1920 21 



DEPARTMENT OF LAXDS AND FORESTS. 



207 



Appendix No. .'^8. 

 Report of Forestry Branch, 1920, 



Sir, — Tlie report of the work of this Branch for the year ending 31st October, 

 1920, is given under the sections of Forest Protection, Forest Investigation, 

 Reforestation, and Forest Pathology. 



I. Forest Protection. 

 (1) Personnel. 



The average daily force was: During April, 19; May, 406; June, 910; July. 

 962; August, 916; September, 600; October, 28. The total number of persons em- 

 ployed for at least a part of the season was 1,209 ; of these 240 resigned after a 

 time, and TO were dismissed for various reasons. Such a turnover, of 25 per cent, 

 in the field force in the short space of five months is detrimental to the organization. 



(2) Expenditure. 



The expenditure for the fiscal year was $506,107.71, classified as below, with 

 the figures for the preceding years given for comparison. As an offset to this, 

 protection accounts accruing for the year totalled approximately $240,000.00. 



CLASSIFICATION OF EXPENDITURE 



Item 



1920 



1919 



Pay roll 



Equipment 



Expendable property 

 Travel (inspection) . 

 ImproveTnent work . 

 Extra fire fighting . . 

 Express, postage, etc, 

 Miscellany 



Total 



$398,919 61 



22,287 83 



16,589 99 



17,495 93 



1,591 01 



41,491 24 



5.401 02 



2.331 08 



$405,212 30 



22,899 02 



13.903 06 



15.826 37 



4.765 35 



58.863 92 



5.646 47 



5.955 02 



$506,107 71 



$528,071 51 



1918 



$416,500 00* 



28,350 00 



10,700 00 



13,440 00 



4,280 00 



1,445 00 



5.365 00 



6,054 78 



,134 78 



*■ Figures rounded off. 



(3) Fires. 



The outstanding features of forest administration in this Province as in all 

 Eastern Canada is the inability to control the losses from forest fires. The under- 

 taking is so large and its bearing so important that the other phases of adminis- 

 trative work are comparatively minor matters. The successful working out of 

 this problem will result in timber growth on the bulk of our cut-over lands. It 

 is true that this growth will often not be as satisfactory as we would like, but any 

 sort of a crop is better than barrens. 



Up to the present a factor contributing largely to the difficulty of handling 

 the situation has been the impermanency of the organization. This matter was 

 referred to at length in last year's report. Since the close of this fire season 



