84 Canadian Forestry Journal, June, 1915 



Who Owns the Forest Lands? 



Canadian Governments, by Retaining Possession of Ground Title 



are Masters of the Future. 



{By the Editor.) 



AYlio owns the forest lands of Canada? 



There is a very prevalent conviction that with the multitude of 'timber 

 sales,' 'land grants' and 'subsidies,' etc., etc., as announced and talked about 

 for half a century, the public must by this time have parted with a major 

 slice of the forested country. The truth is that about 97 to 99 per cent of the 

 woodlands from Coast to Coast today is government-owned. A considerable 

 portion, of course, is under lease or license and is being cut over. When one 

 makes the statement that only one or two per cent of Canada's forest lands are 

 privately o^vned, there is no thought of confusing ownership of timber land 

 with ownership of timber. A timber lease is commonly spoken of as an equiva- 

 lent of ownership of both land and timber since the leaseholder cannot 

 be ousted without strong proof that regulations have been disregarded. The 

 real importance of retaining the title to the lands in the name of the people is 

 the disciplinary influence upon lessees and the undouV)ted authority given to 

 governments to define and enforce a better forest policy. The moment the 

 public become convinced of the very clear fact that destruction of the forests 

 by fire can and must be stopped, that moment will bring into being strict regu- 

 lations capable of blanketing all but one or two per cent of the Avoodlands of 

 Canada. Provincial governments may impose precisely what forest protective 

 laws they believe necessary and practicable, and no stronger barrier will block 

 the way than a terminable contract. 



B. C.'S MERCHANTABLE TIMBER. 



British Columbia's forest vSurvey will probably establish more reliable 

 figures than are at present available. The Royal Commission of Inquiry on 

 Timber and Forestry in 1909 and 1910 was faced with so much conjecture in 

 the evidence as to place a reserve on many of the findings. The original legend 

 that the province had 182 million acres of forest was dissolved by Dr. Fernow 

 who believed 30 to 50 million acres to be the truer figure, as far as 'merchant- 

 able forest' was concerned. These figures Avere again reduced by the Royal 

 Commission's investigation. The final conjecture of this body was that under 

 the jurisdiction of the Provincial Government was a forest area of 15,001,000 

 acres of merchantable timber inclusive of all reserved timber land and every- 

 thing under tenure with the single exception of what is held by the C. P. R. 

 which possesses very considerable privileges on Vancouver Island. In the total 

 of British Columbia's timber land may, of course, be counted 11,000.000 acres 

 lying twenty miles on either side of the Canadian Pacific roadbed and under 

 jurisdiction of the Dominion Government. Some 1,260,000 acres of it were 

 under timber license or permit at March, 1910. 



The use of the term 'merchantable timber' is, of course, responsible for 

 reducing the estimate of forest acreage in British Columbia to the seemingly 

 low amount of fifteen millions, considering the common estimate that the 

 province holds 132 million acres of 'forested lands.' 



C. P. R.'S HOLDINGS UNTABULATED. 



How much of this is permanently alienated ? Up to the year 1896 mer- 

 chantable forest could be bought from the. Government at the ordinary rate for 



