186 NEW BRUNSWICK FORESTRY CONVENTION 



operators at all times as they get word of fire of any consequence to notify 

 me at once by wire or telephone. 



CUTTING OF LUMBER 



In reference to the regulations made by the Provincial Government as 

 to the cutting of lumber, the regulations more especially affect the cutting of 

 undersized lumber, but have very little to say as to how this lumber shall be 

 cut, For instance, we would say that our regulations call for an 18 ft. 10 in- 

 log, and in most cases, where the licensee has to pay the stumpage, they do 

 not think, where the lumber is of a large growth, it is advisable to run the 

 tree up any farther than the 10 inches. This has a tendency to leave a very- 

 large amount of lumber in the woods, and I think that the regulations 

 should read that all logs should be in future run up to 8 inches, but nothing 

 cut under what would make an 18 ft. 10 in., which in a fair growth, should 

 make a log from 38 ft. to 30 ft. 8 in. I think, if a regulation such as this 

 could be carried out, the Government would receive a larger amount of 

 stumpage and this would in a very great extent protect our forests from fire 

 from the amount of tops left in the woods. 



TOPS 



Again, in falling the tree the larger limbs at the trunk hold the top of 

 the tree up from the ground, when after the tree is topped out the main part 

 of the tree drops down and is hauled away. This leaves the trunk sus- 

 pended on its branches, sometimes six feet in the air, or anyway sufficient 

 air space underneath to allow a free access of air to permit this top to become 

 thoroughly dried and which will burn very readily. Instead of leaving this 

 top in this condition, if it could possibly be arranged, not only by those that 

 cut on the government lands, but by operators who are cutting on their own 

 grounds. If an understanding could be had with the different parties men- 

 tioned above that, after taking the tree out of the woods before the chopper 

 leaves that part of the tree, he would be ordered to cut all of the lower limbs 

 off the top, allowing the top to drop unto the ground, and again, if it could 

 possibly be arranged so that these choppers would knock off a few of the 

 top limbs, allowing them also to drop to the ground, leaving nothing in the 

 $dr, it would have the tendency to very quickly rot these tops off and assist 

 very materially in forming a forest mulsh for the young sprouts. You can 

 readily understand the point I am trying to make, that is, if all the tops were 

 lowered to the ground so that the action of the weather would assist ma- 



