230 



REPORT OF THE 



No. 3 



Balsam Poplar. — This poplar grows close to the water, usually in clumps 

 along river banks, and is found extensively on the islands in the lower Moose 

 River, near the Bay. Like the aspen, it is much affected with heart rot. 



Paper Birch. — Going north down the rivers towards James Bay, the birch 

 becomes reduced in numbers. It is not plentiful, except around the lakes on 

 Indian Reserve No. 9, where a considerable quantity was found in mixture with 

 conifers; here about two cords to the acre. 



White Pine, Black Ash, Elm. — These species are of botanical interest only. 

 A few white pine were seen on an island below Little Long Rapids, Mattagami 

 River. Black ash was noted near Devils Rapids on Mattagami River, growing 

 to tree size, and below Island portage towards the Lobstick portage on the 

 Abitibi River, a shrubby growth of the species occurs. A few trees of white 

 elm, 36 inches D.B.H. were observed near Devils Rapids on the Mattagami 

 River. 



V. Results 



The total area of 13,500 square miles or 8,640,000 acres falls naturally into 

 two regions — a belt of low-lying very poorly drained country adjacent to James 

 Bay, called in this report the coastal plain, and containing 5.8 million acres, or 

 67.4 per cent. of the whole; with the remainder, or northern clay belt better drained 

 and comprising 2.8 million acres or 32.6 per cent. On the map, these two 

 regions are separated by a broken black line running slightly southeasterly 

 from the Long Rapids on the Mattagami River to the Quebec boundary. 



Of the territory, slightly under 1,500,000 acres, or 17.2 per cent., support 

 tree growth of pulpwood size. Of this acreage 36.6 per cent, consists of mixed 

 stands and 63.4 per cent, of pure black spruce. Approximately 73 per cent, of 

 the timbered area is in the northern clay belt, with only 27 per cent, in the 

 coastal plain. It covers 38.8 per cent, of the area of the northern clay belt, 

 and only 6.8 per cent, of the coastal plain. 



The remainder of the territory, around seven million acres, contains no com- 

 mercial pulpwood supplies. It is classified as muskeg, dwarf black spruce, burn 

 and water, constituting respectively, 28.4, 27.9, 21.9 and 4.6 per cent, of the 

 whole. 



The details of the classification of the whole territory are given in table I. 

 below. 



