756 



Canadian Forestry Journal, October, igi6 



Nipigon Forest Reserve— Ontario's 

 Oasis of Real Protection 



Chief Officer L, E. Bliss and His Men [Build Up a Fine 

 Record in Thorough Forest Guarding 



The Canadian Forestry Journal has 

 maintained more than once that if the 

 general forest protection work in On- 

 tario were patterned on the achie^'e- 

 ments of Mr. L. E. Bliss in the Nipi- 

 gon Forest Reserve, the necessity of a 

 reform agitation would be vastly re- 

 duced. 



The Nipigon Reserve's scheme of 

 fire prevention forms a happy oasis in 

 the centre of Ontario's ill-conceived 

 and ill-administered forest protection 

 service. The reason reflects some 

 credit on the Department of Lands and 

 Forests in that they have left the chief 

 officer, Mr. Bliss, free to adopt im- 

 provements and manage affairs as his 

 own intelligence suggested. Beyond 

 any doubt, the whole province could 

 be raised to an equal level by appoint- 

 ing a "Chief of the Forest Protection 

 Service" and giving him a free hand to 

 operate his machine. 



Only in the forest reserves has the 

 Ontario Government encouraged im- 

 provement work, such as building trails 

 and telephone lines. In the vast 

 reaches of forest constituting the main 

 portion of the provincial timber, no 

 such essentials to fire guarding have 

 been provided. It will be noted that 

 Mr. Bliss has taken unusual latitude in 

 two other matters, the control of set- 

 tlers' fires, and the appointment of his 

 own rangers. The reader will no 

 doubt recognize once more the link 

 between conscientious management of 

 rangers and good results in timber sav- 

 ing. 



The rangers in the Forest Reserve 

 are under Mr. Bliss' immediate super- 

 vision. There are 125 miles of bush 

 telephone line, with some 12 or 14 tele- 

 phones attached. These telephones 

 are all in the rangers' cabins. In Nipi- 



gon, at the end of the telephone line, is 

 an office assistant whose sole duty is to 

 attend to the calls of the telephone. 

 Every morning at 7 o'clock every rang- 

 er is called by telephone. They then 

 leave for their patrol work. At the 

 end of their patrol they again report, 

 about noon, to the office, again at 6 

 p.m. on their return to their own 

 cabins. On all the canoe patrols, the 

 rangers carry fire pails, shovels, mat- 

 tocks and axes in their canoes, so that 

 should a fire be discovered they will 

 have something to fight with. 



Tozvers and Their Use. 



In the Reserve are four lookout tow- 

 ers, all placed on high vantage points. 

 These lookouts report to the office 

 every hour, and oftener, of course, if 

 smoke is discovered. They are sup- 

 plied with powerful glasses so that it 

 is possible for them to cover an im- 

 mense area. In Nipigon a motor car 

 is provided, and on Lake Nipigon a 

 powerful motor boat. As soon as the 

 lookouts report smoke, men are loaded 

 on the car and taken to the fire at 30 

 miles per hour, and if by boat at the 

 rate of 10 miles per hour, so that what- 

 ever means of locomotion is necessary 

 it is not long before they are at the 

 fire. Everv fire that occurred in the 

 reserve this 'season was first reported 

 to the office by the lookouts. They 

 are, as it were, the eyes of the system, 

 and when they see and report smoke, it 

 is up to the men to put it out, as the 

 lookouts have done their share. A 

 lorry is kept in the car house, on which 

 are piled blankets, tents, cooking uten- 

 sils, etc., so that when extra men are 

 being taken to a fire this lorry is at- 

 tached to the motor car. and as it is al- 

 ways ready, not a minute is lost. In 



