Title: Canadian forest industries July-December 1922
Identifier: canadianforjuldec1922donm (find matches)
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors:
Subjects: Lumbering; Forests and forestry; Forest products; Wood-pulp industry; Wood-using industries
Publisher: Don Mills, Ont. : Southam Business Publications
Contributing Library: Fisher - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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THE GREAT NATIONAL LUMBER JOURNAL Pioneer and Leader #/ITl/T/;/T I HIT) I^Al^fTl/Ttl Recognized Authority in the Industry lUlIUUU I lilllJJl51 1HU11 °r F° ^ Yea S / ^Sfc_ ^ M*mmm4 /bunded 1880 Vol. 42 Toronto, November 15, 1922 No. 22 Timber Conservation is Gall of North Country Some Practical Suggestions for Improvement of the Fire-Ranging System in Ontario By Alfred C. Weight, Hearst, Ont. It is with regret that we read of the terrible and destructive fire of the Haileybury region. If such fires as these occur year after year what is going to become of Northern Ontario's future supply ot tim- ber? The Government claims this fire originated from the settlers; no one is going to dispute that statement, 'but what of the fact of the Government rangers being taken off at practically the dryest period of the year. As long as the rangers were on and the permit system in force (which system is a blessing to our province) there was no serious outbreak of fire, but the day the rangers were called in thousands of settlers began to set out fires. Practically speaking on the whole areas under settlement from Hearst to the Quebec line, there were fresh fires being set daily. The result was that when the wind did come it was not one or two fires to contend with but hundreds that merged in various sections into one huge blaze, with which no army of men could icope. the fire ranging system of Ontario is a serious proposition for any government to contend with. I have heard and have been in con- versation with quite a few orominent lumbermen who favor the "ZONE SYSTEM" of fire ranging. Why not a system on the following lines:—In the regions un- der colonization we must have the Permit Rangers" and! the permit system to be enforced to the letter. Then take the districts where there are large logging operations or virgin bush. It would be reas- ible to locate the "Advantage Points" for "Look Out Towers" and make these points a base for the body of rangers for that particular zone. Instead of being scattered all over the zone, build one camp as near as is practical in the centre of the zone either on the railroad or river as the case may be. to facilitate the getting of supplies in as cheaply as possible; put the rangers in for the first year or two in the winter and cut trails on the compass, the same as our surveyors do, diametrically dividing the zone with tangents from the base. A few good axe men can cut miles of trails in a day. When the spring opens up and the rangers are put on for the season, let each zone base be under the command of a deputy chief and so many zones under one chief. With the crew of each zone leaving each morning via a certain trail and returning at night to the base, there would be a report each night at the base from each ranger and each part of the zone. With the man on watch in the tower if a fire was observed, by having' the trails the men would be able to concentrate to the point of fire as they would have a direct route to go by. There is no doubt this system would cost the government more to operate, but if they have to make many more large donations to re-establish the settlers, it will eat up the cost of the most elaborate of systems. The Greatest Menace for Fire Any one who has lived in the north country, and the writer has done so for eight years continuously knows that the prevailing and most dangerous winds for fire come from the South and South- west. This in itself is a great menace because most of the land un- der settlement lies in the path of these winds, that through care- less fires will threaten what timber still lies to the north of the settle- ment area, and there are miles of good timber yet to the north that must be conserved. Photos of virgin timber show some remarkably fine specimens of spruce, balsam, poplar, etc., and were taken by the writer recently on a trip to the north of the settled area in the water- shed of the Mattawishqwaia River north of the Hearst district. I would like to say a few words with regard to the "Permit System". Personally I ranged on a permit beat in the season of 1919 and my experience was that eight out of ten settlers were down on the rangers and would not give any co-operation. This one com- plaint is that the permit system did not allow them to clear land. That may be so, but it is absolutely necessary that all settlers log- ging or pulpwood operations slash be burned by compulsion the fol- lowing spring. Then I should suggest that as the settler is required by the government to clear two acres per year, that the settlers go (Continued on page 31)
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On the left is seen some fine specimens of Ontario spruce and on the right several tall poplars of the Great North. In the centre is A. C. Weight, of Hearst, Ont.

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