CANADIAN DEPARTMENT 



945 



The Canadian Department 



By Ell wood Wilson 

 Secretary, Canadian Society Forest Engineers 



The two most important questions in 

 Canada from the standpoint of conserva- 

 tion are still those of settler's fires and 

 fake settlers. Fire protection has made 

 enormous strides in the past three years, 

 but its further progress is almost barred 

 by these two difficulties. 



In order to make the subject intelligible 

 a few words of explanation are necessary. 

 All of the lands in the Provinces were in 

 the hands of the Provincial Governments 

 and these are practically only disposed of 

 in one way and that is to settlers, one 

 hundred acres to each settler, who is re- 

 quired by law to clear a certain propor- 

 tion of his lot each year, erect certain 

 buildings and to make cash payments at 

 the rate of thirty cents per acre. At the 

 end of three years, if all conditions are 

 fulfilled, he receives a patent or the free- 

 hold of his lot. 



All timberlands which are still unset- 

 tled and remain in the hands of the Gov- 

 ernment are "licensed" or leased to lum- 

 bermen at a ground rent of so much a 

 year and a certain price per thousand feet 

 board measure on all timber cut. A 

 diameter limit is imposed below which no 

 timber can be cut. The original reason 

 for this diameter limit was so that the 

 lumberman could not cut oH all the tim- 

 ber, which would spoil the land for settle- 

 ment, as there would be no timber for 

 houses and fences. If settlers were con- 

 fined to certain districts apart from the 

 licensed lands, there would be no fire risk, 

 but lots are sold every year from lands 

 already under license and the clearing 

 operations are a great menace. There are 

 good laws to regulate such clearing but 

 they have never, until six years ago, been 

 enforced, and few of the people even know 

 of their existence. Then, too, judges are 

 very reluctant to impose fines and the 

 Government in trying to punish the set- 

 tlers is hampered by members of Parlia- 

 ment, who do not like to see their con- 

 stituents fined. 



The only thing possible is an educa- 

 tional campaign which should really be 

 carried on by the Government by means 

 of circulars, lectures with lantern slides, 

 circulars and talks in the schools. The.se 

 means are all employed in improving the 

 condition of the farmers and should be 

 used in educating them in the proper care 

 of the forests. 



The question of fake settlers, while not 

 so grave, is still dangerous. This abuse 

 has been largely overcome but needs to 

 be exterminated. Men take up farms pre- 

 tending to be bona fide settlers, cut off 

 the timber and then leave the lots. This 

 \z often engineered by sawmill men, who 

 provide the money and buy the cut. The 



debris from this heavy cutting is a grave 

 fire menace. 



The Deputy Minister of Lands and For- 

 ests of Ontario, Mr. Aubrey White, 

 C.M.G., died suddenly at Muskoka on 

 July 14. Mr. White was one of the early 

 active members of the Canadian Forestry 

 Association and tried to work out the 

 best plans for forest conservation. He 

 was President of the Association in 1904-5 

 and presided at the Quebec meeting. He 

 was for two years Honorary President 

 and after that a Director. Mr. White held 

 very strong views as to what was the best 

 way to promote forestry progress and was 

 probably prevented by his chiefs and po- 

 litical needs from carrying out his views, 

 but it is to be hoped that the handling 

 of Ontario's timberlands will now be 

 brought up to date. Personally Mr. White 

 was a charming man and he will be much 

 missed by his friends. 



The publicity campaign being carried on 

 by Mr. Robson Black, Secretary of the 

 Canadian Forestry Association, shows what 

 can be done along these lines and is really 

 the most important part of the work of 

 the Association. Education is at the bot- 

 tom of all progress and those who have 

 endeavored to help along the cause of con- 

 servation are compelled more and more to 

 realize this. The material furnished to 

 the papers and magazines and the num- 

 ber of these using it show the value of 

 this work. 



Mr. Clyde Leavitt, Forester to the Do- 

 minion Railway Commission, the Conser- 

 vation Commission and President of the 

 Canadian Society of Forest Engineers, 

 spent three days recently inspecting the 

 work of the Laurentide Co., Ltd., at 

 Grand' Mere, going over the plantations, 

 nursery and experimental cuttings, look- 

 ing over roads and fire lines. Plans for 

 the work of the Canadian Society of For- 

 est Engineers were also discussed with the 

 Secretary, Mr. EUwood Wilson. Mr. 

 Leavitt also attended a meeting of the 

 St. Maurice Forest Protective Association 

 which discussed the advisability of pro- 

 ceeding against some flagrant violators of 

 the Forest Fire Laws. It was decided to 

 take action against three of these, making 

 test cases and the Association's lawyer 

 was instructed to proceed. A report of all 

 the fires to date this season was made by 

 the manager and discussed. The tota' 

 number was twenty-five, divided as fol- 

 lows : Settlers, 13 ; employes of com- 

 panies who are Association members, 7; 

 unknown, 4, and hunter, 1. Three fires 

 were started by men who wanted work. 

 The most serious situation disclosed by 

 this report was the lack of active coopera- 

 tion by employes of companies who be- 

 long to the Association. This is due tf 

 lack of interest on the part of heads of 

 Woodlands Departments, which attitude 

 is seen by their subordinates and reflected 

 in their conduct. Among the fires set by 

 settlers several were set in one section 

 where fake settlers are operating. They 

 sell their timber to a sawmill owner, who 

 is powerful politically. 



The July number of the Canadian For- 

 estry Journal is an excellent and most 

 readable one. 



Mr. Henri Roy, of the Quebec Forest 

 Service, has been elected an active mem- 

 ber of the Canadian Society of Forest En- 

 gineers, and Mr. E. S. Holloway, Engineer 

 of the Canada and Gulf Terminal Railway, 

 an associate member. 



Mr. S. L. de Carteret, Forester for the 

 Brown Corporation, has made some very 

 interesting growth studies on trees grow- 

 ing in latitude 48 degrees north. His re- 

 sults show that the average volume per 

 cent of mean annual growth is for white 

 spruce, 0.69; for black spruce, 0.64; for 

 balsam fir, 1.36, and for jack pine, 0.99. 

 The periodic annual growth of last inch 

 is on the average for white spruce 1.50 per 

 cent, for black spruce 1.48 per cent, for 

 balsam fir 3.08 per cent, and for jack 

 pine 1.59 per cent. 



The Dominion Forest Service has under 

 consideration the commencement of ex- 

 perimental forest work and the probable 

 establishment of one or more experimental 

 stations all under the charge of one head. 

 This will be a long step in advance and 

 will supply a great deal of information 

 which is badly needed in practical work 

 Growth of trees and stands can be stud- 

 ied, the best mixtures to plant, the relf 

 live values of natural and artificial 

 regeneration, the effects of light on differ- 

 ent species, the costs of various logging 

 methods and their effects on stands can 

 all be studied to advantage. 



Mr. F. J. Campbell, the progressive 

 manager of the Canada Paper Company of 

 Windsor Mills, Que., has just had an ex- 

 pert looking over the timberlands of that 

 ccmpany, to advise him as to best meth- 

 ods of handling these lands so as to put 

 them in the best possible condition for 

 future production. This company will 

 probably institute a good method of slash 

 disposal and start a nursery for their 

 planting needs. They have excellent 

 limits which will well repay careful treat- 

 ment, as they are all within twenty miles 

 of their mill, easy stream to drive, and 

 the process used in making pulp allows 

 them to utilize all sizes and species of 

 wood. 



