168 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



This territory has also suffered severely from fires. As early as 

 1864 the whole north shore, known to have been green as late as 1857, 

 was bximed from Bruce Mines /to Wahnapitae river. In 1871 fire 

 swept over the coimtry from south of the French river up the Sturgeon 

 and westward to the headwaters of the Vermillion, Spanish and Missis- 

 saga rivers ; over 2,000 square miles are estimated to have been burned. 

 Mr. J. F. Whitson of the Department of Lands, Forests and Mines, 

 Ontario, estimates that fire in the last 50 years has reduced the pine 

 area north of lake Huron by one-half. 



North of the central portion of this region lies the Mississaga 

 Forest Reserve of 3,000 square miles, mostly white and red pine and 

 burned in various places to the reported extent of at least one-half 

 the area. In this reserve four townships in the southeast have been 

 licensed. 



(3) FROM SAULT STE.- MARIE NORTHWARD 



This route is open only as far as the Batchawana river. The 

 southern part, of this region continues of the same forest type as just 

 described, but is more largely hardwood (sugar maple and yellow birch 

 principally) with scattered aged white pine. Much of the hardwood 

 is over mature, and only the birch is suitable for manufacture into 

 lumber. At present much cordwood is cut for charcoal manufactiu-e 

 ' in Sault Ste. Marie. 



Travelling northward the pine and hardwood gradually drop out, 

 until after some 50 miles, about the Agawa river, the type passes over 

 into the spruce type of the coimtry farther north. Besides the spruce 

 there is considerable cedar, with also balsam fir and jack pine. 



This region has been surveyed by the Algoma»Central Railway 

 Company, whose line traverses the middle and will eventually reach the 

 G.T.P. For building the railway the Company has a land grant of 

 81 townships. , Practically the only lumbering on this territory has 

 been that of the Algoma Central, now transferred to the Superior 

 Pulp Company with large mills at Sault Ste. Marie, using some 40,000 

 cords of spruce yearly. 



As regards fires this region has not been quite so severely burned. 

 The southern portion for some 20 miles, or as far as settlement extends 

 north from Sault Ste. Marie, has suffered somewhat, as well as the 

 northern part towards the C.P.R. The country between these sec- 

 tions is mostly still green timber. Surveyor A. P. Salter in the report 

 of his 1867 base line from Michipicoten eastward describes the 

 devastation even at that early time, stating that "the coimtry north 

 of my line along the Height of Land is now for an area of 2,000 square 

 miles a desolate wilderness." 



