626 



Canadian Forestry Journal, July, ipi6. 



our present standing forests can the 

 two-thousand wood-using industries 

 of Ontario secure their raw mater- 

 ials. Forest fires, indeed, spell grad- 

 ual extinction for a most important 

 section of the country's industrial 

 life. Having such knowledge, and 

 with no chance of disputing the re- 

 sponsibility of the provincial govern- 

 ment in the care of the timber, it 

 would seem that this year should 

 see signs of a concession to the de- 

 mand for a common-sense guardian- 

 ship. 



Fires ai the Coast 



(Vancouver World, June 15.) 

 Owing to the absence of rain dur- 

 ing the past few weeks the usual 

 danger from forest fires threatens, 

 and reports from outlying districts 

 received by Mr. George D. McKay, 

 provincial timber inspector, show 

 that already numerous fires are 

 under way although the majority of 

 them are under control. 



Two fires are reported by Ranger 

 R. v. Stewart one on the limits of 

 the Campbell River Lumber Com- 

 pany at Hornando and another in 

 the cuttings of Land Bros, at Wil- 

 son Bay. The former is a small one. 

 and is said to be well under con- 

 trol. The latter is a fire of serious 

 proportions, and for a ^ime threat- 



ened the homes of a number of set- 

 tlers near. The latest report from 

 that place states that it is now fair- 

 ly well in hand. Fires are also 

 burning in the timber north of Cape 

 Lazo and east of Courtenay, on 

 Vancouver Island. Another small 

 fire has started near Coquitlam, in 

 the Dominion railway belt, and sev- 

 eral others east of Langley. No 

 harm has been done by them as 

 yet. 



"The lateness of the spring, the 

 scarcity of green foliage and the 

 warm weather of the past few days, 

 are the causes to which these out- 

 breaks can be attributed," said Mr. 

 McKay. "Flad there been the usual 

 heavy growth of green foliage the 

 fires would not have had the chance 

 to spread, ^^'e are well organized, 

 however. Our rangers and guards 

 are all on the lookout for fires, and 

 in addition, this year the loggers 

 seem to be better equipped than they 

 have been to fight the fires. All of 

 the camps have a good supply of 

 pails. Duckets, hose and other equip- 

 ment for fighting the fames, and the 

 danger seems to have impressed it- 

 self upon every man employed 

 around the camps. Our guards and 

 rangers are taking all precautions to 

 prevent any large fire from breaking 

 out, and I think that the outlook is 

 considerably better than it has been 

 for scA'cral seasons." 



Quebec Settlers Obey New Permit Laws 



That settlers in forested districts 

 will accept sensible legislation in 

 the spirit in which it was designed 

 has been proved by results in Que- 

 bec thus far in 1916. The amend- 

 ment passed at the last legislature 

 requires a settler Jo obtain from a 

 ranger a permit to start his clearing 

 fires, such a stipulation blanketing 

 the entire season of fire danger. The 

 Lower Ottawa Forest Protective 



Association report that to the first 

 of June, 1916, about 350 settlers' 

 slashes have been burned in their 

 territory under permits. 



The rangers and inspectors report 

 further that "we are receiving hearty 

 co-operation from the settlers, no 

 prosecutions of offenders having 

 been rendered necessary as yet. The 

 new laws are of much benefit and 

 we encounter little trouble in hav- 

 ing them painstakingly applied." 



