Canadian Forestry Journal, December, 1!)1/ 



1437 



Pulpwood Lands Reforest Slowly 



optimistic Attitude of Lumbermen and 

 Pulp Limit Holders is Not Justified. 



During the past summer, Dr. C. D. 

 Howe, has been engaged, for the 

 Commission of Conservation, upon 

 an investigation of the reproduction 

 and growth of the pulpwood species, 

 after logging, in the St. Maurice 

 valley, Quebec. 



This study was initiated as part of 

 a broad investigation to determine 

 what technical measures are neces- 

 sary to ensure the perpetuation of 

 the vast pulpwood forests of eastern 

 Canada. This project will necessarily 

 require a number of years for com- 

 pletion, since it will be necessary to 

 place parties in the field in other 

 portions of Quebec as well as in 

 typical districts of Ontario. Possibly 

 similar work may later prove feasible 

 in New Brunswick, although the 

 investigations under way in con- 

 nection with the present forest survey 

 in that province will furnish at least 

 a very considerable portion of the 

 basic information necessary. 



Hardwoods Dominant 

 Dr. Howe's investigation shows 

 that while the coniferous species 

 comprise about two-thirds of the 

 forest numerically, in the section of 

 the St. Maurice valley investigated, 

 the proportion is practically reversed 

 when we consider the relative space 

 occupied in the crown cover by the 

 conifers and hardwoods. That is, 

 the hardwoods monopolize the light 

 to the extent of about two-thirds 

 while the softwoods fill but one-third 

 of the crown cover. Thus, the hard- 

 woods are biologically dominant, and 

 this dominance is constantly being 

 increased by the fact that practically 

 all of the cutting is of the coniferous 

 species, principally spruce and balsam. 

 Practically no utilization of hard- 

 w'oods has yet been found feasible 

 on account of the heavy loss due to 

 sinking when the logs are driven down 

 the streams and lakes. 



This region was first lumbered 

 lightly for white pine squared timber 

 between 50 and 60 years ago; then 

 more closely for white pine and 

 spruce sawlogs about 30 years ago. 

 Since then, practically the whole area 

 has been cut twice and some of it 

 three times for sawlogs or pulpwood 

 or both. 



The object of the investigation was 

 to determine the condition of these 

 cut-over lands with respect to the 

 regeneration and rate of growth of 

 the present pulpwood - producing 

 species, namely spruce and ba' im, 

 with a view to estimating the future 

 crop. 



A Comment on Cutting 

 The results of the investiga- 

 tion show that the optimistic 

 attitude of lumbermen and limit 

 holders in regard to the repro- 

 ducing power of this type of 

 forest is not justified. The good 

 yields of pulpwood material at 

 the end of each of the several 

 cuttings in the past 30 years do 

 not represent the amount of 

 growth accrued during the inter- 

 vals between cutting periods, 

 but are obtained by cutting suc- 

 cessively smaller trees, and in 

 general lower grade material, 

 and also by including a larger 

 proportion of balsam in each cut. 

 For example, the spruce stumps 

 were measured and classified ac- 

 cording to the age of the cutting 

 on sample plots, totalling 50 

 acres, and the results are here 

 stated: 



Stumps Grow Smaller 

 In cuttings from 15 to 20 years old 

 the average diameter of the stumps 

 was 15 inches; cuttings 10 to 15 years 

 old, 12 inches; while in cuttings less 

 than 10 years old, the average dia- 

 meter was 11 inches. This shows a 

 reduction of 4 inches in the average 



