Forestry in New Brunswick 



151 



under regulations providing for fire 

 danger. 



Forest fires, caused by excessive 

 drought, raged through the province 

 during the first week in June and much 

 vahiable timber, both crown and pri- 

 vate, was destroyed. The number of 

 fires reported to the department by the 

 fire wardens totalled sixty-six and the 

 damage was estimated 'ct $40,000; 161 

 square miles of ground were burned 

 over. One hundred and twenty-three 

 fire rangers were on duty dviring the 

 year and each ranger had instructions 

 to call out a sufficient force to fight these 

 fires. In addition to this force 68 fire 

 wardens were specially commissioned to 

 patrol the lines of the Transcontinental 

 and Intercolonial Railwaj^s now build- 

 ing and 70 fishery wardens were ap- 

 pointed to protect the angling waters. 



It is proposed to introduce legisla- 

 tion to make the fire laws more string- 

 ent by enacting that no fires can be set 

 during the dry months for clearing lands 

 without permission in writing from the 

 forest warden. 



The forest lands of this province are 

 fast falUng into the hands of United 



States citizens and a large portion of 

 these lands are being exploited for pulp. 

 The government regulations require that 

 no permit be granted where it is shown 

 that spruce will attain a diameter 

 measurement of 14 inches breast-high 

 in 75 years. A large area has been ex- 

 amined to enable the Department of 

 Crown Lands to pass upon the apphca- 

 tionsmade. It is proposed to introduce 

 legislation during the coming session 

 looking to the prohibition of the export 

 of pulp wood, thus compelling this 

 lumber to be manufactured in the 

 province into paper on the same lines 

 as adopted by the provinces of Ontario 

 and Quebec. 



A step in advance has been made 

 with regard to applications made under 

 the Labor Act for actual settlement. 

 Lands are now first examined, and if 

 50 per cent, is not found suitable for 

 agriculture the application is not ac- 

 cepted. 



These reforms are in a large measure 

 due to the representations made by 

 the Canadian Forestry Association. 



Fire Protection on Forest Reserves. 



By Abraham Knechtel, Inspector of Dominion Forest Reserves. 



This article is written to indicate 

 very briefly some of the measures being 

 taken by the Forestry Branch of the 

 Department of the Interior to guard the 

 Dominion Forest Reserves against fire. 

 The idea is too prevalent among forest 

 officials that their duty to the woods in 

 this respect ends with the establishment 

 of a fire patrol. Forest patrol is neces- 

 sary to instruct and caution the public 

 in regard to the use of fire, but when a 

 fire occurs the patrol is unfortunately 

 usually somewhere else; or he finds 

 himself unable to do anything to put 

 the fire under control. As will be seen, 

 the department is using some other 

 means, and is constantly seeking new 

 means to reduce the destruction of the 

 woods by fire. 



General Description. 

 The Dominion Forest Reserves num- 

 ber twenty-six. Manitoba has six, with 



an area of 2,288,160 acres; Saskatche- 

 wan, four with 473,600 acres; Alberta, 

 six with 6,209,280 acres, and British 

 Columbia ten, with 1,467,800 acres. 

 The total area is 10,800.840 acres. 



These reserves have been set aside by 

 parhament with a view to conserving 

 the timber thereon, and have been 

 placed under the management of the 

 Forestry Branch of the Department of 

 the Interior. It is the intention of the 

 Department that upon these areas shall 

 be worked out improved methods of 

 forest management which may after- 

 wards be apphed to the great forest 

 domain of Canada. The work has 

 several main lines, fire protection being 

 the chief. 



Forest Patrol. 

 The reserves are- constantly patrolled 

 by forest rangers. These are permanent 

 officials. In summer it is their chief 



