POPLAR-BIRCH TYPE 51 



stand had been burned at least three times. It suffered a light fire, 

 mostly on the ridges, 20 years ago, and heavy fires 45 and 57 years ago. 

 The stand probably originated from a fire between 75 and 80 years 

 ago. 



No sample plots were made in the coniferous swamp type. The 

 species are cedar, balsam, black spruce, and tamarack, and they occur 

 in various proportions, sometimes one species and sometimes another 

 predominating. While such swamps are common throughout the area, 

 they are mbst abundant and of largest extent in the northern tier 

 of townships. These swamps occupy some 14,600 acres, or 66 per cent 

 of the coniferous type. They are the chief source of supply of cedar 

 poles. 



The coniferous forest is practically cut clean in the process of lum- 

 bering. Very little remains to establish the future crop. For example, 

 on a licensed lot in Anstruther an average of 30 mature white pine 

 trees per acre had been removed. A strip half a chain wide and 20 

 chains long was run through the cutting, and on this area (2 acres) a 

 careful search failed to disclose a yoimg pine tree of any kind. A 

 similar strip was made in a cutting of hemlock, and it was found that 

 93 hemlock trees per acre had been removed. To reproduce the hem- 

 lock, there were left 5 poles and 2 saplings. That is, where 93 trees 

 were taken only 7 were left to establish a future crop, and the chances 

 are that these will be blown down or burned. Cases like these might 

 be multiplied indefinitely ; in fact, such is the usual condition on cut- 

 over crown lands. There is no hope for a future supply, which must 

 come from such cut-over lands. Another fact should be pointed out 

 in this connection : it is the custom of the Government to consider 

 revenues from cuttings like these as current receipts ; whereas, since 

 forest lands, so treated become non-productive and useless, they, in 

 reality, represent money taken from the capital stock. 



The Poplar-Birch Type 



The most important type, because occupying the largest area, is 

 the poplar-birch type, which is almost entirely the result of forest fires. 

 It comprises 57.3 per cent of the forested area. It is not a permanent 

 forest type but represents only the prelimininary stages in the replace- 

 ment of the original forest. That is, this would be the natural process, 

 were it not for the destructive and retarding influence of man's agency, 

 through fires which, if repeated on the same area, eventually kill all seed 

 trees of the original species and so prevent their re-establishment, or 

 at least delay it to a very distant future. Where fire does not follow 

 the cutting of the commercial species, or where only one fire follows. 



