CANADIAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 45 



ing the ravages of forest fires. In the year 1885 the legislature passed the Act now 

 in force. It contains provisions prohibiting fires from being set between the first 

 day of May, and 1st December, except in clearing land, obtaining warmth or necessary 

 industrial purposes, and then precautionary measures to be taken. It is the opinion 

 of many that no fires should be set at all, except under a written permit from the fire 

 warden of the district. No fire to be set in the forest without first clearing away a 

 spot five feet from where the fire is to be set. The Act provides that lumbermen shall 

 call their crews together, read the Act and warn them as to setting of fires. 



The railway companies are required to provide their smoke-stacks with a bonnet, 

 or screen, interwoven at the draught with three wires (three times as many wires 

 for wood as for coal) and sectionmen to pass over their sections once a day. The 

 right of way to be cleared of all combustible material. A further Act provides that 

 $2,000 can be expended in any one 'year, in carrying out the provisions as enacted. 

 It is the opinion of many that while the provisions are to a large extent admirable, 

 this Act can only be carried out by a well selected corps of foresters and fire wardens, 

 permanently employed by the province, and along the same lines as the regulations 

 of the province of Ontario. These wardens could act as sealers of lumber, fishery and 

 game wardens, Labour Act commissioners and in other capacities of a public nature. 

 The outlay for such a service would be large, but the results would be far-reaching 

 and in the best interests of the province. There is no question in New Brunswick to- 

 day of more importance than the preservation of the forests. 



The total area remaining in the possession of the Crown, as stated at the outset, 

 is in the vicinity of 7 millions of acres, of which quantity, 6i millions are under 

 timber license, the remaining one million acres, being to a large extent, burnt and 

 barren lands. Licenses from the Crown are issued annually, but there is an under- 

 standing they will run to August 1, 1918. The stumpage on spruce, pine, fir and cedar 

 is $1.25 per M. sup. ft., and the yearly rental is $8 per sq. mile. 



The average annual cut for the last five years has been 120 millions of sup. feet, 

 classified as follows: 



Spruce and pine 95 millions sup. feet 



Cedar 15 



Hardwood 4 



Hemlock 3 " 



Fir. . 3 



Total 120 



Twenty-six sealers are employed to survey this lumber. There is a chief sealer 

 in addition, whose duty it is to oversee the sealers under him and report to the de- 

 partment the various operations being carried on and the probable cut of each opera- 

 tor. 



There are restrictions in the licenses, as to the cutting of undersized lumber, 

 and no tree is allowed to be cut down that will not make a log 18 feet long and 10 

 inches art the small end. The government have, at various times been strongly pressed 

 to allow undersized logs to be cut for pulpwood, but so far these requests have been 

 met with refusal. In some sections where spruce has been found to be of a stunted 

 or slender growth and would never mature to sawlogs, the government have allowed 

 the lumber to be removed, but the quantity so cut has been very small indeed. 



In administering the forests of the Crown, one of the greatest difficulties met 

 with i to guard the department against fraudulent applications for land, under the 

 Lniise of settlement. 



The tendency in applying for settling lands, is to secure a lot sufficiently timber- 

 ed so as to allow the settler something at the start he can turn into money, either by 

 cutting the logs himself or selling his chance to some one else, which is directly con- 

 trary to the provisions of the Labour or Settlement Act. The groater number of 

 those applying have no other motive than to cut off the lumber, and then allow their 

 applications to lapse. 



