Ciijuulian Forvslrii Joiiindl, Dcccrnhcr, IfflJ 



1443 



Coupling Science to Timber Crops 



By G. C. Piche 



Chief Forester of Quebec at Inaugural Lunch- 

 eon OF THE Woodlands Section of Canadian 

 Pulp and Paper Association, Montreal 



Value of Limits Is Not in Area But 

 In Ability to Produce Permanently. 



I have always wondered why such a 

 class of men were not taking more care 

 of their forests, why should they bend 

 their efforts only in one direction. 

 It is very sensible to improve your 

 fabrication, but w^hy should you leave 

 your forests, your source of raw 

 material in a bad state: why not apply 

 the same methods of scientific man- 

 agement that you employ successfully 

 in your mill for the production of 

 your timber supply; why leave your 

 forest operations in the hands of your 

 choppers, of your jobbers who have 

 only a precarious interest, instead of 

 employing technical men as you do 

 in your mills. Is this not a lack of 

 foresight, and — if you would be sin- 

 cere — -have not some of you found that 

 the savings made in your mill by your 

 improved methods have been more 

 than wiped out by the increased cost 

 of your wood? Why should the cost 

 of your wood always be on the in- 

 creasing scale whereas you have 

 succeeded in halting your cost price 

 in your mill, to an almost fixed basis, 

 and then when the cost of labor and 

 supplies follow the same trend on both 

 cases? I know some will object that 

 you are obliged to go further for your 

 logs, that driving is becoming more 

 and more expensive, but why did you 

 not forsee this? 



It is becoming a necessity, an im- 

 perious want that the paper men will 

 devote some of their energy — to the 

 care and handling of their wood- 

 lands. It is obvious that a well de- 

 fined program should be followed and 

 the work must be systematized if 

 results are desired. 



A Permanent Forest 

 The pulp and paper industry, being 

 established for a long time can afford 



to manage its forests on a p remanent 

 basis, better than any other class of 

 lumberman. Therefore th^re should 

 not be any hesitation in considering 

 the question from a broad point of 

 view; and though the expenses may 

 seem high in many cases they will 

 often be an addition to the capital of 

 the company just as when you replace 

 a type of screening machine by a 

 more efficient one. The question of 

 depreciation of timber limits is ano- 

 ther subject that should be con- 

 sidered broadly — and I am glad to 

 note that at the last enquiry directed 

 by Mr. Pringle this was agitated with 

 good and telling effect for many who 

 ignored it before. 



The Value of Foresters 

 I suppose that you expect me to 

 draft a sort of a program. I feel the 

 necessity of one, and however im- 

 perfect it may be, it will pave the way 

 for discussion, for suggestions, and 

 something may come out of it. 

 Naturally the first effort to be made is 

 to secure the proper man to put in 

 charge of your timber lands; without 

 any question this man should be a 

 forester, a man with technical train- 

 ing, and I hope that my friends of the 

 technical section will not dispute me 

 in this matter. You do not go to any 

 plain man for your chemical work, but 

 employ a chemist; for your engineer- 

 ing work you employ a real engineer; 

 why not employ a good forester for 

 your forest work? wSome will object 

 that a practical man is needed. This 

 question of practice has always been 

 brought forth by the men who wanted 

 to save their- jobs when a better man 

 appeared on the stage. A forester 

 needs practice as much as the chemist, 

 as the engineer, but he does not re- 



