Annual liepurt of British Culumbia Forest Branch 



53 



Land Exaniiuation. 



Noting the fact that Eastern Canada 

 has fouiiil. along with older countries, that 

 settlement on non-agriculture tinilier lands 

 is not in the {uihlie interest, the Heport 

 points out that lands east of the Cascades 

 bearing timber in excess of 5,000 feet per 

 acre, ami lands bearing in excess of S,()00 

 feet west of the Cascades are not open for 

 sale or pre-emption. All expiring timber 

 leases remain in forest reserve until ex- 

 amined and found valuable for agricul- 

 tural purposes. In pursuance of this 

 policy, (5(52,280 acres were examined in the 

 year ami maps and detailed information 

 furnished to the different government de- 

 partments. 



Forest Reconnaissance. 



Until recently the forest exploration of 

 British Columbia depended upon private 

 individuals. Little was known except that 

 eleven million acres of merchantable tim- 

 ber had been taken up under grant or 

 lease, and that a considerable portion of 

 the rest of the Province was forested. To 

 find out what these remaining 239,000,000 

 acres contained, the Forest Branch has en- 

 tered upon a reconnaissance survey. In 

 1912 5,(516,000 acres were surveyed, and 

 in 1913 12,308,000 acres. This was in ad- 

 dition to the acreage covered by land-ex- 

 amination parties, or reported on by dis- 

 trict foresters. 



Forest Fire Protection. 

 The year 1913 was unusually favorable 

 as regards forest fires. The total damage 

 caused by forest fire during the year was 

 only $ls"354, as against .$313,27.3" in 1912. 

 The duMiayt' to st.'Uidiiig forest wns onlv 



$4,387, as against $200,000 last year. Fires 

 covered and damaged to a greater or less 

 extent less than (5,(1(10 acres of merchant- 

 able timber and 2,tM)0 acres of valuable 

 second growth; 2,5.(5 acres of slash was 

 also burned, making a total of 10,270 acres, 

 as against over 150,000 last year. 



The fire protection force for 1913 to- 

 talled, in midsummer, .'{2(( men, as com- 

 pared with 212 in 1912. The total area 

 under administration was 150,000,000 

 acres. The total cost of patrol alone was 

 .$HM).000. There was a total of 578 fires. 

 The four chief causes of fire are thus set 

 out: Camjjers, 148; railway locomotives, 

 110; unknown, 104; railway construction, 

 62. 



Burning Permits. 



The plan of issuing permits to those de- 

 siring ot clear land or burn brush has been 

 very efficient in the way of keeping down 

 fires from this cause. During the year a 

 total of 11,925 permits were issued to 

 burn l)rush covering 31,102 acres. Of 

 these 11,255 were for farmers desiring to 

 clear land, 157 for loggers burning slash; 

 458 for burning railway right-of-way, and 

 55 for public road building. 



Permanent Improvements. 



Owing to good weather conditions in re- 

 gard to forest fires, a much larger fund 

 than had been expected was available for 

 permanent improvements. In all 1,200 

 miles of trail, 360 miles of telephone line, 

 and ten ranger, or shelter, cabins were 

 constructed. The Branch owns and uses 

 twenty launches, ranging from twenty to 

 fifty feet in length, ami twenty row boats 

 ;unl I'jiiioes ar" used in the jiatrol servicj. 



The Convention Province — One of Nova Scotia's Beauty Spots, Second LaKe, 



Dartmouth. 



