 

 timber country of Australia. This area, 

 when compared with the total area of the 

 Commonwealth. 1.903.360.000 acres., 

 works out at only one per cent. But 

 these figures do not convey an a(lec[uate 

 conception of the forestry position. It 

 must not be lost sight of that the topo- 

 graphical and climatic conditions of 

 Australia are unique and. if it is recollect- 

 ed that only a very limited portion of the 

 whole of the Commonwealth enjoys a 

 sufficient regular rainfall for the growth 

 of large timber, the area to be reserved 

 assumes an entirely new complexion, and 

 bears a rather more satisfactory relation- 

 ship to the real resources of the country 

 as regards land suitable for timber grow- 

 ino-. 



