924 



Canadian Forestry Journal, January, 1917 



given to the reforesting of the region, 

 the Cedars of Lebanon might again 

 become, as in the days of the 

 Psalmist, the glory of the mountains. 

 — (From American Forestry). 



"Real Forest Fire Protection for 

 Ontario" 



("Canada Lumberman") 



"The announcement made by the 

 Minister of Lands, Forests, and Mines 

 for the Province of Ontario that his 

 department is coming into line with 

 those of several other Canadian pro- 

 vinces and adopting modern methods 

 of fire prevention, so as to put an 

 end to the enormous annual losses of 

 standing timber, is a welcome piece 

 of news. It means, we feel safe in 

 predicting, that if the methods used 

 in the other provinces are properly 

 adopted and rigidly put into operation 

 in Ontario, we have now experienced 

 the last of our great conflagrations 

 in the forest districts of Northern 

 Ontario such as that which during the 

 past summer wiped out of existence 

 hundreds of settlers, together with 

 their homes and effects, and caused 

 incalculable damage to our standing 

 timber. It means, too, that the fam- 

 ilies going into Northern Ontario to 

 settle can depend in future upon prac- 

 tical protection against such calami- 

 ties, and so feel encouraged to under- 

 take the task of settling in the new 

 country. Undoubtedly the preven- 

 tion of forest fires will have the double 

 effect of saving timber and giving a 

 stimulus to settlement. 



A great source of difficulty in the 

 past has been the conflict of interests 

 between timber owners, settlers, and 

 prospectors, together with the in- 

 ability of the individual settler to pro- 

 tect himself against the carelessness 

 of others. This can now be entirely 

 done away with. The time of year 

 at which the Minister has made his 

 announcement is a fortunate one, 

 because between now and the next 

 danger season in the summer of 1917 

 there will be time enough to arrange 

 details and appoint the necessary 

 staff to put the system into effect 

 suiTicicntly to reduce greatly and 



probably almost eliminate the fire 

 losses that we could otherwise predict 

 with certainty for next year." 



Paper Suspensions. 



Eight hundred country newspapers 

 have suspended in the United States 

 since the price of news print paper 

 began advancing, according to a 

 statement made before the California 

 Press Association. 



Asking The Settlers' Help. 



The ingenuity of some of the north- 

 ern fire rangers in the prairie provinces 

 in working up publicity schem- 

 es to aid fire prevention has often 

 received a deserved testimony. The 

 Association recently received a unique 

 book of photographs fashioned be- 

 tween birch bark covers, and with 

 typewritten text graphically describ- 

 ing the case for forest protection. 

 It was the work of Jas. T. Blackford, 

 Chief Fire Ranger of the Dominion 

 Forestry Branch at Norway House, 

 Manitoba. The only means of access 

 to the country patrolled by Mr. 

 Blackford and his men is by steam- 

 boat, and the book was placed on a 

 table of the steamer so that hundreds 

 of travellers coming in and out read 

 it through. On the cover are the 

 words: "Manitoba North Fire Rang- 

 ing District, Patriotic Slogan: 'No 

 Fires in 1916.' It is hoped that such 

 happy ideas will be put into practice 

 elsewhere. 



Lightning Hits Chestnuts. 



Lightning shows a marked prefer- 

 ence for chestnut trees, according to 

 data based on reports submitted to 

 the U.S. Department of Forestry by 

 its foresters. Of a total of about 

 2,000 trees struck by lightning on 

 the State Forests in the past four 

 years, 655 were chestnut. Pitch pine 

 comes next with 327 trees struck, 

 and then follow in order rock oak, 

 white pine, hemlock, red oak, white 

 oak, black oak, locust, and sugar 

 maple. Black birch is at the foot 

 of the list with only one tree struck 

 in four years. Poplar and walnut 

 come next, only two of each being 

 struck. 



