458 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



~~"* ARLY next year, nearly all in for arousing interest in forestry laws 



H January, the legislatures of in these States and in showing the peo- 



j many States meet. If the pie just why they and the State will be 



American Forestry Association benefited by the passage of such laws, 

 succeeds in its efforts, and there is every If the people are interested the mem- 

 likelihood that it will, the legislatures bers of the legislatures have to be, and 

 in thirteen States, twelve meeting in if the people demand forestry laws the 

 January next and one in April next, legislators have to give such proposed 

 will be asked to consider forestry laws laws their careful consideration, 

 providing for a State forestry admin- In four States Delaware, Louisiana, 

 instration, which they now lack. Tennessee and Alabama -- there are 

 In some of these States there is little workable forest laws, but no appropria- 

 forest growth but in several the forest tions for making these laws effective, 

 products form a very considerable por- The duty of the American Forestry 

 tion of the States' wealth and forest Association in these States is plain, and 

 departments are vitally necessary. the Association will continue urging 

 The American Forestry Association the legislators to provide proper appro- 

 is now proceeding with the campaign priations until they do so. 



THE annual report of the Forest $2,832,788, on a total expenditure of 

 Branch, Department of Lands, $245,754. 

 British Columbia, for 1913, pre- The effectiveness of this new field 

 pared by H. R. MacMillan, organization is manifesting itself in fire 

 gives in a very brief summarized form protection. The methods found so ef- 

 a glimpse of the enormous progress fectual in the Northwestern States are 

 being made in this province in forest already well advanced in British Co- 

 organization. Upon the solid founda- lumbia. Last year 11,255 permits were 

 tion of retention of ownership of all issued for slash and brush burning, 

 timber lands bearing stands over a cer- and but 17 fires escaped control. The 

 tain minimum per acre, which has department has assumed complete con- 

 always been the policy of Canadian trol of fire patrol along lines of rail- 

 provinces, MacMillan has systematized way construction, the expense being 

 the business of administering these re- borne by the railroads. Slash burning 

 sources according to the best modern after lumbering is not compulsory, but 

 office methods, eliminating delays and the clearing of fire lines is made so, and 

 effecting great economies. The most loggers prefer to burn all the slash 

 revolutionary change effected was the rather than build fire lines, 

 organization of eleven forest districts, The province shows the same far- 

 whose district foresters assumed the sighted policy in land classification for 

 immediate charge of all lines of field agricultural use as marks the entire 

 work in their respective districts, in- land policy of Canada. Touching this 

 stead of having a number of separate policy, the report states : "The policy 

 bureaus all operating from one central of land classification is a most impor- 

 office. The main lines of work have tant part of land settlement. It pro- 

 been supervision of cutting and scaling tects a permanent source of revenue for 

 and collection of royalties on timber the province by ensuring that no bodies 

 leases, classification of lands, and pro- of merchantable timber will be acquired 

 tection from fire, with the construction except by public sale at a price which 

 of permanent improvements which this guards the public interest, and at the 

 necessitates. The income from all same time it protects the uninformed 

 sources for the province, collected by bona fide settler by preventing him from 

 this department, amounted in 1913 to locating in some timbered non-agricul- 



