Canadian Forestry Journal. April, ir)i6. 



491 



Silvicultural Problems of Forest 



Reserves 



Learning' the Character and Conditions of a Property in Detail — 

 Administrative, Economic and Technical Problems. 



^ By Dr. B. E. Per now. 

 Dean of the Faculty of forestry, University of Toronto. 

 (Following is the second part of Dr. Fernow's paper which commenced in the March 



issue of the Journal.) 



In order then to inaugurate a sys- 

 tematic manag-ement of any proper- 

 ty, the -cliaracter and condition of 

 the property needs to be known in 

 detail ; next, its administrative, its 

 economic, and its technical problems 

 must be recognized and solved. 



These requirements in a forest 

 property involve first of all a detail- 

 ed forest survey, including a close 

 stocktaking, and mapping; next, a 

 suitable subdivision into smaller 

 units or compartments for conven- 

 ient handling ; a study of the mater- 

 ials that can be marketed, and a 

 study not only, but a stimulation of 

 the market for the minor materials ; 

 next a study of growth conditions 

 and their effect and results in regard 

 to regeneration and in regard to in- 

 crement. Based on this information 

 an admissible felling budget may 

 then be calculated and the felling 

 areas may be suitably located ; fin- 

 ally, study and experiment is neces- 

 sary to learn how^ the local silvi- 

 cultural difficulties may be over- 

 come. 



These are the data which must be 

 ascertained in order to formulate a 

 working plan and to inaugurate a 

 technical management. There is no 

 need here, I hope, to insist on the 

 necessity of employing men with 



professional training to collect these 

 data and to apply them; no need to 

 insist that permanency of tenure of 

 office and continuity of organiza- 

 tion are essential to successful exe- 

 cution of the plans. 



I propose now to point out a few 

 illustrations of the kind of silvicul- 

 tural problems that must eventually 

 be solved by experimentation, those 

 that arise in attempts to secure a 

 new crop of desirable character. 



Each reserve has its special prob- 

 lems, according to its character and 

 composition. 



The Aspen Problem. 



In the Riding and Duck Moun- 

 tains, we find conditions and prob- 

 lems very much alike. The most 

 valuable species here at present in 

 the white spruce, hence it is this 

 species for which the management 

 would have to be devised, especially 

 as at least 60 per cent, of the soil 

 is adapted to this species. 



Unfortunately, numerically, an- 

 other species, the aspen, is most 

 prominent, as a result undoubtedly 

 of fires which in past ages and also 

 in modern times have reduced the 

 spruce to only a limited amount; 

 hence the spruce must be re-estab- 

 lished in competition wath the aspen. 



There is no difficulty on this ac- 



