1294 



Canadian Forestry JournaU September, 1917 



may be shaded out and die. 



The writer has passed through 

 woodlots in May and early June 

 where thousands of young seedhngs 

 had made a start. By the end of 

 August these had all disappeared. 

 What causes their disappearance? 

 Not always stock grazing, but often 

 drying out from lack of protoclion; 

 this lack of protection being usually 

 due, to the want of leaf litter and 

 humus as well as to the open condi- 

 tion of the woods. 



It is difficult to say of what value 

 a denuded soil is in relation to tree 

 growth. On some sand formations 

 in Ontario there stood in the original 

 forest some splendid trees. After 

 clearing the land, a few good crops 

 were secured, but soon the sandy 

 soil became weakened as it lost its 

 covering of humus. ^To-day some 

 of these lands are waste sand dunes. 



Trees in the forest with tall, clean 

 stems have passed through many 

 stages. We are apt to think that 



they always grew with many com- 

 panions and passed from the seedling 

 stage into the thicket or pole stage. 

 Frequently some were crowded out 

 to die. The tall forest tree we see 

 to-day is the survivor of a long 

 struggle and its roots may be taking 

 up ground which in its youth pro- 

 duced a few hundred saplings. 



The thicket or pole stage served 

 its purpose. If the tall forest tree 

 had been growing in the open it 

 would have large branches a few feet 

 from the ground and would never 

 have reached the great height to 

 which it has attained. To survive 

 in the struggle, the tree in the thicket 

 has to spend most of its energy in 

 height growth during its early life, 

 in which time the side branches are 

 shaded out and die while very small. 

 This cleaning of branches gives a 

 clean stem on which a growth free 

 from knots may be developed in the 

 years to come. 



Unique Forestrp Exhibit at Prince Albert 



The Dominion Forestry Branch 

 Exhibit at the Agricultural Fair in 

 Prince Albert, Sask., on August 9th, 

 10th and 11th, attracted much favor- 

 able comment by both the public 

 and the press. The miniature for- 

 est arrangement was most unique 

 representing a regulated forest area 

 cxntaining various age classes. The 

 species used were white and black 

 spruce and jack pine. The oldest 

 age classes were made up of trees 

 twenty-five to thirty feet in height, 

 some being trimmed up from the 

 ground for six or eight feet thus pro- 

 viding a shady nook for tired visitors. 

 Park benches were scattered around 

 among the trees and were freely used 

 by women and children. The trees 

 from twenty feet down were not 

 trimmed but left with their branches 

 extending to the ground. Numerous 

 of the trees had an abundant supply 

 of cones — thus showing the seed crop. 



A small area of nursery stock was 

 shown in front of the forest* as well 

 as representative areas of burned 

 forest, poor cutting area with high 

 stumps, waste and no brush disposal. 

 In contrast another area was shown 

 alongside showing good cutting with 

 low stumps miniature cordwood piles, 

 some neat brush piles and some which 

 had been burned. In this area was 

 also shown the uninjured young 

 growth coming up. A model ranger 

 house presented by the MacDiarmid 

 Lumber Co. of Prince Albert was 

 placed among the smaller trees. For- 

 est Reserve boundary notices and 

 the numerous metal and cloth lire 

 and Reserve notices were posted in 

 conspicuous places. 



Adjoining the forest a small ran- 

 ger's camp was pitched with tent 

 and camp fire and examples of how 

 to extinguish camp fires with water 

 and earth. A canoe used by fire 



