CANADIAN F O E E S T S Y ASSOCIATION. g9 



prove their own forest holdings. In 1908 the first move in this direction 

 was made, when the Government established a Forest Station in Norfolk 

 County. This area now consists of 1,000 acres and is a portion of an un- 

 productive district which contains about 5,000 acres of land only suited for 

 forest crops. The forest nursery at Guelph has been transferred to this 

 Norfolk Forest Station, and here will be produced the forest planting ma- 

 terial for private land owners. As fast as additional planting material can 

 be produced, it will be used in restocking the cleared portions of the local 

 Forest Station. 



In Canada, artificial restocking of forest soils will probably receive 

 small, detached waste portions of the otherwise good farm lands, or they 

 zation of our forest areas and more certain protection from forest fires, 

 before reforestation should become an important factor in forest manage- 

 ment. In spite, however, of the general and sweeping statements, that na- 

 ture will provide for new growth on our forest lands, we will, some day, 

 have to meet the problem of artificial restocking on many of our forest 

 soils. There are enormous areas of burned over lands in Canada which do 

 not contain enough seed trees of valuable species to naturally restock the 

 soil within the next few hundred years. Nature may eventually cover these 

 lands with pine or spruce, but she only does it in one way, that is, through 

 the agency of the parent seed tree. Another class of forest soils which 

 will eventually demand artificial restocking are the non-agricultural lands 

 which have been mistakingly cleared for tillage. These may exist as the 

 small, detached waste portions of the otherwise good farm lands, or they 

 may exist as larger waste areas such as we have to deal with in southern 

 Ontario. 



While there may be some question in regard to the probability of forest 

 planting in Canada, there can be no doubt as to the possibility of doing 

 this work where forest organization has reasonably settled the fire danger. 

 Successful planting of forest trees has been carried on for many years in 

 Europe, and enough has been accomplished in the United States and Can- 

 ada to show conclusively that artificial restocking of forest soils is quite 

 possible so far as the laws of nature are concerned. We also have consid- 

 erable data in regard to the financial side of forest planting. The initial 

 cost of establishing artificial forests must vary with the soil and the region. 

 In the United States forest planting has been carried on at initial costs, 

 ranging from $6.00 to $12.00 per acre. In planting Scotch pine on sandy 

 soil in Ontario, when the plants were spaced three feet apart each way, it 

 was estimated that the initial cost of planting was $12.00. In planting 

 similar soil with white pine, spaced five feet apart each way, the initial cost 

 was $9.00 per acre. Without troubling you with financial estimates, I 

 might say that we know approximately what it will cost to restock a given 

 area, and from a study of past growth on the same or similar areas, we can 

 form some opinion of what the future growth will be. It is not difficult at 

 present, even with our limited data, to predict what the financial outlook is 

 for artificial restocking of forest soils. There is no doubt that with the 

 initial cost ranging at from $8.00 to $15.00 per acre, forest planting will 

 be a safe investment, especially for the State or large corporation^ which 

 can secure money at a low rate of interest. When our forest organization 

 will warrant it, artificial restocking of denuded areas must become an im- 

 portant factor in forest management. 



