200 



Canadian Forestry Journal, September, ipij. 



dredths of 1 per cent. The small ex- 

 tent of the area burned is due to the 

 fact that the season was a favourable 

 one in most districts, but it is evident 

 also that the rangers have been doing 

 more thorough work from the number 

 of fires reported extinguished. 



Main Causes of Fires. 



Campers, surveyors, and prospectors 

 were the greatest individual causes of 

 fires, and as these are ever changing 

 and therefore the educative work of 

 the rangers has little opportunity for 

 efifect, it is evident that a more inten- 

 sive patrol will be necessary in dry 

 years. Locomotives were the second 

 greatest individual cause of fires,but 

 with a more thorough organization of 

 the patrol on railways which is being 

 perfected each year, this source of 

 danger should in time be controlled, 

 and this would cover the several other 

 causes of fires that occur along the 

 railways. 



Clearing of land by settlers is a third 

 great cause of fire, and it is desirable 

 that some change in the provincial fire 

 Act of the provinces of Manitoba, 

 Saskatchewan, and Alberta should be 

 made which would give a better con- 

 trol of this cause of fire, such as is 

 given by the permit system for setting 

 out fire under the British Columbia 

 Fire Act. 



I would call particular attention to 

 the statement of the inspector of fire 

 ranging that by far the greater pro- 

 portion of fires started which are ex- 

 tinguished by our rangers result from 

 the surrounding conditions of the 

 woods as regards slash and debris. 

 This emphasises the fact that one of 

 the most necessary preventive meas- 

 ures in regard to fire is to get rid of 

 the debris and slash from lumbering 

 operations, road-cutting or other 

 work." 



Conditions of Logging. 



The latter observation of the Direc- 

 tor has an interesting relation to the 

 plan followed by the Forestry Branch 

 in disposing of timber on an area of 



7,360 acres in the valley of the Clear- 

 water river to the Brazeau Collieries, 

 Limited. Says the report : 



"A careful examination of this tract 

 was made by a forester, and it was 

 found that a large proportion of the 

 timber which was of a size suitable for 

 cutting into lumber was over 200 years 

 old and consequently overmature, and 

 that it was advisable that the sale 

 should be made. The tract was es- 

 timated to have a stand of 4,500,000 

 feet, board measure, of timber, and 

 9.700.000 lineal feet of mining proos. 

 This tract was therefore put up for 

 sale by auction, at an upset price of 

 $2 per thousand feet, board measure, 

 for a period of eight years, and the 

 price realized was $2.60 per thousand 

 feet, which bid was submitted by the 

 Brazeau Collieries. The sale was 

 made subject to the following con- 

 ditions : — 



(1) That no trees shall be cut 

 which are designated bv the forest 

 ofiicer as being required to ensure 

 the reproduction of the timber, the 

 protection of the watershed, or any 

 other beneficial public service ; 



(2) That the purchaser shall take 

 out all material that is merchantable 

 from the timber cut and shall not 

 cause any unnecessar}^ w^aste of 

 timber ; 



(3) That no unnecessary damage 

 shall be caused to the young growth 

 or to any trees that are designated 

 as not to be cut ; 



(4) That the debris of logging 

 operations shall be piled and burned 

 or otherwise disposed of in accord- 

 ance with the instructions of thefor- 

 est officer; 



(5) That the purchaser shall take 

 all necessary precautions to prevent 

 the starting or spread of fire from 

 his operations ; 



(6) That for fighting fire in the 

 vicinity of, or threatening, the tract, 

 the purchaser shall give, free of 

 charge, the assistance of the men 

 employed by him." 



