FIRE PROTECTION 65 



to the cut-over and burned-over portions of his limits only so far as 

 fire in them might endanger his standing timber. The other portions 

 are entirely neglected, and since the recent change in the fire protection 

 regulations of the Province has thrown the entire cost of protection upon 

 the limitholder, it is only natural that this should be so. Most of the 

 limit-holders cutting pine will finish their operations in a few years, 

 (One of the largest limit-holders expects to clean up all his remaining 

 merchantable pine in four years.) Under such circumstances.the limit- 

 holder feels under no obligation to pay for the protection of young 

 growth which will soon automatically revert to the Crown. So far 

 as could be ascertained, the limits which have already reverted to the 

 Crown in the region are not protected by, the Provincial authorities. 

 The result of these circumstances is that over 560,000 acres of potentially 

 merchantable timber are without fire protection. From the table on 

 page 63 it will be found that the area contains enough pine, if allowed 

 to come to maturity, to be worth $4,115,800 at the present dues a^id 

 present stumpage value. A like rough estimate gives the stumpage 

 value of poplar for pulpwood on the same area as $4,200,000; To an 

 unprejudiced observer, it would seem worth while to attempt to save 

 property whose potential value at present prices is $8,315,800, to say 

 nothing of its value to the community in transforming that value of 

 raw products into finished products. 



The preceding statement is made on the assumption, that, if the 

 area is not protected from fire, the young timber will never come to 

 maturity, an assumption amply justified by the past history of the area. 

 The old pineries, with the exception of those in one township, have 

 suffered at least three extensive fires in the past 3 5 or 40 years. Within 

 the same period, many have had four severe fires, and others five. As 

 a whole, 560,000 acres have been btimed in the past 40 years. This 

 is at the rate of 14,000 acres burned yearly. As only the portions 

 where they kUled standing timber or advanced second growth are 

 indicated, the map accompanying this report does not give the actual 

 extent of the recent fires. Surface fires were not included. Most of the 

 lands classed as barrens have been burned in the past four years, the 

 time limit of recent bums. The recent biuns and the barrens total 

 60,000 acres. This means that the average yearly rate of 14,000 

 acres, for the past 40 years has been maintained in recent years. There- 

 fore it is evident that there has been no appreciable diminution in the 

 occurrence of fires in this region. Moreover, as the young growth 

 gets older, as the dead leaves and litter accumulate on the ground, and 

 especially as the resinous trees wiU occupy, relatively, more space, 

 there will be more material for the fires to feed upon and the danger 

 of destructive fires will materially increase. 



