868 Canadian Forestry Journal, December, igi6 



Indian Department Requires Lumber- 

 men to Clear Up Debris 



New Order Will Have Wide Application — Operators 



Allowed Compensation of Forty Cents 



per Thousand Feet. 



A move of far-reaching importance ties of timber annually under permit, 



has been made by the Department of and every encouragement is being 



Indian Affairs, acting on the recom- given to them to conform to the new 



mendation of Mr. H. J. Bury, Chief regulation, both by personal advice 



Timber Inspector. and by the offer of a refund of a por- 



Hereafter, all timber sales on Indian tion of the dues collected to offset the 



Lands throughout the Dominion will cost of effective disposal. 



be subject to a clause requiring thor- As trustees of the Indian population 



ough brush disposal. This introduces of Canada, the Department took action 



the brush disposal principle into lum- in the matter so as to reduce the ex- 



bering operations on a very large area travagant and unnecessary devastation 



of Canadian forest lands, over one mil- by fire which inevitably followed 



lion acres in the Province of Ontario woods operations on Indian lands. The 



alone. revenues from timber sales are turned 



The new regulation comes into im- into a common fund for the benefit of 

 mediate operation, and applies to old the Indians of the reservation, no part 

 licenses as well as to any that may be of the expenses of the administration 

 issued in the future. It is presumed being deducted therefrom. Preserva- 

 that lumbermen when tendering for tion of the Indian timber will doubt- 

 timber to be taken out under this new less be assisted greatly by the action 

 regulation will doubtless add the cost of the Department, and what is equally 

 of this work of brush disposal to the important, the experience after a year 

 estimated cost of their logging opera- or two will afford valuable data on 

 tion and will tender accordingly. In which an extension of the brush dis- 

 these circumstances the bonus offered posal system to all Crown Lands 

 will be slightly lower than formerly, might be determined- At present, 

 but the added advantage of lessening with a few exceptions, the most that is 

 the fire risk will more than offset this accomplished by licensees in this re- 

 slight reduction. gard is the clearing of debris about 



No hard and fast rule as to the camps and buildings, and. in a few in- 

 method of brush disposal to be follow- stances, the removal of inflammable 

 ed will be adopted, as it is obviously material from, the neighborhood of 

 impossible to have a uniform regula- trails along driving streams, 

 tion which shall be applicable to all Too often the mention of brush dis- 

 classes of timber. In a general man- posal conveys to the imagination of 

 ner, piling and burning will be followed lumber companies a sweeping order to 

 in coniferous stands, whilst lopping and clear away all logging debris over 

 scattering will be the rule in hard- many square miles. This is not the 

 wood timber. These two chief methods way in which the practice of brush dis- 

 will again be subject to variation ac- posal will get its start in Eastern Can- 

 cording to the local conditions. ada. If a few companies could be per- 



The Indians take out large quanti- suaded to burn the slash along their 



