(Ainadidn Fon'slri) Journal, \orciuhci\ l{)hS 



U)09 



cu. feet Nvas relatively less than half 

 what it was at the beginnint* of this 

 century, whereas in the same period 

 our C.anadian exports of wood and 

 its products to the United Stales had 

 nearly doubled in value. 



Such then, boldly outlined, was 

 the position of the British timber 

 trade and its main channels on the 

 o; I break of the "Great War."" 

 The Outlook for 1920. 



The effect of the war on Britain's 

 timber supply has necessarily been 

 very great. Should the conllicl last 

 another year her native forest of 

 commercial value — both caj)ital and 

 growing stock — will largely have 

 vanished, and for the rest of this 

 century it must remain all but neg- 

 ligible as a factor in supplying her 

 markets. Then, of course, Britain's 

 enormous overseas timber trade with 

 Russia and Scandinavia has been 

 very seriously interfered with, and 

 whether it will again renew its old 

 channels is a matter of growing un- 

 certainty and concern. In this con- 

 nection we must not forget that for 

 many years both Norway and Sweden 

 have been growing apprehensive of 

 the way in which their annual cut 

 was exceeding the annual growth, and 

 that during the 15 years preceding 

 the war their annual exports to 

 Britain fell off by 30%. When the 

 war ends the available supply is apt 

 to be largely absorbed for many 

 years by the vast near-at-home de- 

 mand for deferred and reconstruction 

 projects of every kind throughout the 

 war-sw^ept zone. Moreover the pro- 

 found social, economic and political 

 changes occurring among the Russian 

 people will probably ensue in a 

 general higher standard of living 

 and an industrial development that 

 must more and more limit and re- 

 strict their available timber for export. 

 Therefore it comes that today we 

 see the people of Britain in general, 

 and her Industrial Captains in j)ar- 

 ticular, developing an unwonted in- 

 terest in Forestry matters. She is 

 eying the World's distant, decreasing 

 woodlots, meditating over that in- 

 escapable "long time" element and 

 saying to herself, as it were: "Now, 

 what is the best solution?" 



Canada's Opportunity. 



"There is a time" in the affairs of 

 nations as well as individuals, no 

 doubt, which "taken at the flood 

 leads on to fortune," and what a 

 stroke of good fortune, both for 

 patriotic and business reasons, to 

 have this chance of linking up the 

 Empire's greatest timber farm with 

 its greatest market! 



Sir Wilfrid Laurier once succinctly 

 defined Conservation as "Wise use, 

 wisely regulated." Let us, as Cana- 

 dian citizens, sovereign joint owners 

 of our great timberland farm covering 

 70% of the Dominion, apply this 

 principle to its development with our 

 ideal: Every acre a producing acre, 

 and every acre to its best use. 



Britain has vainly tried to es- 

 tablish P'orestry under private owner- 

 ship of the Nation's timberland. 

 The "long time" element damns 

 every sporadic effort. Here in 

 Britain they are still in the futile 

 stage of trying to educate private 

 owners on Forestry matters, instead 

 of educating public opinion. We 

 Canadians are fortunate in being in 

 large measure free from this "stumb- 

 ling block," but it behooves us to see 

 to "it that the insidious hand of 

 Privilege is not permitted to under- 

 mine this only and essential basis 

 for a real forest policy. Viz: \\'hat 

 guarantee have we that the present 

 Federal Procedure as regards transfer 

 of Berth Licenses is not creating 

 "vested rights?" 



It is easy to say: "Apply a Prin- 

 ciple," but' the problem thus placed 

 before us is, of course, a great and 

 many-sided one. As I see it the chief 

 factors are: 



1. Education of the Bodij Politic, 

 so as to bring the Canadian communi- 

 ties — whether Dominion wide or 

 Provincial — who own practically all 

 of our absolute timberland, into a 

 position where the Executives con- 

 cerned will be given adequate au- 

 thority to deaf with all matters 

 affecting production and disposal of 

 the timber crop, under the driving 

 power of a strong, active, well- 

 informed Public Opinion. In this 

 pioneer field of propaganda the Cana- 

 dian Forestrv Association has already 



