Canadian Forestry Journal, May, igi6. 513 



You return to your home in the prairie city, resolved that the matter 

 must be sifted further. You seek information in very many quarters. 

 This is about how it works out : 



If Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta are to produce goods — agri- 

 cultural or industrial — at the least possible cost, the expense of raw ma- 

 terials must be held to the minimum. 



If the farmers of the three provinces are to reap higher profits from 

 their investments and labors, not only must their produce be sold high, but 

 their costs must be kept low. 



If t?he towns and cities are to attract new industries, such as lumber, 

 saw mills, pulp and paper, box-making, cooperage, furniture, etc., etc., raw 

 materials must be procured abundantly and cheaply with the shortest pos- 

 sible freight haul. 



If the magnificent coal mining industry is to realize on the great stores 

 of natural riches the costs of mining must not he unnecessarily multiplied. 



Forest products are a Western essential. No one looks on cheap fence 

 posts, cheap lumber, cheap fuel as a luxury. The West must have them, 

 and at the lowest possible cost. 



Look After the Foundations! 



The towns and cities reasonably expect to secure thriving industries 

 utilizing wood products. The spruce and poplar of the prairies are the 

 best species for making pulp and that manufacture opens up a field for 

 many varied products and industries. Most municipalities of the West 

 are looking forward to the day when industries will add to their population 

 and prosperity. But what will give support to the industries if forest pro- 

 ducts have been blotted out? 



The ^^'est possesses enough water powers to over-supply a populous 

 nation. Water power development is possible in almost all parts of the 

 country and is the keystone in any scheme of large industrial expansion. 

 Irrigation is bringing millions of otherwise arid acres under revenue-pro- 

 ducing crops. 



But water powers, whether for turbines or irrigation ditches, are not 

 self-contained. They measure their value by their uniformity of flow. 

 That uniformity is largely a question of abundant forest growth on the 

 watershed of the streams. A stream without heavy forest growth to act 

 as a natural storage reservoir is not dependable and loses a big part of its 

 commercial value. The forest growth of Western Canada is not only a 

 source of rich raw materials for immediate and future use. but represents 

 the commercial availability of the water powers and irrigation projects. 



JVhat Future for These Reserves? 



What, then, of the ability of the forests of Western Canada to meet 

 the demands of present and future? 



The forests of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba gathered up in 

 the Forest Reserves under the Dominion Government amount to over 

 25.000.000 acres. These reserves have been racked by forest fires in the 

 past, but are now receiving protection. Those that are denuded of trees 

 will be reforested as soon as possible and on those covered with trees steps 

 will be taken to introduce more valuable species where advisable. The 

 reserves are a valuable source of supply for fuel and small timber. They 

 must be carefully protected and dez'eloped for years to come if they are to play 

 their logical part in the commercial future of Western Canada. Ultimately, 

 their contribution to the public service will be supplemented by the matured 

 woodlots of the prairie farmers, for which four million trees are now being 

 distributed annually by the Dominion Forestry Branch. 



