Canadian Forestry Journal, October, 191 5. 



WHAT THE FORESTS 



227 



MEAN TO MUNICIPALITIES 



By 

 F. C. Whitman, 

 President, Canadian Forestry Association. 



A little over ten years ago very 

 serious forest fires occurred in Nova 

 Scotia, and in two counties about 

 90.000 acres were so badly burned 

 that the marks of the fire are easily 

 traced to-day. That these fires 

 should occur year after year meant 

 not only desolation to the districts 

 damaged, but also a menace to the 

 prosperity of the surrounding coun- 

 try and particularly to the munici- 

 palities where lumber was manufac- 

 tured and shipped. 



It was just after a year in which 

 forest fires swept the western end 

 of the Province that I was fortunate 

 enough to interest some of the lead- 

 ing lumbermen in a movement to 

 try and put into practical operation 

 an almost obsolete Provincial Act 

 for the protection of woods against 

 fires. It was a rather discouraging 

 undertaking, the public believing 

 that fires were inevitable ; and the 

 government placing little value on 

 the timber growing on crown land. 

 To be brief; we organized the 

 Lumbermen's Association of Wes- 

 tern Nova Scotia. We procured 

 acts of other provinces and of the 

 states of Maine, New Hampshire 

 and New York. Legal aid was em- 

 ployed to draw up and submit to 

 the Government of Nova Scotia an 

 amended Bill that we thought would 

 best suit the conditions in this prov- 

 ince. 



The Act was passed in 1904 and 

 amendments were made in 1905-6, 

 -7. -8, -9 and 1912. It is now the 

 "Forest Protection Act" passed in 

 1913. All the provisions of this Act 

 are not yet in force, and the appoint- 

 ment of a provincial forester has 

 been urged upon the government. 



The government has been compli- 

 mented by high authorities for the 

 adoption of this Act; and it is con- 

 sidered to be one of the best in force 

 in North America. It can be truth- 

 fullv said that since the Act has 

 been in operation fires have not 

 been so frequent nor so serious, and 

 for my part I feel convinced that 

 with the co-operation of the muni- 

 cipalities backed by favorable public 

 opinion, that it is possible to prevent 

 forest fires, or if fires do start to 

 control and put them out. 



The chief rangers and sub-rangers 

 have proved themselves in many 

 cases efficient at fire fighting, and 

 that whereas years ago when no at- 

 tempt would be made to stop a 

 large fire, because it was thought 

 impossible, the organization is ready 

 to fight any fire and in many serious 

 conflagrations have w^on out hand- 

 somely. 



The Claims of Nova Scotia- 

 Yon all know the trend of immi- 

 gration, and the desire of the Do- 

 minion Government, very ably as- 

 sisted by the Canadian railways, to 

 populate the prairie provinces, not 

 only getting people from overseas 

 but also drawing on Eastern^ Can- 

 ada. There is a contrast in this set- 

 tlement that we would do well to 

 point out to homeseekers coming to 

 Canada. 



One hundred and sixty acres of 

 homestead land, generally treeless 

 and waterless, for the most part cap- 

 able of growing only one kind of 

 crop. A settler having to haul 

 water for miles, and eke out a scan- 

 tv fuel supply by burning straw. _ 

 ' One hundred and sixty acres in 



