RELATIONSHIP OF THE STATE TO THE FORESTS. 187 



(b) Administrative Methods. — The forests of the Dominion of 

 Canada are administered with the object of maintaining a per- 

 manent supply of timber and firewood, in the first place for the 

 people of the country, and in the second place for export. Hence, 

 the forests must be administered for a sustained yield. Unfor- 

 tunately in some parts of the country a large proportion of the 

 best forests has been permanently disposed of to private people, 

 but it is stated that the policy is now to retain the title to the land 

 wherever this is still possible. Efforts are also made to control 

 the execution of the leases, more particularly to see that the 

 operations under each lease are completed at the fixed time, and 

 that they are executed in such manner that they do not seriously 

 interfere with the natural regeneration of the forests. 



There can be no doubt that a great effort is being made to keep 

 down forest fires, which in the past have destroyed far more 

 material than even the most reckless exploitation. There are 

 forest Fire Acts in practically every province ; a regular system 

 of fire guards has been established ; close seasons for lighting fires 

 in the forests have been introduced ; special contrivances have 

 been elaborated for the discovery of fires, so as to extinguish them 

 before they have attained an unmanageable extent. In this way 

 it is hoped to reduce the destruction by fire, but the task is very 

 difficult owing to the huge extent of the areas to be controlled. 



(c) State Assistance given to Forestry. — The Dominion Govern- 

 ment provides for the distribution of tree-planting material and 

 furnishes expert advice to private owners. 



In British Columbia the shortness of the staff has, so far, pre- 

 vented assistance being given to private holders of timber lands, 

 and no provision has been made to provide nursery stock for them. 



Ontario distributes nursery stock, gives expert advice, an 

 annual grant to the Canadian Forestry Society and, in supporting 

 Toronto University, gives indirectly assistance to forestry 

 education at that institution. 



Quebec distributes nursery stock, gives expert advice and a 

 grant to the Canadian Forestry Society. The province supports 

 the School of Forestry at Loval University. Provision is made 

 for the creation of township and communal forests. Land orders 

 are given to settlers and others for each acre of land planted with 

 forest trees. 



