FOREST RESERVE EX.TENSION 153 



The Lesser Slave Forest Reserve. — ^This is a tract lying to the south 

 and west of Lesser Slave lake and east of the trail leading from Edson 

 on the Grand Trunk Pacific railway to the Peace River district, 

 the south boundary being the Athabasca river. This tract rises to a 

 height of between 3,000 and 4,000 feet and there is a stand of spruce 

 and pine scattered all over it. It is only in portions of it, however, that 

 the stand is mature and heavy, but the indications are that the growth 

 of timber on this tract would be fairly rapid, so that it could be 

 considered as a very suitable tract for timber reproduction. Its ele- 

 vation and the broken nature ©f the country make it unsuitable for agri- 

 cultvure. It could form one of the finest piilpwood forests in the whole 

 of the West, and would probably equal that in any district in Canada. 

 The great problem at the present time is its protection from fire. It 

 is rather interesting to note that it is just at this point that the jack 

 pine of the East begins to be replaced by the jack pine of the West, 

 commonly known as the lodgepole pine. Both of these trees are found 

 on this reserve. The area is 5,023 square miles. 



Province of British Columbia 



In the Railway Belt in the Province of British Columbia, which 

 is under Dominion jurisdiction, there is an extensive tract from about 

 Notch Hill to North Bend, a distance of some 170 miles, which has 

 such a small precipitation that irrigation is required for successftil agri- 

 culture. The protection of the watershed in this district is, therefore, 

 of great importance and the forested mountain tops are of greater 

 importance almost, than in districts where the supply of water is not 

 such a pressing question. The Thompson and Eraser rivers run 

 through this tract but in such low valleys that the use of their waters 

 for irrigation is not very feasible. As a consequence irrigation in the 

 vicinity of Kamloops and the other towns in the district is carried 

 on from the small streams which head in the mountains within the 

 Railway Belt. Several small reserves have already been established 

 by statute, and the examination of the lands has been pushed on dtiring 

 the last few years in order to determine finally what lands are absolutely 

 non-agricultural, and should be included in forest reserves. 



In consequence of this examination considerable additions to the 

 reserves have been recommended. The tops of the mountains are 

 generally well wooded with balsam fir, Douglas fir, spruce and lodge- 

 pole pine, and on the lower portions of the hills the western yellow pine 

 is found in scattered stands. The timber on these reserves wUl be of 

 great value, but their value as reservoirs for water supply is perhaps 

 the greatest at the present moment, as the necessity for water is more 

 pressing than any other in that district and more necessary for the 



