REGENERATION OF PULPWOOD LANDS 5 



which a ratio between the annual accumulation of wood fibre and 

 the amount annually removed by the pulpwood operations, can be 

 established. This ratio is essential to a reasonably accurate predic- 

 tion of the duration of the pulpwood supply. 



Reproduction Tne replacement of the pulpwood removed by any 

 Spfdes 00 * 1 a S enc y is brought about in the first instance by the 



growth of the small non-commercial trees already 

 on the area. These, in turn, become of commercial size, they are 

 eventually cut, and their place must be supplied by new individuals. 

 New spruce and balsam must establish themselves in the forest if 

 the supply of pulpwood is to be continued beyond one generation 

 of trees. Therefore, the third line of enquiry to follow in order to 

 solve our problem, is the rate of reproduction of the pulpwood 

 species on the cut-over pulpwood lands. If the logging operations, 

 or the fires which often follow them, change conditions to such an 

 extent that spruce and balsam cannot maintain themselves in their 

 former commercial quantities, the supply of pulpwood on those 

 areas cannot be maintained. 



GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION IN ST. MAURICE VALLEY 



Investigations to determine the rate of replacement of pulp- 

 wood material by growth and by reproduction on cut-over, lands, 

 were carried out by the Commission last summer. Through the 

 generous co-operation of the Laurentide Company and its forester, 

 Mr. Ellwood Wilson, the work was carried on in the holdings of this 

 company in the lower portion of the St. Maurice valley in Quebec. 



The forest here contains patches of pure hardwoods 

 Predominant an< ^ P atcnes f pure conifers, but mostly they occur 



in mixed stands. Numerically, balsam leads in the 

 mixture, with 36 per cent, yellow birch comes next with 26 per cent, 

 and spruce, which, by the way, is practically all red spruce and not 

 the same as the black spruce, as is generally supposed, makes up 

 20 per cent of the forest. The minor species are cedar, 7.3 per cent; 

 sugar maple, 5 per cent; paper birch, 3 per cent; hemlock, 1.4 per 

 cent; and beech, 1.3 per cent. This type of forest occupies between 

 two-thirds and three-fourths of the region studied. The old burns 

 and the swamps were neglected. 



It must be borne in mind that the results and conclusions 

 herein stated refer only to this particular forest type and are in no 

 way to be construed as applying to other portions of the St. Maurice 

 valley, or of Quebec. 



