126 



Canadian Forest rij Journal, July, 1915 



A vivid testimony to forest fires. The photo was taken in the Revelstoke district and 

 shows damage done along the Spillmacheen in August, 1914. 



Settlers' Slash and Forest Loss 



Quebec and British Columbia obtained good results from permit 

 systems — The Settler who confessed. 



The burning of settlers' slash is one 

 of the outstanding causes of our an- 

 nual forest losses. 



Particularly in Northern Ontario, 

 Quebec, and British Columbia and to 

 a moderated degree in New Bruns- 

 wick, the labors of the fire rangers 

 would materially lessen and forest de- 

 struction be curtailed, were strict 

 'permit' laws and strict enforcement 

 everywhere in operation. 



The testimonies of men in charge of 

 foi'cst protective work refer to set- 

 tlers' fires in language that does not 

 mince its meaning. Reports reaching 

 the Canadian Forestry Association, 

 the Railway Commission and other 

 public bodies, while gladly admitting 

 the decreasing number of 'railway 

 fires', make no such statement of im- 



proved conditions among the settlers. 

 So far has the control of settlers' fires 

 fallen behind other concerns of forest 

 protection that the railways are 

 spending considerable sums annually 

 in extinguishing conflagrations un- 

 questionably due to farmers along 

 their routes. 



Good ^¥ork of Clergy. 



What a vicious contribution these 

 clearing fires make to the annual total 

 of destruction may be estimated by 

 some such official figures as the fol- 

 lowing: In Manitoba, Saskatchewan 

 and Alberta, outside the forest re- 

 serves, 480 fires occurred in 1912 and 

 of this number 108 were due to care- 

 less clearing, with 131 due to 'un- 

 known causes'. In the territorv con- 



