88 EEPORT OF THE No. 3 



birch, also occurs east of the lakes on the south boundary of Geikie. There are 

 numerous cedar swamps within the area, but the trees are usually short and limby, 

 often hollow, and seldom in sufficient quantity in any one locality. The tamarac, 

 while a common tree over the whole area, is all dead and much of it too far ad- 

 vanced in decay to be commercially valuable. White pine is scarcely a factor in the 

 forest growth of this section, being mostly confined to scattered trees of little com- 

 mercial importance. The largest area of white pine observed was between the 

 west boundary of McArthur and the stream flowing north into Lake Papakomeka. 

 There is one belt here extending about a mile north and south from opposite about 

 2y2 M. to 31/^ M., of trees from 14 to 24 inches in diameter, and many scattered 

 trees. Much of this area, however, was burned clean during June of the current 

 year and the timber, including this pine, fire killed. 



How much damage the fire has caused during the present season throughout 

 the area covered by the survey, it would be difficult to estimate, but it has swept a 

 large area, and where it struck the old windfallen brules it left little but bare sand. 

 About the middle of June, bush fires began to be in evidence, and clouds of smoke 

 could be seen now in one direction and now in another, and on the 24th of that 

 month, on resuming our westerly meridian, we entered the fire area, at V. M. on the 

 west boundary of McArthur. This fire swept across the above township from the 

 east, travelling from east of Lake Papakomeka across the part traversed by the 

 meridian in a single night and spreading west and south. A great part of this town- 

 ship was swept by this fire. In running the meridian south across McArthur and 

 the northerly part of Bartlett we were compelled to keep our camp on the canoe 

 route leading south from Lake Papakomeka, owing to the near proximity of the fire, 

 and even along this water route the bush was burning, and it required the utmost 

 vigilance to preserve the outfit from destruction. On two nights on the water route 

 our camp was surrounded by fire and trees were crashing down within a few chains. 

 Caches of supplies had to be made carefully, in one case in a canoe anchored out 

 in the lake, canoes had to be guarded, and at all times fire was a main factor in 

 all our movements. The smoke obscured the sun during the day and the sicken- 

 ing crash of falling trees was an ever-present sound. This condition of things 

 ended in one grand rush of the fire to overtake us when running our south base 

 line west across the large lake, presumably Akikenda, between IV. M. and V. M. on 

 the south boundary of Bartlett. In this we barely escaped across the lake with our 

 supplies before the flames reached the west shore. This fire travelled on a west wind 

 through an old windfallen brule with frightful rapidity, and was still burning in 

 the green timber along the lake when we moved east on our line the following day. 

 From here east, however, we saw no more fire. On sending men back along our 

 westerly meridian to bring up canoes left at Porcupine Portage on the Mattagami 

 Eiver, they reported burnt country from about III. M. on the west boundary of 

 Adams to Niven's base line. This was all green when the line was run early in 

 June. 



We had abundant opportunity for observation and reflection on the subject 

 of forest fires, and it appears strongly to us that mineral development and timber 

 conservation in the same area are policies incompatible, and that a very few sea- 

 sons of the tinder box variety, such as the present, will be sufficient to wipe out 

 timber, values in this Reserve, unless much more drastic measures are adopted for 

 its protection. 



