CANADIAN LUMBER COMPETITION 



131 



Interior of British Columbia. 



this scene is typical. there are dense forests of small englemann spruce, cedar, hemlock, douglas fir 



and sub-alpine fir and in the distance are hills which have been swept by forest fires. 



of 



Washington and 



coastal States 

 Oregon. 



Like the forest of the Atlantic side 

 that along the Pacific and on either 

 side of the boundary is comprised of 

 the same species. The chief difference 

 is in the percentages of species and the 

 conditions under which they grow. 



West of the great prairies, in the inter- 

 mountain region, the boundary marks 

 approximately the dividing line between 

 two important forest zones, namely, 

 that of western and white pine in the 

 States and an inferior forest of cedar, 

 spruce and hemlock in the Province; 

 although there is some pine north of 

 the boundary and much of the other 

 type south of it. In that region the 

 forest is light in comparison with the 

 coastal forest, the trees are small and 

 the lumber they yield is mostly of low 

 grade; although well adapted to the 

 needs of the adjoining prairie districts. 



The optimum region of Douglas fir 

 is between 44 and 48 degrees of north 

 latitude, west of the Cascade Mountains. 

 Interlocking with it on the north is 

 British Columbia's wonderful stand of 

 Pacific red cedar, comprising a very 

 important part of the forest northward 

 to latitude 51 degrees. Northward 

 from that zone, hemlock and silver fir 

 are the prevailing species. Alpine forms 

 descend to sea-level. 



The area of the forests of the Province 

 has been variously estimated to be 

 from 182,000,000 acres to less than 

 17,000,000 acres. The best information 

 available indicates that there may be 

 about 17,000,000 acres of merchantable 

 saw timber. In the opinion of the 

 author, based upon actual cruisings and 

 examinations of 1,328,000 acres of this 

 area, there is 335 billion feet in the 

 Province, in place of 240 billion feet as 

 conjectured by the Royal Commission 



