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E. J. ZAVITZ, FORESTER ONTARIO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



The Department of Agriculture of Ontario is concerned with two fores- 

 try problems,, namely : It aims to assist farmers and other land owners in 

 properly handling their woodlands and reforesting waste portions of the 

 farm. It has also inaugurated a policy of segregating and placing under 

 forest management the large areas of waste lands throughout older Ontario. 



The farmer's woodlot represents in the aggregate, about 8,500 square 

 miles of woodland. Waste land in the form of sand, gravel or rock forma- 

 tions and steep hillsides, would probably represent another 8,000 square 

 miles. It is safe to state that there is in old, agricultural Ontario, at least, 

 8,000,000 acres of private land which should be managed eventually for 

 forest crops. 



The potential value of eight million acres of woodland to Ontario is 

 worthy of notice. Estimating an annual, acreage increment of a half cord 

 of wood, at a stumpage value of |2.00, this land would represent an annual 

 resource of |8,000,000. 



History has proven that proper management of private woodlands is 

 not easily attained. Government assistance,, in a problem of this nature, 

 is necessary and advisable. To meet this need the Department of Agricul- 

 ture has undertaken, to furnish forest trees for waste land planting, and 

 also to assist owners in the better management of their woodlands. At pre- 

 sent, planting material is sent out free of charge with certain provisions 

 for care and protection. (The conditions of this distribution are given in 

 a Circular which may be had upon application to the "Forestry Depart- 

 ment," Guelph, or which may be found upon the table in this room, con- 

 taining literature). This last season's distribution amounted to about 

 400,000 trees composed of the following species : White Pine, Scotch Pine, 

 Jack Pine, Norway Spruce, White Ash, Black Locust and a small amount 

 of Catalpa, White Wood, Walnut, Butternut and Cedar. The larger pro- 

 portion of this material was planted on waste lands on the farm, although 

 a number of applicants used the material for planting in worn-out woodlots. 

 The Department especially urges farmers to plant Pine and Spruce about 

 the borders of woodlots in order to give more protection to the soil, this 

 lack of soil protection being one of the chief faults in the average woodland 

 of small acreage. 



A second forest problem confronting the Department of Agriculture 

 is the reclamation of the large, contiguous areas of non-agricultural soils 

 which exist in many parts of the Province. In the more settled parts of 

 Ontario the waste areas are sand formations. On these lands Pine was the 

 most valuable growth and it was cut off in the early days. In many cases 

 agricultural settlement followed, and where the land was cleared for farm- 

 ing purposes, it gave, at first, in many cases, good returns. As soon as the 

 vegetable mould or old, forest soil disappeared from the sand, it became a 

 difficult matter to keep up to fertility and gradually sand wastes developed. 



Some of the more important sand formations are as follows : Norfolk, 

 10,000 acres; Lambton, 40,000; Bruce, 30,000; Simcoe, 60,000; Northumber- 

 land and Durham, 15,000. 



It is generally admitted, that these waste lands can be made perma- 

 nently productive only by being managed for forest crops. The only solu- 

 tion of the problem is in a policy which has as its aim the gradual segrega- 

 tion of these lands, to be managed as Provincial forests. 



Large portions, in the waste districts, were not entirely cleared but at 

 present are covered with a scrubby, second growth. In the Norfolk County 

 area Scrub Oak with scattering, second growth White Pine forms the soil 

 cover. In the Simcoe area a small amount of Scrub Oak, Poplar, etc.. with 

 scrubby Bed Pinp is th^ tvnp. Continual ground fires sween over and kill 

 out the youner Pine. With fire Protection, there is much of this so called 

 waste land, which would soon fill with Pine, through natural seeding. 



