THE DOMINION FOREST RESERVES ACT. 



The establishment of a number of Forest Reserves upon 

 Dominion Lands by the Forest Reserves Act passed at the last 

 session of the Dominion Parliament is the result of a move- 

 ment which began about the year 1893. At that time the Min- 

 ister of the Interior took up the question of Forest Reservations, 

 and a report thereon was made by the Crown Timber Agent 

 at Winnipeg. 



In his report he had the following statement in regard to the 

 reservation of timbered lands and districts: "The problem 

 for consideration, as to the best course to pursue in order to 

 set aside and maintain a proper proportion of the timbered 

 lands, is one of varying difficulty. A careful adjustment 

 between the present needs of the population for wood material, 

 and the needs of future generations, and of a forest cover for 

 hydro logic purposes appears desirable. It may be discussed 

 under two heads. 



"First, the best plan to adopt as regards unsettled lands 

 not suitable for agriculture. 



"Second, the maintenance and preservation of such smaller 

 areas of wood as are to be found on the sections in localities 

 more favorable to agriculture, and which are or will eventually 

 become, the property of settlers in such localities. 



"Upon the first branch of the subject I may say, primarily, 

 there is a widespread and general desire among the farming 

 community and settlers in the country that the greatest pre- 

 caution should be taken to preserve such tracts of bush land, 

 and that it would be advisable to withdraw from settlement 

 any large areas of land obviously unsuited to agriculture, 

 and maintain them permanently in timber, under proper 

 regulations, instead of allowing them to be stripped of all 

 merchantable timber in a wasteful and improvident manner, 

 and then abandoned as waste lands. 



"The reservation of such areas would render necessary 

 a transfer and exchange for others, of such sections as have 

 been set apart and accepted by the different railway companies 

 under their land grants. Upon this point I may say that I 

 am of the opinion that if all the wooded districts in the country 

 had been entirely retained in the hands of Crown their adminis- 

 tration could have been effected with much greater facility 

 and success. The disadvantages of the present system are 

 many and obvious. 



