1927 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS 15 



Forest Cruising and Estimating 



All small aieas of township size offered for sale from time to time are inten- 

 sively cruised and estimated by rangers, directly attached to the oflfices of the 

 Crown Timber Agents, who are directed to show the type, quantities and 

 qualities of the timber or wood thereon. 



Information on the cutting and driving possibilities is tabulated as a guide 

 to the Department in fixing its upset price for competition. 



The large areas comprised in pulp concessions are carefully mapped by 

 trained officials of the Forestry Branch, and the ground men, working in close 

 conjunction with the air men, make systematic cruises and scientific calculations 

 to determine the approximate cordage on a given area. Such work was con- 

 tinued during the year and new regions were in detail mapped and estimated as 

 to type, quantities and growth of the timber. 



The time saved by using the aerial mapping system in collaboration with 

 ground foresters is an important factor in furnishing inventories of our resources. 

 The Department may without fruitless effort intelligently consider industrial 

 propositions on their own merits. The speculative feature of promotions is 

 largely eliminated and sane business conclusions readily reached. (See Appendix 

 No. 36.) 



r 



Forest Fire Protection 



The season as a whole was, like the two preceding seasons, particularly 

 favourable for forest fire control. There were no really prolonged and serious 

 periods of hazard so conducive to large fires, the rainfall throughout the summer 

 months being great in frequency rather than in quantity and the staff was able 

 to control most fires before any material loss was occasioned. The general 

 public, too, is taking more interest in fire protection, resulting in the reporting 

 of fires to the rangers and enabling them to extinguish many before getting 

 beyond control. 



In the outlying regions of the Province the detection of fires was carried 

 out largely through the use of aircraft and in the Red Lake mining area the 

 transportation of fire fighters and fire-fighting equipment was done almost 

 entirely by aircraft. 



The total area of land burned over was 88,374 acres, the smallest acreage 

 since 1918. Of this amount 14.4 per cent, was timber land, 25.2 per cent, land 

 which has been logged over, 32.7 per cent, second growth, and 27.7 per cent, 

 barren and grass lands. 



Great quantities of slash, particularly in the Clay Belt region, were burned 

 under permits issued by the fire rangers, very few of these permit fires getting 

 beyond control. 



The supply of fire-fighting equipment was augmented by the purchase of 

 additional fire-fighting units, tents, blankets, canoes, motor boats and motor 

 trucks. In municipal fire protection speed in getting to a fire with up-to-date 

 fire-fighting apparatus is an essential factor in fire control and this is no less 

 true in forest fire protection. 



The total cost of forest protection for the year was somewhat less than in 

 the previous year, the cost of actual fire fighting being half what it was in 1925. 

 (See Appendix No. 36.) y 



