134 REPORT OF THE No. 3 



Timagami West Forest Survey 



As mentioned previously the whole survey involved the examination of 

 fifty-eight townships but of these thirty-six were reported on as to forest types 

 and age classes and an estimate made of the standing timber by townships and 

 watersheds. The total area comprises slightly over 798,000 acres made up of 

 the following townships — Aylmer, Amyot, Asquith, Browning, Brunswick, 

 Burrows, Cabot, Churchill, Connaught, Cotton, Doyle, Emerald, Fawcett, 

 Fraleck, Garibaldi, Gouin, Hassard, Hazen, Hodgetts, Howey (west half), 

 Kelvin, Kemp, Leask, Londonderry, MacMurchy, Mattagami, Miramichi, 

 Mond, Natal, Ogilvie, Parkin, Sheard, Stetham (north half), Stull, Togo, Unwin 

 and Valin. 



Field work commenced May 28th and up to August 1st, fifteen men or two 

 parties were employed. For the balance of the season or until September 22nd 

 there were twenty-three men or three parties. The party working on the Loch 

 Lomond watershed finished their work the latter part of July and were trans- 

 ferred to the Timagami West District thus forming the third party. 



The method of the survey was in general similar to that employed in other 

 years. It differs, however, in the intensity of the ground work. As aerial 

 sketch maps were only prepared for parts of the area the maps were constructed 

 from the field strip data. Splendid results can be obtained in this way especially 

 since the township lines afforded control and check lines. Furthermore, having 

 more strips per township considerably increases the accuracy of the estimate 

 when applied to smaller timber types. Strips were consistently run at one 

 half mile intervals and varied from eleven to thirty-three feet in width. Eleven 

 feet was used in pulpwood and second growth stands and thirty-three feet for 

 the lumber species. In many cases the two widths were combined on the same 

 strip. 



For the field operations and subsequent office work the cost was 1 .6 cents 

 per acre. 



Forest Description. 



Physiography. — The whole tract lies in a height of land country. Propor- 

 tionately thirty-three per cent, or 261 ,000 acres are tributary to the Wanapitei 

 River, twenty-two per cent, or 177,000 acres tributary to the Montreal river 

 and the balance forty-five per cent, or 360,000 acres to the Mattagami ri\er. 



Forest Age Classes. — The outstanding feature of this surveyed tract is the 

 high percentage of the area occupied by mature or commercial stands, namely, 

 sixty-two per cent. In no other forest survey made to date and over an area 

 this large has the percentage been as high. 



The balance of the tract is made up of second growth eleven per cent., 

 young growth seven per cent., recent burn, i.e., unclassified areas burned over 

 within the past ten years eleven per cent., and waste and water nine per cent. 



Timber Estimate. 



It is not intended here to state the actual estimate. However, certain 

 features of the estimate do help to describe the country. White and red pine 

 are estimated in feet board measure, jack pine in^F.B.M. or cords or ties, and 

 spruce, balsam, poplar and birch in cords. 



The estimate of j^ck pine almost equals that of spruce, 



