CANADIAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 9 



LETTERS OF REGRET. 



The Secretary read a number of letters of regret, including letters from 

 His Excellency the Governor-General, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, President 

 Thomas Southworth, Hon. Frank Oliver, Minister of the Interior; Hon. 

 Sydney Fisher, Minister of Agriculture; Mr. R. L. Borden, M.P. ; Mr. 

 Gifford Pinchot, ex-Chief Forester of the United States; Dr. B. E. Fernow, 

 Dean of the Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto, etc. The list of 

 those who desired to attend, but were unable to do so, will be found in an 

 appendix to this report. 



Sir Wilfrid Laurier wrote in part: "I am exceedingly sorry that in 

 the midst of my parliamentary duties it will not be possible for me to avail 

 myself of your courteous invitation to be present. Nothing could give me 

 greater pleasure, and I will follow the labors of the Convention with the 

 keenest interest. 



"The forestry question is one which by meetings, by associations, by 

 lectures, and by every possible method, should be pressed to the ever close 

 attention of the whole Canadian public, collectively and individually." 



Dr. Fernow wrote: "It is with great regret that I have finally decided 

 that in justice to my students, just at this time I cannot afford to absent 

 myself for a whole week, the time required to attend the Convention. I 

 particularly regret missing the meeting of so many newly made friends and 

 participating in their counsels, but hope they will acknowledge the force of 

 my excuse. 



"While in my absence, I am not entitled to be heard, I hope that at 

 some proper time during the Convention you may be able to introduce just 

 one thought which I would have elaborated had I been present. Every- 

 body agrees that protection against forest fires is the all important first 

 step necessary before any forestry practice or reforestation policy can be 

 attractive, either to the state or to private enterprise. Everybody agrees 

 that the prevention of forest fires is more effective and perhaps more prac- 

 ticable than extinguishing fires. But not everybody seems to realize that 

 the main attention in protection should be given, not to the mature timber, 

 which is much less endangered and can be utilized if burnt, but to the slash, 

 which is much more imperilled and represents the hope of the future, the 

 young growth. In this slash the limit-holder has little, if any interest, but 

 the Government, the guardian of the interests of the future, can be expected 

 to and should undertake the protection of those areas. 



"The timber holder, however, should be made to reduce the danger 

 which his operations produce. What form his precautions should take 

 must depend upon local conditions in each case, but one of two methods 

 suggested again and again is usually practicable, namely, either to burn 

 the brush or else to "down" the tops. Do not allow any 'practical' man 

 to contend that this is impracticable or too expensive. It is neither. I 

 assert with good basis that in the real pineries brush can be burned, if 

 properly done, while logging proceeds, at within 25 cents per thousand 

 feet. It has been done for much less. In mixed woods, especially with 



