Canadian Forestry Journal, February, 1917 



955 



can be used for general construction 

 purposes. 



Future of Tropical Forests 



Until tropical countries rich in 

 timber resources can be made to ap- 

 preciate the value of their own for- 

 ests and can cheapen the extraction 

 of lumber by the introduction of 

 modern methods of logging and mill- 

 ing, they from necessity will have to 

 depend on outside sources for the 

 construction timbers necessary for 

 their industrial development. When 

 they come to appreciate this condi- 

 tion, they will not only be able to 

 supply their own wants, but furnish 

 timbers for export. Thus the rich 



forests of the Amazon region are 

 favorably situated to furnish regions 

 like southern Brazil and Argentina 

 that are less favored in natural timber 

 wealth. The forests of northern 

 South America, lying adjacent to the 

 practically deforested regions of the 

 West Indies and Central America, 

 can supply the wants of these 

 countries. 



Already Borneo, the PhiHppines, 

 and Sumatra are gradually increasing 

 their exports to China, a deforested 

 country, to the United States and 

 Europe, and bid fair to break into the 

 Australian markets that are at the 

 present time getting timber from the 

 United States and Europe. 



4. — ., 



4. — 



New Brunswick's Great Opportuniip 



As has been previously pointed 

 out in the Canadian Forestry Journal, 

 New Brunswick is rapidly coming for- 

 ward as a province of conservation 

 ideals. The work of surveying the 

 provincial forest areas and classify- 

 ing agricultural lands, so well begun 

 under Premier Clarke, will undoubt- 

 edly be continued and developed by 

 the new Cabinet, 



Mr. A. E. O'Leary, Chief Game 

 and Fire Warden for the province 

 has submitted his annual report which 

 shows that fires occurred in 1916 

 over an area of 2357 acres, with a 

 total timber loss of $8695. 



Mr. O'Leary makes a thorough 

 recommendation of the system of 

 issuing 'burning permits' for the set- 

 ting out of all land-clearing fires and 

 quotes the testimonies of Quebec, 

 British Columbia, and some of the 

 American States as to their great 

 success with the permit plan. New 

 Brunswick experimented with the 

 permit plan in two townships, Hazen 

 and Grimmer. 



Former-Premier Clarke definitely 

 committed his Government to a re- 

 organization of the New Brunswick 

 forest protection system and in the 

 interests of the province this step 

 should not be delayed. Warden 

 O'Leary, commenting on last sum- 

 mer's fires, between Welsford and 

 Clarendon states that "there is no 

 doubt but that for a heavy rainfall 

 all these fires would have assumed 

 enormous proportions." Again, 

 "part of the area burned had been 

 cut last year and the tree tops which 

 had been piled up in that district 

 afforded great facilities for the spread 

 of the blaze." No forest guarding 

 system can afford to take chances 

 on the good luck of a rain fall. Un- 

 less present methods are radically 

 changed in New Brunswick, there 

 is not the slightest guarantee that a 

 period of extended drought in 1917 

 may not give New Brunswick the 

 unenviable distinction of providing 

 the biggest forest losses of the sea- 

 son. And it will be unusually for- 

 tunate if a heavy toll of settlers' lives 

 is not included. 



