1922-23 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS 181 



(a) Northern Area — 



The northern area, some fifteen hundred square miles, or 30 per cent, 

 of the whole, is unusually dry, or lacking in lakes and rivers, and has been 

 subjected to severe and repeated burning, so that, with the exception of 

 100 square miles of moderately good spruce pulpwood in the northwest 

 corner, tributary to James Ba\ drainage (see type map), fully 85 per cent, 

 may now be classified as barren, burned and muskeg, with a liberal 15 per 

 cent, allowance for the scrubby remains of former timber stands fringing 

 watercourses, and in damp hollows. 



Under the above conditions it was not considered advisable to expend 

 the time or run the risks necessary to prepare a detailed type map of this 

 territory. 



(b) Southern Area — 



South of the northern line of the Canadian National Railway, very 

 much less country has been burned over, at least within the last eighty 

 years. 



(1) General Forest Conditions — 



Due to the rugged character of the country, and lack of soil, the 

 area as a source of timber is rather disappointing. Rocky uplands, 

 sometimes fairly level, with very thin soils, bounded by quite abrupt 

 boulder-strewn slopes, and covered with either open park-like stands, 

 or undersized slow-growing stands, are of common occurrence and 

 might be taken as typical of a great deal of the southern area. 



Better stands are confined to lake basins, valleys, and scattered 

 sand plains, with a few notable exceptions, where best quality mixed 

 stands occur on high plateaus. 



(2) Occurrence of Types — 



The predominating type is a mixture of spruce or jack pine with 

 poplar and birch, though occasionally both spruce and jack pine enter 

 into the mixture. 



Pure conifer follows mixed, in order of frequency of occurrence. 

 It is found as both a lowland, pure spruce swamp and as an upland 

 type, although in this latter situation there is frequently a slight mixture 

 of birch and poplar. 



Pure birch and poplar stands occur in such small patches that the 

 type was not differentiated, but was thrown in as a mixed type. 



(3) Species occurring in commercial quantities — 



Black spruce, white spruce, jack pine, balsam, poplar and birch. 



(4) Species occurring in non-commercial quantities — 



White pine, red pine, black ash, cedar, tamarack. 



(5) One hundred and four hours' flying — 



Four special landings for sample plot work, and investigation of 

 timber conditions. 



(6) Cost- 



Approximately, one-half cent per acre; total cost, approximately, 

 $15,000. 



