CANADIAN DEPARTMENT 



BY ELLWOOD WILSON 



PRESIDENT, CANADIAN SOCIETY OF FOREST ENGINEERS 



(The regular publication of the Canadian Department has been interrupted because Mr. Wilson has been engaged in important work lor the Imperial 

 Munitions Board in connection with obtaining airplane spruce. He hopes, however, to continue it without interruption in the future. Editor.) 



ONE of the most important steps toward winning 

 the war is the development of the air fighting 

 forces of the Allies, and as the most important 

 material which enters into their construction is spruce 

 wood, it must be procured on a large scale. Here in 

 Canada this work is being carried on very successfully, 

 more than a million feet of western spruce is being 

 shipped monthly. The work is in charge of Major Austin 

 Taylor, under the Imperial Munitions Board, assisted 

 by H. R. MacMillan, formerly Chief Forester of British 

 Columbia. Before the war broke out the Dominion Com- 

 mission of Conservation had made a thorough survey 

 of the forests of British Columbia and when the need 

 arose this report showed just where to go for the trees 

 and just about what quantities were available. They 

 also had the man who made the report, R. D. Craig, a 

 forester, and they turned him right over to the Imperial 

 Munitions Board for their work. Mr. MacMillan also 

 brought to this work a thorough knowledge of British 

 Columbia's forest resources and an intimate acquaint- 

 ance with the lumbermen, whose confidence he had 

 gained in his work as Chief Forester. Major Taylor's 

 executive ability, coupled with the technical knowledge 

 and local experience of these foresters has made the 

 work of producing western spruce a great success. We 

 have, therefore, in this work, the results of preparedness 

 and the technical skill of trained foresters. 



There is in the present stage of airplane manufac- 

 ture practically no other section that can supply the fac- 

 tories with the material which they want except the 

 Pacific Coast, and it is of the utmost importance that the 

 present stands should be most carefully cut and pro- 

 tected from fire. The manufacturers, working, as always, 

 along the easiest lines, are practically using only solid 

 beams and parts for the planes, and the long lengths 

 required can be cut only from western stock. This 

 entails quite a lot of waste, and the parts are not as 

 strong as those built up, or laminated from smaller 

 pieces glued together. The manufacturers do not seem 

 to realize that it has taken several hundred years to 

 grow this material and that the supply is not unlimited, 

 and that it may easily be much impaired by forest fires. 

 It cannot be replaced for centuries. There is a lack of 

 co-ordination between the forest and the factory which 

 should be eliminated, the manufacturer should make his 

 plans for constructing airplanes and the designer his 

 plans and specifications, so as to use to the best ad- 

 vantage the material at hand. The lumberman should 

 be instructed as to how the material he supplies will 

 ultimately be used and the sawmill man too. Each of 

 the big trees should be cut up so as to yield the largest 



amount of stock and there should not be a particle of 

 waste anywhere along the line. The war may last for 

 several years more and the airplane has come to stay and 

 will play an increasingly large part in the development 

 of our civilization after the war is over. There is no 

 other material known which can take the place of 

 spruce and we should husband our store and should 

 begin to plan for the future. Spruce should be planted 

 in favorable localities and regularly be cultivated for 

 the production of airplane material. 



Every precaution should be taken to protect the 

 western spruce stands from fire, logging debris should be 

 cleared up and an efficient patrol maintained to abso- 

 lutely prevent fires. Production is of prime importance, 

 but nothing should be allowed to endanger the standing 

 trees. 



It is reported that a borer has appeared on the south 

 shore of the St. Lawrence River which is doing quite 

 a lot of damage to the spruce. The Quebec Limit 

 Holders Association has asked the Quebec Forest Pro- 

 tective Association to investigate and see what steps 

 can be taken to combat the pest. The Dominion Ento- 

 mologist is said to have stated that this insect breeds on 

 the logging debris. If this is the case, steps must be 

 taken to dispose of this by fire at the time of logging. 

 It is coming to be realized more and more that we must 

 dispose of our slash to reduce the fire hazard and to 

 insure the health of the standing and growing timber. 



The writer has just been making rather an extensive 

 tour of the sawmills of New England and Quebec, and 

 has reports from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. He 

 has been struck anew with the view point of the saw 

 mills that quantity production is the only end sought. 

 Quality is a very secondary matter. The waste is very 

 large, although steps are being taken at many mills 

 toward closer utilization. The quality of the trees left 

 in the woods is growing poorer and poorer and this 

 makes the output worse. The supplies of soft wood are 

 dwindling rapidly and it is high time that the whole ques- 

 tion of our future timber supply should receive careful 

 study and a plan worked out for the future. Mr. Phillip 

 T. Dodge of the International Paper Company is re- 

 ported in the New York Times as saying : "Most serious 

 is the matter of pulp wood, from which paper is made. 

 The forests of the United States are in great measure 

 exhausted, but in Canada there is a vast supply, largely 

 on Crown Lands. For years this came freely to the 

 United States, being cut under extensive leases, but 

 exportation from the important sections is now pro- 

 hibited and the mills of this country are placed at a great 

 disadvantage. "If the wood supply for the making of 



502 



