16 EEPOET OF THE ' No. 3 



The above improvement is due to increased protective metliods applied along 

 railway lines, but evidently from the report it is greatly owing to the increased 

 efficiency of locomotive inspection work. This work, which is carried out by 

 provincial officers under the jurisdiction of the Board of Railway Commissioners 

 of Canada, is assisting to a large extent in the elimination of railway fires. 



One interesting feature of the report is the fact that 65.5 per cent, of the 

 season's fires originated in cut-over areas in which the logging slash created a 

 serious fire hazard. This again emphasizes the necessity for further measures in 

 connection with the solving of the slash disposal problem. 



During the past season 6,154 permits were issued for the burning of slash. 

 The slash on 22,767 acres was burned under the issuing of these permits. 



FoEEST Investigation. 



The Forestry Branch has carried on during the past season a new line of work 

 in connection with forest survey and land classification. This work is being done 

 in the southern part of the Huron and Ottawa region, covering the southern 

 portion of the Fire District. The survey is being done to differentiate forest land 

 from agricultural land and to record the various features of the region from the 

 standpoint of future forest management. One million seven hundred and twenty 

 thousand acres were covered during the past season, and it is predicted that all 

 of the region south of Lake Nipissing will be finished during the coming season. 

 This is the -first work done in connection with the plan of a definite forest recon- 

 naissance of the Province. 



Refokestation. 



The work connected with reforestation has been enlarged along the following 

 lines. The equipment and nursery organization at the Provincial Forest Station 

 at Norfolk has been enlarged in order to meet the growing demands for forest 

 planting stock. During the past season the Forestry Branch were able to secure 

 a very fine lot of native forest tree seeds, which will be used in the further pro- 

 duction of nursery stock to facilitate this work. The distribution of trees was 

 again carried on, over some 130,000 trees having been shipped out to various appli- 

 cants. It is interesting to note that these forest plantations, which are made by 

 way of demonstration, and for educational purposes, are having a splendid effect 

 in influencing local opinion along these lines. 



Tree Diseases. 



Durino- last summer Dr. J. H. Faull continued his investigations of diseases 

 of trees in Northern Ontario, his chief work being connected with studies of com- 

 mercial trees in Temagami Forest Reserve region. Details of this work are given 

 in the Forestry Branch Report, and evidently the problem of forest tree diseases 

 will require considerable investigation as it appears that it will influence future 

 cutting methods and policy as to future sales. See Appendix No. 48, page 206, 



Beniah Bowman, 



Minister. 



Department of Lands and Forests, 

 Toronto, October 31ts, 1920. 



