viii EEPORT OF THE No. 3 



Woods and Forests, 



The revenue accrual under this head for the year ending the 31st of October 

 last was $2,151,358.14, which is $315,393.82 in excess of the revenue accrual! for 

 the previous year. 



The increased accrual is caused by the coming in force this year of the 

 regulation increasing the timber dues on old limits- The dues on sawlogs have 

 been advanced by 50c. per thousand feet board measure, and on square timber by 

 $25 per thousand feet cubic. The ground rent was increased last year from $3 

 to $5, and the transfer bonus was also increased from $3 to $5 per mile. 



The revenue collected during the year was $1,711,436.87, being $123,543-84 

 less than that of the previous year. The decrease in revenue was caused by 

 lumbermen failing to pay in before the 31st of October, the end of our fiscal 

 year, a number of them finding it impossible to pay at that date. 



The cut of pine sawlogs and boom timber was 29,000,000 feet board measure 

 less than that of last year. There Avas also a small decrease in the quantity of 

 other kinds of timber cut. The cut of pulpwood was 9,000 cords less than that 

 of 1910. There was an increase of 467,171 railway ties over the previous year, 

 and a small increase in the quantity of square timber cut. Under the system 

 of culling and measurement in force with respect to recent timber sales the 

 Crown appoints and pays the men who measure, which has caused an increased 

 expenditure under the head of forest ranging. Half of the expense, however, 

 is refundable by the licensees whose timber is measured under this system. 



There were no timber sales of any consequence held during the year. A 

 few areas which had been injured by fire were offered for sale by tender so as 

 to obtain the value, of the timber for the public. 



Fire Ranging. 



The terrible forest fires that occurred in the Porcupine and Cochrane dis- 

 tricts during the past year are still fresh in ; the public mind. Great destruction 

 of timber took place and a number of lives were lost. The Department has made 

 every effort to ascertain the cause of these fires and locate the responsibility for 

 them, but it has been impossible to fix the responsibility upon any one in particular. 

 The circumstances were such as to render certain the occurrence of terrible forest 

 fires if any one even dropped a lighted match on the ground. Those people who 

 were building small houses used such timber as they required, /leaving the tops 

 and limbs lying on the ground. The same thing happened with respect to the 

 cutting of trees for fuel. When mining is being carried on extensively large 

 nunibers of trees are cut for buildings, fuel and other purposes. Where villages 

 or towns spring up suddenly the same thing occurs on a more extensive scale, 

 until the whole neighborhood is carpeted with limbs and brush, and as Jack pine 

 and Spruce are the principal timbers in that country, and the limbs and needles 

 of the trees are full of resin and highly inflammable, when the summer comes 

 the sun dries them up and they will ignite easily and burn fiercely. This was 

 the state of affairs that existed in the regions of Porcupine and Cochrane last 

 summer when the fires- occurred. The fires extended into the towns and when 

 the buildings became ignited it was impossible to save them, surrounded as they 

 were by a sea of fire. 



The prevention of similar catastrophes will only be secured by those who 

 cut down the trees for any purpose, piling the brush and debris as they cut 



