146 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



section will unquestionably prove a source of large revenue to the Pro- 

 vince in the future. -However, the area is so large and the immediate 

 possibilities for revenue so limited that it seems doubtful whether 

 reservation would be considered justified at the present time by the 

 Provincial authorities, in view of the very large expense involved. 



It is, therefore, recommended that if possible, an arrangement with 

 the Provincial Government be made for a co-operative examination 

 next summer of a portion of this region, for the purpose of securing 

 more detailed information as to just what action it is most important 

 and most practicable to take in the matter. 



Dominion Forest Reserve Extension 



During 191 1, the Commission of Conservation took an active 

 interest in the establishment of the Rocky Mountains Forest reserve, 

 and assisted materially in securing the large addition which increased 

 the area of Dominion forest reserves from less than 3,000 square miles, 

 to about 25,000 square miles. 



Proposed Throughout the past summer, the Forestry Branch 



Western of the Department of the Interior has continued the 



eserves examination of forest lands in the West. As a restalt, 



reports have been prepared, indicating the desirability of further 

 increasing the forest reserve area in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta 

 and the Railway Belt of British Columbia, by some 10,708 square miles 

 — an increase of 43 per cent.* 



Practically all of this land is reported as being non-agricultural 

 and chiefly valuable for the production of timber. On much of it, 

 fires have caused extensive damage so that the amount of merchantable 

 saw- timber over considerable areas is relatively small. However, in 

 addition to the saw-timber, which in the aggregate amounts to a great 

 deal, there is a large amount of pulpwood and a vast area of young 

 growth which, if protected from fire, wUl become of merchantable 

 size while other resources are becoming exhausted. The relative 

 accessibility of a great deal of this timber land to the new settlements 

 in the Prairie Provinces makes reservation and protection very impor- 

 tant. For these reasons, the areas recommended should be included 

 within permanent forest reserves. f 



Of the proposed additions, 72 per cent or 7,698 square miles, is 

 in Alberta. About two-thirds of this, or 5,023 square miles, comprises 



*For description of additions, see Appendix, p. 150 et seq. 

 tSince the preparation of thig report, these additions have beenjmade by Act 

 of Parliament. 



