Canadian Forestry Journal, April, 1918 



1643 



The Forests of Alberta and the PubUc 



Welfare ! 



The forest has a relation to all 

 the important interest in Alberta. 

 It is a great assistance to agriculture. 

 The farmer needs lumber for build- 

 ings, he needs fence posts, fuel 

 and wood for various general uses. 

 The more easily and conveniently 

 such a supply can be provided the 

 better. The small forest reserves 

 throughout the prairie have been 

 set apart for this purpose and are 

 being protected from fire. Those 

 that are denuded of trees will be 

 reforested as rapidly as possible and 

 on those covered with trees steps 

 will be taken to introduce more 

 valuable species where it is con- 

 sidered advisable. The forest re- 

 serves will supplement the supply 

 of wood which will be grown on the 

 prairie farms from the trees supplied 

 by the Dominion Forestry Branch 

 which now amounts to over four 

 million annually. 



Industrial Growth 



The forest has a direct relation 

 to the industries of the country. 

 Sawmills, box factories, and other 

 industries are directly dependent on 

 the forest and can only be continued 

 if the forests are perpetuated. The 

 spruce and poplar of the prairie 

 provinces are the best species for 

 making pulp and that manufacture 

 opens up a field for many varied 

 products and industries. There has 

 been a good deal of discussion of 

 the development of water powers 

 but there has not been enough 

 consideration of the question of the 

 raw material that is to form the 

 source of supply for the upkeep 

 of the industries to be developed 

 by the power. It is not making 

 too strong an assertion to say that 

 the forests and the industries depend- 

 ent thereon will be the mainstay 

 of the northern parts of the provinces 

 of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and 

 Alberta if the forests are properly 

 managed. 



The regulative effects of the forest 

 on stream flow have an important 

 effect on the use of the streams 

 for water power and for irrigation. 

 Water power development is possible 

 in almost all parts of the country 

 and will be necessary for building 

 up industries. Irrigation gives 

 permanency and security to farming 

 in such parts as have not a heavy 

 precipitation and makes intensive 

 farming and closer settlement a pos- 

 sibility. 



The investigations of the Geological 

 Survey show that the coal con- 

 sumption in the prairie provinces 

 is increasing at a much more rapid 

 rate than the population. In con- 

 sidering, therefore, the future needs 

 of the northwest provinces, it is 

 quite evident that in a few years — 

 unless new mines are opened — the 

 present plants will be taxed to 

 their full capacity. 



Fuel Needs 



The first need of the population 

 is domestic fuel, and much of thi^ 

 is being supplied from the lignite 

 belt. Transportation and manufac- 

 ture next demand fuel for power 

 production. Thus the per capita 

 coal consumption will increase with 

 added population. 



As the mining of one ton of coal will 

 require on the average about two 

 lineal feet of mining timber and 

 it is timber which will hardly stand 

 a long haul it will be seen that 

 the development of the coal mines 

 in a very essential way depend 

 on the protection of the forest areas. 



When the lands are not of first 

 class agricultural character the re- 

 tention of lands in forest or the 

 reproduction of the forest means 

 the possibility of a larger population. 

 The depopulation of the Highlands 

 of Scotland has made a sad theme 

 for poet and historian, but the only 

 suggestion for improvement of con- 

 ditions in this respect in that the 



