41 G Canada. 



less than 7 per cent, of the land area included. Especi- 

 ally the south-western half of Ontario, between the 

 Great Lakes, which contains the most fertile land, is 

 densely settled, as also the shores of the St. Lawrence. 

 A large part of the remaining forest area is cut over 

 and culled, especially for pine; the amount of White 

 Pine remaining according to estimates made in 1895 

 would now be less than 20 billion feet. Extensive 

 areas have been turned into semi-barrens by repeated 

 fires. 



The Statistician of the Dominion in his report made 

 in that year comes to the conclusion that "the first 

 quality pine has nearly disappeared" and that "we 

 are within measurable distance of the time when, 

 with the exception of spruce as to wood, and of British 

 Columbia as to Provinces, Canada shall cease to be 

 a wood exporting country." 



The composition in general is the same as that of 

 the northern forest in the United States: hardwoods 

 (birch, maple and elm prevailing) with conifers mixed, 

 the latter, especially spruce, becoming occasionally 

 pure. The nearly pure hardwood forest of the southern 

 Ontario peninsula has been almost entirely supplanted 

 by farms, and here, even for domestic fuel, coal, im- 

 ported from the United States, is largely substituted 

 for wood. Although White Pine, the most important 

 staple is found in all parts of this forest region, the 

 best and largest supplies are now confined to the 

 region north of Georgian Bay. Unopened spruce and 

 fir lands still abound especially in Quebec on the Gaspe 

 peninsula and northward. Spruce forms also the 

 largest share in the composition of the New Bruns- 



