Canadian Forcslrij Journal, Jiilij, 1917 



1199 



Edmonton Board of Trade Favors 

 Better Forest Management 



Province and Dominion Should 

 Join Hands in Eliminating Fire 



At a luncheon of the Edmonton 

 Board of Trade at which the Secretary 

 of the Canadian Forestry Association 

 gave an address on Forest Conserva- 

 tion as related to the prairie provinces, 

 a special committee was appointed to 

 bring in a report on Alberta's forest 

 conservation needs. The members 

 were James McGeorge, G. E. Hay- 

 ward, and William Short. After 

 investigation the following report 

 was delivered to the Board and 

 adopted, a copy being forwarded to 

 the Minister of the Interior: 



Your committee having considered 

 the matter reports as follows: — 



In the Province of Alberta within 

 comparatively recent time there was 

 approximately 100,000 square miles 

 covered by merchantable timber now 

 mostly destroyed by fire. Of that 

 area a very large proportion as to soil 

 and climate is not suitable for farming 

 — particular reference is made to the 

 Eastern slope of the mountains and 

 to the more hilly and broken section 

 in the North of the Province, where as 

 to plant life, timber is the only 

 effective crop. 



If fire were kept out and even if 

 slight effort to that end were made in 

 thirty years this area would reforest 

 to the extent that there would begin 

 to be a large output of merchantalDle 

 timber, ancl in fifty years this area 

 would become an exporter of timber 

 beyond what is reciuired on the 

 prairies. 



The ownership of the timber is 

 retained by the Dominion; the inter- 

 est of the Province is that land 

 suitable for agricultural purposes is 

 not diverted to reforestation. There- 

 fore to prevent trouble on this head 

 there ought to be joint action on the 

 part of both Governments to deter- 

 mine what land is suitable only for 



timber. If that be not done, and 

 protection be not afforded, fires will 

 continue to destroy the only growth of 

 which this land is capable, and set- 

 tlers will continue to settle upon land 

 which is not suitable for farming, and 

 will thus waste their own energies and 

 add nothing to the wealth of the 

 Province. 



Examination by the two Govern- 

 ments and setting apart for reforest- 

 ation of lands found suitable only for 

 timber would prevent this useless 

 waste of effort, and settlers would the 

 more readily abstain from seeking 

 such lands, if after competent exam- 

 ination, they were set apart for timber 

 purposes. As the growth of timber 

 on the area suitable for no other 

 purpose would by the bounty of 

 nature alone add enormously to our 

 wealth — the added cost of protection 

 being a mere bagatelle. 



It is therefore respectfully recom- 

 mended : — 



1. That a survey be undertaken by 

 the Dominion and Provincial Gov- 

 ernments jointly to determine 



(a) Timber lands. 

 {b) Grazing lands. 

 (c) Farming lands. 



2. The areas found suitable only 

 for timber growing should be set apart 

 as a timber reserve and reforestation 

 promoted thereon. 



3. Roads should be constructed 

 through this timber area with cross 

 roads at intervals to permit of an 

 effective patrol. Along the Eastern 

 slope of the mountains it is suggested 

 that there should be roads running 

 East and West every ten or twelve 

 miles, with cross roads at intervals. 

 These should follow the line of least 

 resistance, and for the most part 

 would need no more than that the 



