FOREST PLANTING IN CANADA 123 



The result of the Agassiz planting, then, as far as it goes, indicates 

 that at least from a sHvicultural standpoint, the introduction of exotic 

 hardwoods into British Columbia is perfectly feasible. 



At the Sidney farm no conclusive results are yet apparent. How- 

 ever, the fact that over ii,ooo ornamental trees and shrubs, i to 3 

 years old, exotics from a large nursery in France, are planted in the 

 nursery, indicates that those in charge have confidence in the ability 

 of hardwoods to grow in British Colvimbia. Prof. J. Macoun, Sr., states 

 that the sycamore seems to do especially well, and also that the English 

 walnut and the filbert both thrive and fruit in the vicinity. 



At Stadacona Park, in Victoria, a number of exotic trees may be 

 seen, among which is the Norway spruce, all flourishing. Near the 

 entrance, a row of trees affords interesting comparisons of natives and 

 exotics. Here were planted in mixture, Douglas fir, European larch, 

 giant red cedar and yellow birch. The trees are probably 25 to 30 

 years old. The Douglas fir is now 10 to 12 in. in diameter breast 

 high, and, approximately 50 ft. in height. Its rapid growth has over- 

 topped the birches, larches and cedars, to their detriment. The 

 European larch is regarded as a rapid grower in Europe, but is evidently 

 inferior to the Douglas fir in that respect. Such a conclusion would 

 not be allowable from a single observation of such a character, but it 

 is borne out by experiments which have been carried on in Europe. 



2. Financial Considerations . — Any opinions with regard to the 

 question of whether or not reforestation would be both practicable 

 and profitable in British Columbia must necessarily be based upon the 

 experiences of other countries. Fortunately reliable figures are obtain- 

 able from the Pacific States. The governing factors from a financial 

 standpoint are the amount of initial investment, the annual carrying 

 charges,' the rate of interest, the length of rotation, the amount of jdeld 

 and the stumpage prices to be expected. For several reasons, British - 

 Columbia is very favourably situated in regard to these factors. 



The initial investment includes the value of the land and the 

 cost of regeneration, including such protective measures as brush burn- 

 ing. In the United States, some of the States are buying land for re- 

 forestation at' prices ranging from $2.00 to $10.00 per acre, and in 

 Europe more is paid as a rule. This is for land, which, on the average, 

 is much inferior to that of British Columbia for the production of forest 

 crops. This initial outlay forms a serious hindrance to the rapidity of 

 forestry development in the countries where it is necessary. For-' 

 tunately, the people of British Coltmibia have been wise enough to 

 retain ownership of the bulk of their timber lands. Therefore, this 



