22 



Canadian Forestry Journal, February, 1915 



ing as a basis the averages found in Sas- 

 katchewan, the spruce of Manitoba might 

 be estimated at 2,500,000,000 feet and that 

 of Alberta at 6,000,000,000 feet, making a 

 total of 12,000,000,000 feet for the Prairie 

 Provinces. 



While these figures indicated a depleted 

 condition since the advent of the white 

 man, Sir Clifford maintained that, with 

 adequate protection from future fires, 

 these great areas would re-establish their 

 timber wealth. 



It was onlv partially true that nature 

 alone provided for the replacement of 

 valuable commercial forests. The work 

 of Dr. Howe in British Columbia showed 

 that the burning of logging slash, at 

 selected times and under proper super- 

 ^-ision, not only reduces the fire hazard, 

 but favors the reproduction of Douglas 

 fir, by exposing the mineral soil. Repro- 

 duction of valuable species could be ob- 

 tained at slight expense by providing more 

 adequate protection from fire on cut-over 

 lands. 



Under the fire regulations of the Eail- 

 way Commission, steady improvement had 

 taken place in fire protection along rail- 

 way lines in which work the railways were 

 co-operating. The Eailway Commission 

 had established co-operation with govern- 

 mental fire protective organizations in all 

 of the forest provinces, except Nova Sco- 

 tia. In that province, active co-operation 

 would follow the appointment of a pro- 

 vincial forester, for which provision had 

 been made by law. The situation would 

 benefit greatly by the early appointment 

 of a qualified man to the position. 



Much had been gained by the fact of 

 several provincially chartered railways 

 becoming subject to the Railway Com- 

 mission's regulations. The International 

 Eailway of New Brunswick, being ab- 

 sorbed by the Intercolonial, emphasized 

 the need for the adoption of the same fire 

 measures on Government lines as were 

 required on others. No action had yet 

 been taken on the Conservation Commis- 

 sion 's resolution of last year, urging that 

 the Government lines be placed under the 

 Railway Commission, in the matter of fire 

 protection. The management of the Inter- 

 colonial should repeat, prior to April 1st, 

 1915, the special instructions issued the 

 past two summers relative to reporting and 

 extinguishing fires. 



The presence of large cjuantities of in- 

 flammable debris on Crown and private 

 lands, near rights of way, was a serious 

 handicap to the fire protective efforts of 

 railways. While further legislation was 

 needed on this matter distinct progress had 

 been made in individual cases, during the 

 year. The provincial authorities of Brit- 

 ish Columbia had issued instructions re- 

 quiring the burning of slash, resulting 



from new public road construction, and 

 cleaning up old slash, while Ontario, also, 

 seemed to have provided for the disposal 

 of road slash, particularly near railways. 

 The Grand Trunk and Ontario Provincial 

 authorities were sharing, ecjually, the cost 

 of removing inflammable debris from the 

 danger zone along the railway through 

 Algonquin Park. Similar work was done 

 by the Department of Indian Affairs along 

 the C. P. E., through the Shawanaga In- 

 dian reserve, in Muskoka. 



Material additions had been made to the 

 Dominion Forest Eeserves in Saskatchewan 

 but there were large areas in all the West- 

 ern Provinces which should be included in 

 permanent reserves. The total area of 

 Dominion forest reserves and parks in 

 Western Canada now stood at 43,801 

 square miles. 



Sir Clifford urged that the merit system 

 be substituted for the patronage system 

 of appointments to the field service of the 

 Dominion Forestry Branch and strongly 

 supported the Canadian Forestry Associa- 

 tion on this issue. It was the most urg- 

 ently needed reform at the present time. 



There was practically a complete divorce 

 between the theory and practice of fores- 

 try on Dominion lands. While the Forestry 

 Branch was well equipped with technically 

 trained men, it had no connection with the u 

 administering of cutting regulations on the J \; 

 licensed timber berths, while the Timber f \ 

 and Grazing Branch, which administered j 

 the regulations and collected the revenue i 

 on licensed timber berths had not, so far 

 as was known, one man trained in forestry. 



Ontario now had 22,574 square miles of 

 forest reserves and parks. Millions of 

 acres, cut over or burned over, were with- 

 out fire protection. If the present annual 

 revenue of $2,000,000 was to be maintained 

 the merchantable areas and young growth 

 would have to be protected, under a defi- 

 nite policy, such as placing a definite area 

 under protection each year. The addition, 

 last year, of 2,000 square miles to the Mis- 

 sissaga reserve and 811 scjuare miles to the 

 Algonquin national park was an excellent 

 step. 



In regard to the Trent Watershed, Sir 

 Clifford urged that the Dominion Govern- 

 ment purchase the fairly contiguous por- 

 tions of the 176,000 acres of unlicensed 

 Crown lands and place them under the 

 Dominion Forestry Branch; or an arrange- 

 ment might be made for acquiring them 

 free from the Province of Ontario. It 

 would also be a paying investment from 

 the direct sale of forest products in the 

 future. 



Sir Clifford commended the formation of 

 forest protective associations of which 

 there were now two in Quebec covering 

 the St. Maurice Valley and the Lower Ot- 

 tawa. 



