Forest Conditions. 365 



quality pine has nearly disappeared" and that "we 

 are within measurable distance of the time when, 

 with the exception of spruce as to wood, and of 

 British Columbia as to Provinces, Canada shall cease 

 to be a wood exporting country." 



The composition in general is the same as that of the 

 northern forest in the United States: hardwoods 

 (birch, maple and elm prevailing) with conifers mixed, 

 the latter, especially spruce, becoming occasionally 

 pure. The nearly pure hardwood forest of the southern 

 Ontario peninsula has been almost entirely supplanted 

 by farms, and here, even for domestic fuel, coal, 

 imported from the United States, is largely substituted 

 for wood. Although White Pine, the most important 

 staple is found in all parts of this forest region, the best 

 and largest supplies are now confined to the region 

 north of Georgian Bay. Unopened spruce and fir 

 lands still abound especially in Quebec on the Gasp6 

 peninsula. Spruce forms also the largest share in the 

 composition of the New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and 

 Newfoundland forest, the pine in the first two provinces 

 having practically been cut out. Extensive, almost 

 pure balsam fir forest, fit for pulp wood, still covers 

 the plateau of Cape Breton, while Prince Edward's 

 Island is to the extent of 60 percent cleared for agri- 

 cultural use. 



Much of this Eastern forest area is not only culled of 

 its best timber, but burnt over, and thereby deterio- 

 rated in its composition. 



North of the Height of Land, in Ungava and west- 

 ward, spruce continues to timber line, but, outside of 

 narrow belts following the river valleys, only in open 



