Canadian Forestry Journal, Februunj, 1917 



951 



Vivid Letters from the Front 



Canadian Foresters Now Serving Empire Meet Strange Ex- 

 periences — From Pigeon Training to Air Photography. 



The following extracts from letters 

 received from Canadian foresters, and 

 others in the Dominion forest service, 

 will prove of much interest: — 



From Private J. H. Vicars, (Clerk 

 in the office of the Riding Mountain 

 Forest Reserve): 



107th Canadians, 



Witley Camp, Sussex. 



"Logging operations are carried on 

 quite extensively in some parts of 

 this country. I had no idea there 

 was such an amount of good timber. 

 Fir is the predominant species just 

 around here, and the site of the log- 

 ging operations is certainly an object 

 lesson in economy. Absolutely no- 

 thing is wasted. The stumps are cut 

 level with the ground, the branches 

 utilized for kindling wood, and the 

 fine brush is piled and taken away, 

 or is scattered evenly on the ground. 

 I see a large number of logs peeled in 

 the bush, and in this case even the 

 bark is collected and taken away, 

 perhaps to the tannery yards." 



From Lieut. J. A. Hutchison, (For- 

 est Assistant, Brazeau Forest) : 

 Royal Flying Corps, 

 London, December 27. 

 "I have been posted to the 39th 

 Squadron where I get my preliminary 

 flying Took my first flight yester- 

 day and have almost an hour in now. 

 I hke it fine." 



From Lieut. J. P. Alexander, (For- 

 est Assistant, Crowsnest Forest) : 



France, December 11. 



"So far out here I have seen none 

 of the Forestry men from Canada, 

 although I heard in England that 

 Charlie Morse was in command of a 

 sawmill somewhere in the country. 

 And I must not forget that W. L. 

 Scandrett and I had dinner together 

 one evening in London and met Mr. 

 Christie, who I believe was in the 



British Columbia service and is with 

 the Engineers over here. He came 

 over when I did, leaving England on 

 24th October with an officer's draft. 

 Scandrett has been flying in France 

 now for over six months, and seems 

 to be getting along very well. He 

 was on leave when I saw him. 



"For myself I was released from 

 from the 134th Battalion and later 

 came over with the First Officers' 

 Draft from Canada. After a varied 

 career at the Canadian Military 

 School and Pioneer Training Depot 

 in Shorncliffe I was drafted to the 

 3rd Canadian Pioneer Battalion and 

 have been here ever since. 



HON. SYDNEY FISHER 



PresidenS Canadian Forestry Association 



for 1917. 



