r!Vl/>/l\ rORESTRT ASSOCIATION 101 



Mr. STEWART. The subject of forest fires seems a very popular one. This meet- 

 ing, as I said last night, being held in the city of Toronto, the discussions have neces- 

 sarily largely had reference to this province. I therefore feel it a duty to those who 

 will read this report that they should have some record placed there regarding the 

 work that is being done outside of the province; in the North-west Territories, British 

 Columbia and Manitoba. When I undertook the work there were two distinct pro- 

 positions that seemed to demand attention. One was with reference to existing forests, 

 and the other with reference to tree planting on the bare plains where there were no 

 trees whatever. Mr. Dennis and Mr. Hutt have spoken on subjects that I am tolerably 

 familiar with, particularly in the case of Mr. Dennis's paper, where he deals with the 

 conditions in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains south of the Bow river and the 

 necessity of preserving that forest intact. The reason for this is apparent. It is the 

 source of the South Saskatchewan river. The numerous streams that flow therefrom 

 have their rise in this great range of mountains, and along the eastern foothills we 

 have set aside a reserve, and I am sorry we have not a coloured map here to show it 

 properly. That reserve set apart is one of the most important for another reason. As 

 you are aware they are doing large irrigation works along the plains region there east 

 of the mountains, and it is essential to the success of irrigation that the source of 

 water supply be kept intact. I have here, and I trust it will not weary you at all, a 

 list of the timber reserves that have been set aside by the Dominion Government, and 

 it will only take a few moments for me to read them. I do not know that the areas 

 were referred to as fully in the report as they are here. We have first in Manitoba 

 tho Riding Mountain Timber Reserve at the headwaters of the Assiniboine river, and 

 several other streams flowing north from that mountain. The Riding Mountain 

 reserve contains 1,098,240 acres, embracing between 45 and 50 townships. The Duck 

 Mountain reserve, north of that, has an area of 709,760 acres, and the reserve in the 

 Porcupine Mountains, just northward from the latter has an area of 1,382,400 acres. 

 The two latter have been set aside within the last two or three years. The object of 

 withdrawing them from settlement is this : They occupy a well-timbered area. They 

 will probably not be permanent timber reserves, because the land in many cases there 

 is productive. But it has excellent spruce growing on it, and at present, at all events, 

 it is as well to keep it reserved, especially as the land is wet and not as well fitted for 

 agriculture as the other parts. It is therefore as well not to settle this district when 

 there is so much good land on the plains adjoining, and besides the timber is required 

 for use on the plains. The Turtle Mountain Reserve has an area of 69,120 acres. The 

 above named reserves are all in Manitoba and the total area of timber reserves in this . 

 province is 3,449,600 acres. Now, it is generally supposed that Manitoba is a prairie 

 province, but the fact is that fully one-half of Manitoba is more or less timbered. 

 I do not mean to say that it is timbered as Ontario is, but there is only perhaps about 

 one-half of it that might be termed open prairie. 



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Then, take the North-west Territory. We have in the Moose Mountain Reserve 

 103,040 acres; in the Beaver Hills Reserve, 170,880 acres; Cooking Lake Reserve, 

 108,300 acres; Rocky Mountain Park, 2,880,000 acres. Formerly the park was com- 

 paratively small, but within the last two years it has been added to, making an area 

 as I said before, of about 2,880,000 acres. In the foothills, which I mentioned a little 



