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Canadian Forestry Journal, September, igi6 



Forest Fire Damage from Coast 



to Coast 



A Strong Testimony to Thorough Organization and an 

 Indictment of Loose Methods in Forest Protection 



The fires in the Lake St. John 

 and Saguenay districts of Quebec 

 undoubtedly have been severe. 

 A statement received by the 

 Journal from a Quebec forest 

 service official asserts that the origin 

 of the trouble Avas not settlers' fires, 

 but berry pickers. A proposal is 

 now before the Department of Lands 

 and Forests at Quebec to prohibit 

 trespass on timber limits for the 

 purpose of gathering balsam gum 

 and berries. 



A series of reports reaching the 

 Canadian Forestry Association indi- 

 cate that almost the whole Lake St. 

 John region has been on fire, and 

 there has been a fire nearly sixty 

 miles long on the Transcontinental, 

 west of Escalana, and another at Es- 

 calana. A fortunate rainfall pre- 

 vented contact with the limits of the 

 St. Maurice valley. The extent of 

 the timber damage is now being as- 

 certained by officers of the Quebec 

 Government. 



Action Needed Here. 

 Beyond any doubt the ravages of 

 the 1916 forest fires outside the bor- 

 ders of the closely-organized associa- 

 tions (the Lower Ottawa and the 

 St. Maurice) will prompt the De- 

 partment to take yet another for- 

 ward step in protecting the timber 

 resources of the province. Hon. 

 Mr. Allard has shown not only a 

 keen appreciation of the importance 

 of the timber assets, but anxiety to 

 apply the most modern and reason- 

 able methods of protection against 

 fire. It is but logical, therefore, that 

 conservationists should look to him 

 for whatever remedy will fit the in- 



equalities now existing in the forest 

 areas beyond the association terri- 

 tories. The Lower Ottawa Forest 

 Protective Association and the St. 

 Maurice Forest Protective Associa- 

 tion have built up excellent systems 

 of timber guarding. Their author- 

 ity, however, applies to their own 

 territory ,and fire is no respecter of 

 human jurisdictions. While these 

 associations can cope with their own 

 troubles, it does not seem fair that 

 they should be constantly on the qui 

 vive, and put to heavy extra expense 

 to save their timber from fires origi- 

 nating in loosely patrolled territory 

 nearby. These protective associa- 

 tions cannot erect a fire wall about 

 their borders. They are continual- 

 ly exposed to fire risks coming from 

 outside. Whether the Minister 

 would favor compulsory organiza- 

 tion of all licensees into mutual pro- 

 tective bodies, or prefer to strength- 

 en the present plan of fire preven- 

 tion everywhere in the "non-mu- 

 tual" ^territory is a matter that can 

 safely be left to his consideration. 



Thoroughness Wins. 



The great point to bear in mind 

 in considering the year's fire record 

 in Quebec Province is that where 

 patrol was thorough, with close in- 

 spection of rangers, and aided by the 

 wise Quebec law obliging settlers to 

 secure permits before setting out 

 fires, the degree of protection was 

 excellent. 



On 12,000 square miles of the St. 

 Maurice Forest Protective Associa- 

 tion, from April to September, this 

 year, only one fire could be traced to 



