90 



Canadian Forestry Journal, August-September, 1914 



most valuable f-onipetitors, or even by 

 Douglas fir, which, in this particular dis- 

 trict, is only a medium grade timber, the 

 forest will "be improved. The great dan- 

 ger from this infestation is not so much 

 the loss of the larch, but the increased 

 fire hazard. Over contiguous areas of a 

 hundred or more scpiare miles the larch 

 forms ten to thirty per cent, of the forest. 

 Should this timber be killed, as appears 

 likely, the danger of destructive fire will 

 be g'reatly increased, and it will be prac- 

 tically iiiipossible to cheek a fire which 

 escapes into a forest containing such a 

 large proi)ortion of dead timber. 



The appearance of large areas affected 

 by insects, as this one appears to be, sug- 

 gests that the great fires of the past in the 

 western forests have, perhaps, been fed 

 to the maximum destructive pitch by 'bug- 

 killed ' timber. 



Xo remedy for a large scale insect at- 

 tack has yet appeared possible. Perhaps 

 parasites may be introduced which will 

 hold in check the insects most destructive 

 on yellow pine, white pine and larch, the 

 three western species most aflfecteil. If 

 such parasites are not found it is likely 

 that we may look for some seriously 

 destructive beetle attacks. The insects 

 are present, and it only requires a combina- 

 tion of conducive natural conditions to 

 prepare a wholesale devastation of some 

 districts. Their spread is probably en- 

 couraged by the absence of birds in British 

 Columbia and the increased number of 

 favorable breeding grounds, which are 

 being provided in the weakened trees of 

 clearing and logging operations. 



The study of destructive forest insects 

 by the Entomological Division is wel- 

 comed in British Columbia. 



LOWER OTTAWA FOREST PROTEC- 

 TION. 



The Lower Ottawa Forest Protective As- 

 sociation, which was organized last spring, 

 has had a very active season, due to the dry 

 periods of May, July and August. The 

 association employs 49 permanent rangers, 

 four inspectors, and as many temporary 

 labourers as may be recpiired for the con- 

 trol of individual fires. During the dry 

 spell in May more than 500 extra fire fight- 

 ers were on duty at one time in the employ 

 of the association. Since the organization 

 of the association the area protected by it 

 has been increased by 2,000 square miles, 

 through the accession of new members. The 

 total area now guarded is 11,812 square 

 miles, or upwards of 7,500,000 acres. The 

 association has recently secured convictions 

 against 40 settlers in the Ste. Agathe, Mont 

 Laurier, and Maniwaki districts for setting 

 fii-es without permits, and it is expected 

 that these convictions will result in greater 



care with such fires in the future. In all 

 jirobability the excellent results secured by 

 the Lower Ottawa and St. Maurice associa- 

 tions will lead to the formation of similar 

 associations in other sections of the coun- 

 trv. — Clvde Leavitt in Conservation. 



SALT WATER PRESERVES TIMBERS. 



Professor John Macoun's O'bservations 

 Confirmed. 



In replacing a railroad trestle recently 

 burned along the north shore of Great Salt 

 Lake, engineers have just found that the 

 piles are still perfectly sound, after 43 

 years of service. Looking for the cause, 

 since these were only of local pine and fir, 

 they found the timbers were impregnated 

 throughout with salt from the lake. 



The first transcontinental telegraph line, 

 built before the railroad, extended west 

 from Salt Lake City through the j^ros- 

 perous mining camps of Eureka, Austin 

 and Virginia City. When the railroad was 

 built the telegraph line was transferred 

 to follow its right of way, and the old 

 l^oles sawed off at the ground. An engi- 

 neer who recently examined the butts left 

 in the ground in the salt desert near Fish 

 Springs found that, although fifty years 

 had passed since the poles were cut off, 

 the old butts were perfectly sound. 



Telephone and electric companies in the 

 Salt Lake Valley have used the local salt 

 for preserving poles. When set up about 

 75 pounds of salt is placed around the pole 

 on the ground. This method cannot be 

 used, however, when the pole is on or near 

 a lawn, or in any place where vegetation 

 is desired. 



It is pointed out that the reason why 

 the waters of Salt Lake act as a strong 

 preservative, as distinguished from ocean 

 waters, is because the lake water is so 

 much saltier, being practically a saturate 

 solution. Preservation with salt is of no 

 use in ocean piling against the attack of 

 teredos and other marine borers. 



Experts in the forest service who have 

 been investigating the preservative treat- 

 ment of timber offer the suggestion that 

 tiies and poles which have been immersed 

 for some time in the waters of the lake 

 ought to be impervious to decay if the 

 salt is not leached out by the action of the 

 elements. It has bene suggested that this 

 can be gnarde?! against, for example, by 

 painting the butt of the pole with a coat 

 of creosote, which will keep out the mois- 

 ture and keep in the salt. 



In this connection it is interesting to 

 note that for many years Prof. John 

 Macoun, of the Canadian Geological Sur- 

 vey, has advocated this method of pre- 

 serving timber. In the Summary Eeport 

 of the Geological Survey for 1908, page 



