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Canadian Furesfrij Journal, June, 191H 



The Management of Woodlots 



G. C. Pir.nr:, CmiiF of Forest Shhvick, Qikekc. 



Recognizing the gradual diminu- 

 tion in merchantable timber, and even 

 in certain places, of firewood, it be- 

 comes more and more evident that it 

 is necessary to take proper precau- 

 tions for managing the forest property 

 in a systematic fashion. The Pro- 

 \incial Government, controlling the 

 greater part of our forests, has es- 

 tablished very suitable regulations, 

 whose execution is supervised by the 

 members of the Forest Service. How- 

 ever, a certain very important part 

 of our forest domain escapes this 

 control. I speak here of the woodlots 

 or private woodlands which are dis- 

 tributed through all the province, in 

 all the villages, and which constitute 

 an important part of the inheritance 

 of our farmers. 



I should say here that many of our 

 woodlots are very well managed, and 

 could not be handled in a better way. 

 Consequently, the remarks which 

 follow do not apply to these good 

 foresters, but to those who have not 

 heretofore considered the woodlots 

 in a serious manner. 



The proper management should be 

 carried out so as to remove only the 

 annual crop, that is to say, an amount 

 of wood equal to that produced by the 

 woodlot during the year. If one cuts 

 more than the yearly production, 

 what the foresters call the "incre- 

 ment," there results a gradual re- 

 duction of the forest capital. It is 

 necessary to understand that often 

 owners of woodlots are obliged to 

 make heavy cuttings, for instance 

 when one wishes to construct a build- 

 ing or to realize a certain sum of 

 money which he requires; but with 

 proper organization one foresees such 

 a necessity and, instead of removing 

 each year all the crop of wood, a 

 certain portion is left in reserve. Just 

 as is done in properly managed finan- 

 cial institutions, such as banks, the 

 ]Moprietor of a wood lot ought to 



establish a reserve fund by economies 

 made each year. A second point to 

 observe is to direct the cutting to- 

 wards the trees which have practically 

 reached full growth. If we consider 

 the tree as a capital, yielding each 

 year a certain percentage of interest, 

 we should remove the tree when its 

 percentage of interest, that is to say, 

 the annual increase, falls too much 

 below the mean, and replace it by a 

 younger and more vigorous tree. 

 Trees injured by storms or lightning 

 should also be cut out each year so as 

 to obtain all the benefit the wood can 

 give before it deteriorates by rot. 

 Also, those that are attacked by 

 insects or fungi are equally exposed to 

 destruction and ought to be removed 

 without delay; finally, when fire 

 sweeps over a portion of the woodlot 

 it is necessary to hasten the removal 

 of the injured trees. 



It is evident that there is really 

 very little extra trouble in managing 

 a wood lot properly so that it can give 

 the proprietor a fair revenue. Natur- 

 ally, if there are places bare of trees 

 it is of the greatest importance to 

 plant them with suitable species, and 

 for this purpose one can obtain from 

 the nursery at Berthierville, Que., all 

 the plants desired under advantageous 

 conditions, for the Provincial Govern- 

 ment takes great interest in the ques- 

 tion of reforesting. The Hon. Mr. 

 Allard, Minister of Lands and Forests, 

 will be very pleased to see all the 

 forest owners cover the clearings in 

 their woodlots with judicious planta- 

 tions, that is to say, with species 

 appropriate to the local conditions. 

 He would be glad to have all those 

 who need advice write to the Chief 

 of the Forest Service, Quebec, ex- 

 plaining to him the conditions ob- 

 taining in their woodlots, whose 

 management they wish properly oi- 

 ganized; the Government Forest 

 Engineers will then furnish freely the 

 necessary advice on the management 



