62 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



acres in adjacent Anstruther. If we assume that, had the area been 

 burned but once, it would have produced pine at the same rate as that 

 given above in the once-burned, 30-year-old stand, then the three sub- 

 sequent fires on this 7,000 acres have cost the Province $92,400 in 

 potential dues. 



Methuen offers an excellent opportunity to study the effects of 

 repeated fires upon the reproduction of pine. Here, areas burned but 

 once now have 30 poles and saplings per acre ; those burned three 

 times 5.8 and those burned eight times 1.7 young pine trees per acre. 

 This dep.reciation in value may be stated in dollars. Supposing that 

 the original pinery on these areas contained 60 trees over a foot in 

 diameter per acre and that each tree yielded 150 board feet, then the 

 stand contained 9,000 board feet per acre. At the present time the 

 Government would receive $18 per acre in dues alone for this. The 

 area burned but once now contains 30 trees per acre, which with the 

 estimate above would yield at maturity $6 per acre in dues. By the 

 same calculation the area burned three times would be worth at maturity 

 $1.80 and that burned eight times 30 cents per acre in dues. Consider- 

 ing the acreage in each class we can make the following calculation : 



7,500 Acres Burned Once. ' 



Value of dues if fully stocked (60 trees per acre) $135,000 



Potential value of dues with present stock (30 trees 



per acre) 45,000 



Loss by one fire $90,000 



17,600 Acres Burned Three Times. 



Value of dues if fully stocked (60 trees per acre) $316,800 



Potential value of dues with present stock (5.8 trees 



per acre) 31,680 



Loss by three fires 285,120 



9,400 Acres Burned Eight Times. 



Value of idues if fully stocked (60 trees per acre) 169,200 



Potential value of dues with present stock (1.7 trees 



per acre) 2,820 



Loss by eight fires 166,380 



Total Loss in Potential Dues by repeated Fires on 34,500 



Acres $541,500 



The $541,500 represents simply the loss in potential dues. It in- 

 cludes neither the potential stumpage value of the timber nor its 

 value to the community in preparing the timber for market. 



The tables on pages 21 — 26show that 560,500 acres of the 1,345,500 

 acres included in this report were classified as young growth and second 

 growth of the poplar-birch type after fires. Besides these, 37,300 acres 

 were classed as barrens and semi-barrens due to repeated fires. The 

 recent bums amount to over 22,500 acres. These make a total of 620,000 

 acres which have been burned, or 46 per cent of the entire area. The rate 



