CONSERVATIVE LUMBERING 



IN CANADA * 



Would It Be Practicable for the Owners of Canadian 

 Timber Limits to Practice Conservative Cutting? 



BY 



E. STEWART 



I HAVE asked a question here which In the first place let me ask you to 

 * cannot be correctly answered by take a pine tree, say eleven inches at 

 "Yes" or "No." It may, however, be the stump, growing on a limit two 

 safely said that it would be as imprac- or three hundred miles from a mill 

 ticable for the lumbermen of Canada here in Ottawa. That tree will per- 

 as a whole to adopt the intensive sys- haps make two twelve foot logs of an 

 terns of Germany and other European average diameter of nine inches. Ac- 

 countries, admirable as they are there, cording to Doyle's rule that tree will 

 as it would be for them to introduce yield thirty-eight feet board measure 

 all the timber trees of those regions of lumber, principally sap. 

 into this country and expect them to The cost of handling these small 

 flourish under the changed conditions logs from the time they leave the dump 

 prevailing here. On the other hand I till they pass through the saws is very 

 think the day has arrived when im- nearly equal to that of two logs two 

 proved methods would be practicable or three times their size, to say noth- 

 and profitable in very many of our ing of the number of them that sink 

 white pine forests. on their way down the streams. Does 

 In the few remarks I make to-day it pay even after these logs or poles 

 I wish to deal with this question, not as have reached one of our large mills to 

 a forester desiring to see forestry prac- keep the large number of men there 

 tised for the benefit of the whole com- employed waiting while they are going 

 munity, for the conservation of the wa- through the saws, especially when the 

 ter supply and the enormous advan- product is not valuable? 

 tages which the perpetuation of this But provided there is a small mar- 

 supply will render in the future for gin of profit, the question I wish to 

 motive power, important as these mat- bring before you is whether it pays 

 ters are, nor do I wish to deal with the best to cut such timber or to allow it 

 question of a timber supply for future to stand till the yield from the same 

 generations. These considerations we tree will be say five times as great, 

 will leave entirely aside, for the sake and the product of a much better 

 of brevity, and simply look at the ques- quality, not to mention the increased 

 tion as business men, owning property price of the product which, with some 

 and desiring to make the most possible fluctuations, is constantly increasing 

 out of it. and will continue to increase. 



*Address delivered at the Summer Meeting of the National Wholesale Lumber 

 Dealers' Association of the United States, held at Ottawa, Canada. 



