CANADIAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 91 



the forest floor of dry pine needles, and all exposed to sun and wind, and ready for 

 any chance spark to set them on fire and burn up the surrounding timber. And when 

 it is also known that there was added regularly year after year for the greater part 

 of a century an average of over two hundred thousand of these fire-spreading timber 

 zones throughout the forests in all pine timber sections of the country, the debris left 

 by each stick covering an area of ground of probably five thousand square feet in ex- 

 tent, would it not look as if it would require almost the constant intervention of 

 Providence to save the pine forests of the country from destruction by fire. 



I know that it may be said that there are sections of the country where fires have 

 been very destructive to the forests, and yet no square timber had been made therein, 

 but I know of few sections where the lumberman had not been in advance of the fire; 

 and the manner in which saw-logs were got out, say fifty years ago, when hardly any 

 value was placed upon the timber, was but slightly less destructive to the forests than 

 in making square timber. At that time only first quality deals, which were called mer- 

 chantable, were regularly purchased; and although buyer and seller might agree on 

 a certain proportion of seconds, all qualities below these grades were culls. Then 

 only what were called deal logs, or logs that would saw out largely clear lumber, would 

 be taken from" the woods the slightest defect culled the log with the result that the 

 whole lumbering country was overrun by jobbers to get deal logs for the insatiable 

 saw-mill; trees were cut down, every one of which, and every part of which, would 

 now be taken with avidity, were on account of some trifling defect left to rot in 

 the woods ; net works of roads were made everywhere through the woods to be grown up 

 afterwards with underbrush one of the chief means of spreading the fire and no 

 thought whatever was then given by any one to check the spread of fire when started, 

 unless in the vicinity of fences or buildings. 



Even to-day those intrusted with the administration of our affairs scarce give 

 a thought to the seriousness of the situation, and even boast of our forest wealth, 

 when the invaluable white pine, our most important forest resource, is about gone; 

 and our lumber merchants in the city of Montreal, at the mouth of the great Ottawa 

 river, that only a few years ago we were told contained inexhaustible supplies of the 

 finest white pine, are now forced to send to the southern states and the Pacific as the 

 cheapest places from which to supply their customers with suitable timber for build- 

 ing purposes. 



And instead of exporting from Quebec 23,147,500 cubic feet of white pine, as 

 was done in 1863, when I was engaged in this trade, the total export last year was only 

 1,491,843 cubic feet or little over six per cent, while the prices which then ranged from 

 6 to 16 cents per cubic feet have now more than quadrupled, and range from 35 to 65 

 cents per foot for smaller and inferior timber. 



And to know that there are good reasons for believing that a large amount of pine 

 that has been needlessly sacrificed to the flames might have been saved, one has only to 

 read the recent Crown Lands and Forestry reports of Ontario, where it is shown that 

 since the province inaugurated a fire-ranging system very few serious fires have 

 occurred, and doubtless many million dollars' worth of timber have been saved to the 

 country. Its efficiency being highly appreciated by all Ontario limit holders, who also 

 contribute to its cost, and in commendation thereof I heard Mr. J. R. Booth state 

 at one of our forestry meetings that, ' one forest fire occurs now where there were ten 

 a few years ago,' and he attributed this satisfactory result to the excellent system of 

 fire-ranging in operation now in the province of Ontario. 



From the report of the Crown Lands department of Quebec for the fiscal year 

 1901-2 I find that out of receipts paid into the treasury by limit holders of over one 

 million dollars ($1,055,037), there was expended for the super-vision and protection 

 of the provincial forests from fire on an area of 116,500 square miles, equal to 72,500,- 

 000 acres (the area of leased limits alone amounting to 62,952 square miles, equal to 

 40,000,000 acres), the petty sum of $7,226 ! 



This makes the annual cost of fire protection about $100 for each million acres, 

 or less than 6 cents per square mile, while at the same time the government is receiv- 



