150 . . EEPOKT OF THE No. 3 



(4) Fires. 



The weather in the earlier part of the fire season was dry. This was par- 

 ticularly the situation in the north-western area of the Province, many sections not 

 receiving any rain till near the middle of June. In consequence, many fires oc- 

 curred in this region, some of which .got beyond control and burned over large areas. 

 For the remainder of the season, on the whol^e, the weather was wet and the hazard 

 low, till the second week in September when a second dry period set in, especially 

 in the east. 



* Fire Summary, 1917. 



1. Number of fires reported: 



1,110, of which 759 had occurred before July 1st. 



2. Causes: 



(a) Settlers clearing land 91 



( b) Neglected camp fires 154 



(c) Railway operation 549 



(d) Lightning 32 



(e) Logging operations 46 



(/) Miscellaneous (known) 40 



(g) Unknown causes 198 



3. Areas: 



■y,: (a) Timber land, mainly coniferous (softwood) 73,160 



(b) Timber land, mainly hardwood 135 



(o) Cutover land, some coniferous timber left 148,408 



(d) Cutover land, some hardwood timber left 2,160 



(e) Young growth,* mainly coniferous 61,806 



(/) Young growth,* mainly hardwood 13,202 



(g) Barren 82,959 



(h) Grassland 2,334 



Total 384,164 



4. Estimate of Timber Damaged : 



(a) Feet, board measure 15,278,000 



(6) Cords (mainly pulpwood) 91,246 



(c) Ties 781,685 



Railway Fires. — As regards the origin of fires the outstanding feature is that 

 almost 50 per cent, of the total number for the season was attributed to railway 

 operation on about 5,000 miles through forest section. The worst conditions obtain 

 on the Canadian Government Railway, where 332 fires out of a total of 549 railway 

 fires, or 60 per cent., occurred. The Canadian Northern Eailway Company was 

 required by the Dominion Board of Eailway Commissioners to place special patrol- 

 men on some 500 miles of their lines. In addition, the Forestry Branch main- 

 tained speeder patrol on some 1,265 miles, mainly on the T. & N. 0. and C. G. E. 



Throughout the season inspections of fire protective appliances on locomotives 

 on railway lines under the jurisdiction of the Board of Eailway Commissioners were 



*Stan.ds averaging up to 6 inches were classified as "young growth;" above that as 

 "timber land." . 



