1782 



Canadian Foresirij Journal, July, 19JS 



the ofTicer, to whom the work of 

 examining proposed Forest Reserves 

 of this character has been entrusled, 

 has more than llie ordinary know- 

 ledge of soils. Every quarler-seclion 

 must be carefully examined and a 

 correct classification of the land l)y 

 chmate, topography, and soil into 

 agricultural and non-agricultural land 

 made. Lands that are positively 

 adapted for continuous production 

 of farm crops or are chiefly valuable 

 for agriculture should be excluded, 

 while lands that are undoubtedly 

 non-agricultural or lands that possess 

 minor agricultural possibilities but 

 are more valuable for the growing of 

 crops of limber shovld be included in 

 the proposed reserve. 



Providing Farm Needs 



Areas unfit for farming in the 

 'settled portions of the central prov- 

 inces are comparatively few, and it 

 is of great importance that all avail- 

 able land of this class be devoted to 

 the growing of timber, thus to relieve 

 to a greater or less degree the need 

 of firewood, fence posts, and small 

 building timber, which always is 

 fcU in the treeless prairies. 



Proposed forest reserves in unseltlad 

 districts do not require such a care- 

 ful examination. The reconnais- 

 sance in this case is more in the nature 

 of an exploration in contrast to the 

 survey of the proposed reserves in 

 the old settlements which- really 

 takes the form of a more or less 

 intensive soil survey. Here large 

 areas of unsettled and largely or 

 entirely unsurveyed lands are invol- 

 ved and anything but a rapid reconnais- 

 sance is at the present time impractic- 

 able and out of the question. This 

 does not mean, however, that care 

 should not be exercised by the 

 forester in determining proposed re- 

 serve boundaries. On the contrary 

 the future possibilities of the land 

 shoiild be considered and the inclus- 

 ion of agricultural land should, where- 

 ever it appears in apprecial)le quan- 

 tities, be avoided unless its temporary 

 reservation is considered advisable 

 until such lime as the present cro]) 

 x)f timber theron has been removed. 



Isolated small areas of good farm- 

 land in the interior of the proposed 

 reserve whijh cannot be eliminated 

 from the proposed reserve by any 

 readjusimont of boundaries may, how- 

 ever, very well be included until a 

 soil survey of the reserve can be 

 made. 



A survey of this kind is, of course, 

 only preliminary. Its principal ob- 

 ject is to have defined by settled 

 lines and placed under the juris- 

 diction of the Forestry Branch a 

 tract of lands which is (in the main) 

 non-agricultural and is or will become, 

 if properly protected, of considerable 

 value as forest land. 



Cultivate Public Opinion 

 The officers in charge of a recon- 

 naissance party should always make 

 it a point to acquaint himself with 

 the views held by settlers that live 

 in the vicinity of the proposed reserva- 

 tion, in regard to the establishment 

 of a Forest Reserve. He should 

 explain to the farmers that the. 

 creation of a Forest Reserve means 

 protection of timber, grazing, and 

 water supply for the use of the farmer 

 himself. The idea is here and there 

 prevailing that a Forest Reserve is 

 created to prevent the "poor man" 

 from getting his supply of firewood 

 and building timber. This opinion, 

 which of course tends to make the 

 Forest Reserves unpopular, should 

 be discouraged. 



Excellent Type of Farm House beinfi. Built by 



the Ontario Government for Accommodation 



of Soldier-Settlers at Kapuskasing, 



Northern Ontario. 



