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(ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No 2)

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DBPABTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, CANADA

Hob. F»ur« Otnw. llinifUri W. W. Cmt, Dcpvty lIlnirtM

F0BE8TKT BRANCH— BULLETIN No. 6
B. H. Camthlu SapariBtnidMit of forMtrr

FOREST CONDITIONS

IN THE

CROW'S NEST VAIiLE|,..^^^.fiEpA i ,

•',-». (x

..■■ .■ ■'•'^•f»',' >

BV

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H. B. MACMILIiAH^, B.S.A., M.F.,

Aut. Inspector of Forest Reserves

WOPERTY OF THt LlliMirt
UWVERSITY Of WATERt«^
OTTAWA

OOVBKNMBNT i'RINTINQ PUEEAU
1909

i

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DEPARTMENT OB' THE INTEUIOR, CANADA

Hun. Fmnk Ot.ivu, Mini»ti-r; W. W. Coir, Deputy Minister

FOUESTRY IJRANTH-HrLLKTIN \.>. 5
K. II. C«arMBJ., Supcrintenilent of rorcxtry

FOREST CONDITIONS

IN THE

CROW'S NKST VA1.LEV, ALBERTA

H. 11. MAtMILLAIs^ U.S.A., M.F.,

As»t. Inspector of Forest Reserves.

•JOPERTV OF THE UBRAM

7C5— 1

OTTAWA

r.OVK.RNMENT PRINTINC BURKAU

1909

t4

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OOHTEITTS

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Fcr«»t f'onilitioni in the Crow'* Xrat Pat*

Toiiogrraphy

Rock nnd Soil

Eli-vation

Original Forest

Prewiit Condifioni

I'nburncd Timber

nurned-ovpr Land

Dcnd Timber Standing

Mir '."!.'!."!.'!."..'.'.'.

Reprotluction

Growth Rate of Engdmann Spruce

Growth Ratt" of Lodgppolc Pino

Diameter Growth of Doufflno Fir

Yield Table f t Lodgppole Pino u

Denndcd Area

Value of Denuded Land

The Eastern Slope should he Forosted

The West needs tho Timber

Tbs Forest is valuable for Protection

Tlo Forest will produt . Revenue.. .

How Forest Manaftcment may iirgin

Fire Protection

Cutting Green Timber

Dead Timber ' "

Agricultural Sett! i. it

Reforestation ....

Further Siirvevs

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ILLI'STRATIOXS.

"All the illustrations are from phofogrnphs by the author.'

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Property of the Library
University of Waterloo

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

MOM. FRANK OLIVER MINISTCR
W. W. CORV. DEPUTY MINISTER

F O Fi E 3 T R Y BR A j\j ^ i

n H. CAMPBELL SUPCRIfnTNOCNT

PLAN OF

H

ORowsNE^T VALiL^ex Alberta

oiuvGHTme omcc
Forestry *»d Irrigation Branch
Depirtment «f the Inttnor

i±iJ]M UN BUR NT FO

ITimber burn
Eveuvtmimc

706

JRNT FOREST. KiWiS'^j Fcmr-'S-.- nc_-^_- _

'' ""^ rORCSX OES-TROVED BV REPEATED TIRES NOW PRAIRIE

ER BURMED ST.LU STAMD-MC SOU..D. 1S9 MOONTA.M, ABOVE TIMBER UNC
RVTMINC OMTROVEO DENSE 3TANDOrVOONC TREE* COMINOON

««^»^||_2jj|

FOREST CONDITIONS IN THE CROW'S NEST PASS. ALBERTA.

The natural influences affecting timber growth, climate eleyation toPOfi^^P^y-

.W of the Rockies In two particulars only will the forest ot the Crow s JNest De
it 5ifffr^!::m tha? of the'^.ther valleys of the east slo, .^ -./-*' -^^~'?;
Srdeetruction by fire, and its greater value, the natural result* of .ts pro«m.ty to
railroads and settlement.

Topi^rntphy-
The Crow's Nest valley, as considered in this report is the valley of the Middle
Fork of ,the Old Man river betwec • the Livingstone range and «1>^,;;" '^^^^^^^
The Livingstone ran^'e is a steep limestone ndge ns.ng to «" «^X,«*;°"^lis oTX
6.000 and 7,000 feet. East of its s.mmit there is no -nber, the a^nipt slopes ot tne
mountains being too precipitous and rocky to sur rt tree growth, and the low
TundSj^ssi hillse^nding from the base of the mountains to the prame having
been constantly kept clear by prairie fires. , v.- i. *i,n

The mountains within 'The Gap.' ar the ^-«^ J^ ^"-%*7"f Z Lti^^-
Crow'8 Nest river reaches the prairies, are of less rugged character than the Living
stZ raTe tL rocks are of the soft cretaceous formation, consequenUy the forces
"ero^n iave deveToped a broad open valley. characteri«d by wide grassy terraces
C Crow-rNest riveVbetween the Gap and the Crc,w's Nest lak. Aojs ^u- %
through extensive meMows. The streams tributary to the mam valley arise and flow
Wwn ImTg parallel ridgea of harder rock extending to the north and south. The
S mos consXo«« in Ae Crow's Nest valley between the Gap and the summit are
Ze^rof a series of ridges, parallel to the Livingstone range, which have been cut
through by the main river.

Bock and Soil.

The strata represented in the formation of the Rocky mountains have been so
intricately fol ed and so deeply eroded that in the comparatively small area of the
Crow's Nest vaSy there are many different rock exposures. The ^laAead^^nge and
the Livingstone range, the western and eastern boundaries of the valley^ are a ha>d
cherty Stone. A; intervening ridges, those which de^nnine the north and south
fl^^of the streams tributary to the Old Man river (McGi livray rid.^e, Wi^Io-'ghby
rZ^ and others), owe their existence to tilted strata of "l^^""* >'"f "'^^ 'J'f ^^.^
the vali3y. The remainder of the valley, '.hich has been more deeply e^x^fl °«^" "
of variously lilted strata of shale and coal, the latter of which ,s of |r^»t «<'°»?'^'«
importance Excepting on precipitous slopes, there is ^.'^'^^^^J!,;"®^*^* ^'.^^^^
the support of timber growth. Along the bottoms following the Old Man river there
ai« me^ows where the soil is a comparatively dc«p rich loam. On the benches and
terraces along such rivers the soil is deep, but ver>- gravelly and light. Along the
mX? streams on the steep slopes of the north and south ridges and on the lower

Property of the Library
Umver^ity of Waterloo

•lopM of the uountain the loil, though broken by frequent rock expobure«, is always
prewnt in greater c less degree*, varying aa to moiature and depth with the steepneaa
of the elope, the foi nation of pockets and the eleratioc.

Eleration.

There is very little of the country which is unforested because of the elevation.
' •"»* 8f o^l>. merchantable and otherwise, forms a cover to a height of 6,000 feet.

The area which because of extreme elevation or precipitous rocky faces cannot
support a forest cover is not more than 18 square miles or 8 5 per cent of the total area
of 280 square miles comprised in the Crow's Nest valley.

Orir^nal Forest.

The evidence of early travellers is that the Crow's Nest valley was originally
densely forested between the Livingstone range and the summit. There may still be
seen sufficient remains of the forest oo show that it existed. On the terraces, sunny
slopes and along stream banks were dcr.se stands of Douglas fir, individual trees of
which reached a diameter breait high ot 3 feet and a height of 110 feet. B\ \d valleys
and lower mountain slopes were covered with a forest in which there was no break,
consisting of Engelmann spruce and lodgepole pine, many trees of which measured
20 inches in diameter and reached a height of 90 fc";t.

PBESENT rONOITIOKS.

The present conditions are vastly different. Fires, beginning with the use of the
pass by travellers between the Kootenay valley and the prairie and continuing with the
construction and operation of the railroad and the development of the mines, have
deatroyed a large percentage of the forest area and removed the greater portion of the
timber. According as the areas have escaped fire, have been repeatedly burned, or have
been affected by a ground fire only, several different types have been produced, the
locations of which are shown on the accompanying map and the areas of which are
given below. -

S(iuai'e miles.

Unbumed forest 33

Area covered with young growth 60

Dead standing timber 34

Sod covered denuded area 85

h I

r

212

Thus of a possible forest area of 212 square miles only 16 per cent remains un-
burned, 28 per cent has been burned over and is bearing another crop, 16 per cent is
covered with timber which has been killed by fire and from 40 per cent or nearly half
the total area the timber has been so completely removed by fire that a worthless grass
cover or bare rock now takes its place.

Unbumed Timber.

.1. .^"^°''*™»t«'y fi''^' as well as destroying the greater area of the timber, consumed
the best quality. M shown by the accompanying map, the green timber is confined to
the valleys at the head of Allison, Nez Pereee and York creeks, sites which were
protected by their distance from the railroad and by ridges which intervened between
them and the main valley through which the fire swept.

The timber which remains consists of a dense stand of Engelmann spruce (Picea
Engelmannt) and lodgepole pine (Pitms Murrayana). On a few ridges are smaU
groups of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga mucronatc), but the greater quantity of this

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valuable ipeciea together with the heaviest «tand« of spruce and pine, waa originally
found in the main valley and on the terraces which have been awept by fire. Towards
the upper limit of timbi>r balsam fir (Abie$ latiocarya) ot-curs.

Engclmann apruce is the moat important tree. In the lower valley it reached
a diameter of 30 inches and a height of 100 feet. It is very siraight and is clear of
limbs for about 35 feet. In the timber still standing the spruce averages from 10 to
18 inchea in diameter with a hei^t of 60 to 70 feet. The average for a season's cut
is three 16-foot logs to a tree. Occasional trees will cut four such logs. The timber
is light, strong and remaritably free from defeota. It is easily worked and seasons well.
This spruce is the most common and popular lumber on the prairie.

Lodgepole pine is the next important tree in the mixture. Its maximum size in
the Crow's Neat valley is a diameter breast high of 22 inches and a height of 80
feet. In the present body of green timber it occasionally occurs in mixture with
spruce, where the largest specimens are found, but it more frequently occurs in dense
pure stands, where it reaches an average diameter of from 8 to 14 inches and a
heiglit of 60 to 70 feet with a clear length of ever 40 feet. It does not average as high
in diameter as the spruce, but on account of its greater clear length and smaller taper
it averages as many logs per tree. The wood is light and soft and is not so strong
as the spruce. For a hard pine it is easily worked. It is widely used for ties, mining
props, logging and small dimension timber.

The Douglas fir occurs in very small patches or as scattered specimens on gravelly
slopes throughout the forest now standing. It forme a very small percentage of the
timber cut. Fir is the largest tree on the easi slope of the Rocky mountains. On
terraces overlooking the Old Man river it reached <» diameter of 40 inches and a height
of 00 feet. In the present forest the diameter varies between 10 and 24 inches with
a height of 60 to 70 feet. Because of its limbineas and great taper it rarely produces
over three logs to the tree. Eastern slope fir is not of such a high quality as the coast
fir. It is supposedly shorter in the grain. It is used for lumber and dimension
timber, particularly in the mines.

Balsam is of very little importance commercially. It occurs in mixture with
spruce above an elevation of 6,000 feet, along the streams and in the moist bottoms
at the stream heads. ItJ« chief impo-iance is as a forest cover above the merchantable
line, 6,600 feet elevation, from which to an elevation of over 6,000 feet it forms a
dense forest cover. The largest specimens reach a diameter of 16 iuches and a height
of 85 feet. The wood is light, soft and weak and when cut is mixed with spruce which
it resembles.

Nearly all the green timber now standing in the Crow's Nest Pass is held under
license. On a few of the berths logging operatipns have been conducted since 1893
and durinsr that period there have been cut 36,250,000 feet of lunger, 50,000 ties and
1,250,000 lineal feet of mining props.

The lumber has b -'en delivered entirely to the .prairie market at prices varying
from $13.50 to $17 per M. The present price averages $17. The ties were sold to the
Crow's Neat railway at the time of its construction. •

The present cut averages 48 board feet for every log manufactured. The average
per log up to 1903, while cutting was carried on nearer the mill, at a lower elevation,
in better timber, was 60 board feet for every log manufactured. This proves that fire
has not only destroyed the greater area, but the best quality of the timber.

The timber standing at present is estimated to rim about 4,000,000 feet to the
mile or a little over 6,000 feet to the acre. Granting that the whole of the present
standing timber in the Crow's Nest Pass would average this quantity, which is
unlikely because of its elevation at the heads of the streams, there is still standing a
total of 126,720,000 feet.

Disregarding future growth, which cannot be accurately estimated on the data at
hand, this timber will at the present rate of cutting, five million per year, last 25
years. The inevitable demand coincident with the growth of the country will no doubt

thorten th« term to lew than iO yt-nn, frt-n U UiTt*t firt-t do lu.t interfpre to (iimiiiith
the lupply.

Bsned-orer luid.

ThtTo ore 179 miUo <.f laiul within tht- v«lk-y, oriiriiiBlly timbered, but now
cleared by fire. A§ expUinol beforp, thi« comprinci most of the low-lying valley land
which ppoiliicfd the h<avii,.t MuniU uiid the kut timb«T. If 10 nquare milen are
allowed for land which did not lK>nr timber, and 6,000 fct-t per acre !■ taken a« the
Hveraire. there have be«'n 614.no<l.(tflO t.^t of timb<.r where now th.re t« nothing. If 44.-
OOO.OOO fiH't )R acceptett n* the Hnioiint whi.h hiii. b<-en cut. ft'O.mKI.OOO feof have Vkh-h
destroyed by fire. This figure i* conservative rather than exceaaive and includaa the
burned timber within the Alb.ri.i i-i.li. „f the Crow"* Xcxt valley only. The jfovem-
ment rcyeniio from thin tiniUr at the riite now i>nvailin»r. would have bej-n $2S5,00<t.
If tri,< timber had been Io,oonI. thi-re would have been »p«nt in the Cow'* Next valley,
at prices now pnvailinjr, $:>,130,f»00. The value of the manufactured lumber in the
preM-nt market would be $9,120,000.

Bead Timber Standing,

iiierc are large areas over which fire has run only once or at moat twict-. All
vegetation has beeri killwl but only the amaller trees have been damaged in any wav
to unfit them for immediate use. The two fireg which killed this timber, represented
••n the map as ' standing dea.l.' oceurre.1, respectively, 14 and 5 vear;. ago. The
first wa« set by a contractor clearing tl.e right of way for the raili^ad. and the sec-
ond 18 alleged to have been caused by a railway locomotive.

A comparison between the area which has l«en burne.1 and that which ha* never
been burned ahows a great difference in soil condition-.. Over the burned area there
had been a considerable amount of slash from the cutting, and a thick bed of needleo
and resinous duff. A very hot fire was the result. Where a very thin soil had
accuinulated over a rock exposure, it was all removed by the fire and the subsequent
washuig. Gravelly sterile soils which had been covered with two or three inches of
rich humus are bare and unproductive.

The fire killed all vegetation over large areas and a ground cover has not yet been
completely established. Grass is the most aggressive of the plants starting and where
there IS no production of timber, a thin sod cover will eventually result.

The greater prt of the burned-over area, that which has been subject to onlv
one fire, ig coming up with a denoe growth of lodgepole pine, dating from the year
immediately after the nre. Where there has been a second fire, all such voung growth
has been killed and a bare area has been produced, which will, through lack of seed "
trees, be long m bearing another forest crop. It was observed that, though the original
stand was spruce, with a mixture of pine, the reproduction after a fire is all pine,
with no mixture of spruce.

The area of the 4ead standing timber tributary to the Old Man river is 30 square
miles; of this about 20 square miles were burned 14 years ago and the remaining 10
square miles 5 years ago. The dea.l timber lost its bark soon after the fire and has
been so well seasoned that it has suffered but little damage from d.cav. Upon the
area bmed over 14 years ago, about one-half of the timber, mostly smaller trees, has
rotted through at the butt and fallen. Each year the percentage of butt-rot is in-
creasing. The remainder still stands firm and sound, there being Apparently no differ-
ence between the pine and the spruce in this regard. The Canadian American Coal
Company, of Frank, cleared 160 acres of timber, fire kille.1 13 years before, took everj--
thing down to four inches in the top and cleanwl up all the sound timber for mining
pro,». They secured from the tract 502,702 lineal feet of props or 3,700 feet per acre
m the timber burned five years ago, several sample acres were measured and the aver-
age was found to be <0 trees to the acre, each tree containing SO lineal feet of mining

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pruiM, • tland of 3,000 lineal fwt iwr •«?«•. Alluwlnit for th*- »rr*» vhidi h*M bt«ii
cut over aiHl upon which thcrti it no prop limber, ami for th« hiKber ridgaa upon which
the timber i« man open, 8S aquare miin would average 1,600 feet per i.«re, makinf
a total of 24,000,000 feet of mininc prop* now availnlla in the Crow't Neat valley-

An effort haa been made to utitiie the dead timber (that which ha« been dead
five yean only) ua Mw timber. It ia checked M badly that it cannot be rat into
lumoer, but may be uted for dimanairp atuff. Hon. Peter McLaren cut 1,000,010
feet B.M., of loffi U»t year ai aq experiment. The Iciga were of a larp'r average mw
than the green loge they ordinarily cut, yet the quantity of lumber produced, grading
commona and better, waa only 198,000 feet B.M., or 26 per cent of what they would
•ecuro from 1,000^)00 feet B.M., of green log«. Moreover, the milla can tell th«
•mall proportion of culU produce«l in manufacturing green Inga, but they have not yet
tuci-eeded in rinding a market for the large amount of culU reaulting from the manu>
fiicture of deail timber. They found it poaaibfe to manufacture laleable lumber only
from dead loga over 20 Inchea in c'iameter. This they cannot ilo profitably becauie of
tho prohibitive coat of covering a large territory to iccure th«' log* over 20 inchea in
diameter. All lojTi below thii nue arr checked to the centre, the grain U usually
ipiral and it i* impoiaible to aaw tkem and avoid ths check*. The management of
Hon. Peter McLaren'i buaineM haa decided that it ia not practicable to manufacture
ihe dead timber.

The dead timber, used in the round, in stronger than gr««n timber of the lamo
tile and apeciea. It i* alto lighter and more eatily handled. That itt very porous
checketl condition eau»e« it to abtorb moitturo which renult* in a lots of strength
and the entrance of fungi it not a difadvantago under the conditions in which thia
cla^s of timber it u»ed in the niineit in the Crow'* Nest valley.

Misinf.

The general system of mining and u»ing mining timbers is as follows:—

A main entry i» run along the strike of the seai... This entry is permanent and
requires to be kept timbered a* long as the mine is in opera'.ion. The timbers ate in
' sets ' thirty inches from centre to centre aing the whole length of the entry, which
may be a mile or more. Each set consists of two posts eight to twelve feet long,
twelve inches in diameter at the top, across which is placed a ' strut ' twelve to four-
teen feet lonff. to support the roof of the entry. The strut is usually between ten to
twenty inches in diameter. Wh«'re the formation requires it, the struts and posts nro
roofed and walle<l with ' lagging,' consisting of polea two to three inchea in diameter,
cheap lumber or slabs.

Branching from the entries about every sixty feet, roonr re run along the dip of
the team. The roof of each room is supported with psts about six inchea in diameter
at the top.

Every forty feet from the main entry, counter ent^^8 are run parallel to it. The
counter entries are timbered with set* of timbers just as in the main entry, except
that the seta are four feet apart, and the timbers are smaller. In the mine taken u%
an example about 6,000 feet of counter entries f.-e kept permanently timbered.

When the rooms have been projected to the extremity of the seam, they nro
widened until they meet and «ll the room* are carried forward simultaneously from
counter entry to counter entry. It is in this operation that the great number of props
is I -ed. As the coal is removed over a large area, the roof caves in, and, aa the miners
say, the ' squeeze comes on.' The props are put up a« fast as coal is remove*!, so as
to prevent fragrments of rock from falling on the mineas and to warn then: when the
formation is going to settle. Against the bottoms of these props are piled timbers, a
' battery,' to prevent rocks loosened by the squeeze, from rolling down upon the work-
men. Planks are used to build the chutes down which the coal slides from the rooms
to the main entry, and lumber is used to construct the ' bratticc'i ' through which air

'^

10

is conducted along the entries and counter entries to the rooms. The above constitute
the main uses of timber in mining, though large quantities are required for ties,
treatio and tipple construction, and the maintenance of buildings and equipment.

The requisite for entry timbers is strength combined with a certain amount of
durability. They arc being constantly rem wed, some locations where the ' squeeze '
IS severe requiring new timbers nearly every day, others where the pressure is not
BO great requiring renewals every twelve to eighteen months. In the latter situation
great durability and resistance to the rot so prevalent in mine timbers might in-
crease the continued strength of the timbers, but ordinarily, main entry timbers give
way to the pressure before they are affected by rot. Nearly all the main entry tim-
bers used in the Crow's Nest mines are green pe^'.od Douglas fir from British Col-
umbia; a comparatively small number are cut on berths 1290 and 1432, owned by
mining companies. Still fewer are large fire-killed spruce and pine purchased from
the McLaren Company. Where the green local timber can be procured as cheaplv,
It IS quite as satisfactory as that from British Columbia, and the dead, where it can
be purchased for the same price, can be just as safely used except where timbers ovjr
twelve inches in diameter are required.

Lagging re<iuircs only such an amount of strength as is jxwsessed by slabs, cheap
lumber and small poles. It does not require renewing frequently and is so cheap and
easily handled as to render the question of durability an insignificant one. The
Maple Leaf mine, and occasionally the West Canadian Colliery Company use youiis
l()<lp.p(,le pine, two to four inches in diamote-, for lagging. This is the general
practice in mining in Montana and in many regions where lumber and its bye pro-
dticts, slabs and edgings are expensive, but in the Crow's Nest, where several of tlic
miners have small portable mills, and where slabs are burned at the mill unless they
can be sold at fifty cents to one dollar a load, slabs and cheap lumber are used for
lagging and are not considered an item of expense in mine timbering.

Room and counter entry props are the important mine timbers. They are car-
ried long distances throujih the mines and are handJod a great deal by the miners, so
imist be light. They are suhjetn to great pressure and are inevitably crushed by
that pressure, so strength and not durability is the requisite. These qualities, light-
ness and strength without durability, are possessed to a great degree by the fire-killed
pine and spruce of the Crow's Nest valley. Props are required to be as long as the
coal seam is thick and to have a diameter of one inch for ever,\ foot in length. Props
r.spd in the Crow's Nest Pass are eight to sifxtecn feet long, and six to ten inches in
diameter. Those used in Lethbridge are four to six feet long, four to eight inclie-^
in diameter, the scam at the latter place being thinner.

Lumber used for chutes, brattices, construction and equipment is nearly all pur-
cliase<I from British roh.:,.bia I'^r both the Crow's Nest and L;>thbri(l(ie mines.
Occasionally small purchases are made from local mills. The West Canadian Col-
liery had a small portable mill, since destroyed by fire, with which they manufactured
their lumber from timbvr cut on berth 1432.

The Crow's Nest and Lethbridge mines during 190S used 3,000,000 lineal feet of
mining props and 2,500,000 feet B.M. of lumber and dimension timber. The esti-
r,-. ted increase in output of mines now running will raise the annual demands of
the mines to 5,500,000 lineal feet of props and 4,500,000 feet B.M. of lumber and
dimension timber by 1913.

At present 1,940,000 feet of the props are cut from the burned over area and from
th.> lands owned by the mininor companies in the Crow's Nest Pass. The remainder
of the props and all the lumber is brought from British Columbia. The mines buv
their lumber from British Columbia where they can get fir, which is stronger and rut
m larger dimensions. The mine owners get their props in the Crow's Nest valley
when they can profitably do so. Of the present stand of props, estimated at 04 000 000
liural feet. :r, p r cut J. liebl by Hon, Peter McLaren and the remaining' 25 'per
cent by the coal coinpamos. Coal companies not owning surface rights, have found

^ <'nn^' -|ii ur> •-■■rtiliii^' i-Mtiiihij- u|> uiilt-i' i.uk )<i

70:. -|.. IP

■

A

7ii."i |i. II'

11,

I'

I: !•■

T

u

it as cheap and cheaper to buy props from British Columbia and Montana. Some
of the companies buy props from Michel and Cranbrook, British Columbia, and Kali-
spell, Montana, having them delivered for from IJ tc I cents per lineal foot at Cole-
man, Frank and Lethbridge. The companies buying props in the Crow's Nest valley
pay from li to 3} cents per lineal foot, delivered at the mines. In addition to this a
Crown due of 2} cents ad valorem is levied. Thus, at present, local timber is more
expensive than the imported.

The International Coal and Coke Company, whose 8«amc underlie the dead tim-
ber, buy props standing on the ground over their workings, and hauling them very
short distances, drop them down air shafts at the exact places wher^ they are required.
Though they are in this way spared labour and get their props more cheaply, they .juy
them from Mr. McLaren under protest, believing that his license does not give him
title to dead timber under 10 inches in diameter, that the license should be cancelled
on burned over land and that the area of mining timbers should be handled hy the
government. This belief is shared by other mine owners.

Mr. McLaren's manager, on the other hand, is convinced that the loss he suffered
by the burning of the green timber should not be increased by the revoking of his
license to cut the now profitable dead timber. He also bears in mind that the com-
pany has paid groi id rent on the property, paid a cash bonus on the limit, and is
yearly spending money on fire protection. He values the burned timber at $2,000 to
$2,500 per square mile, is confident that he will sell it in five to eight years and thinks
it is his duty to his employer to sell at the highest market price.

The statement of mining timber used given above takes into account the in-
evitable expansion of existing mines, but does not allow foi development by companies
now organized but not working. At the present rate of consumption the supply of
mining props in the Crow's Nest valley will last 10 years, but ati the increased rate
which will be brought about by increased prices elsewhere, by increased mine develop-
ment and by the timber owners' fear to hold the standing prop? too lon;^ they will
last about 6 years.

Seproduction.

In addition to the burned over land, one-half of which is well stocked with young
trees, there are sixty square miles of land within the Crow's Iciest valley upon which
a dense stand of forest reproduction replaces the timber which was killed by fire. The
laud covered with reproduction lies too high oii the hillsides and is too rough, stoney
and gravelly to be fit for agriculture or valuable for grazing. Repeated fires have
consumed all the timber of the previous forest and have impoverished the soil to a
certain extent, removing the humus and exposing the sterilt), gravelly subsoil. There
i' now over a greater part of the area a light sod cover forming, which serves to keep
the soil from washing. Reproduction covers the whole 60 square miles except for a
few small openings. The stands are dense and '.'on aged throughout, dating in every
case from the exact year of the fire which •' d the previous timber. There are

areas of thousands of acres through which upossible to force a horse and dif-

ficult to travel on foot.

The trees stand so closely on the ground Uiut they deprive one another of light,
Sdil-food and moisture and a stagnation uf growth will result, and until the stronger
succeed in obtaining a start over, and crowding out, the weaker, growth "iU be very
slow. The present stands arc mostly five, fourteen and seventeen years old with
heights of 2, 12 and 15 feet respectively.

It has been noted that though the original stand of timber in the valley was 70
per cent spruce, 25 per cent pine and 5 per cent fir, the reproduction w^ich now
occupies the ground is 90 per cent pinp, S por cent spru'-p and 2 per -ent fir. The
reason for such a change in the composition of the forest becomes apparent when the
growth habits of the different species are understood.

It

Engelmann "ipruce reaches its ureatogt deTclopment on a fresh or moist mineral
•oil such as is found along the creek bottoms, over the unbumed mountain slopes and
throughout the valleys at the heads of the streams.

It is very tolerant and grows in dense, une'-en age<l undn. The tr«p produces
small quantities of seed every two to three years; the seeds ^nd their best germinating
ground where the mineral soil is exposed in moist situations in the partial light of an
opening in the maturing stand. If the cpening be too large and the soil dried out in
consequence, though the seed may germinate, the young spruce will not thrive. It
requires protection from the sun. If the shade and moisture conditions &re right
spruce sc<a will germinate and the seedlings thrive on the moss covered clay soil
common under stands of Engelmann spruce in the Rockies, or on decayed and punky
logs and stumps.

The natural development of a spruce forest ;atchy. Openings are created by ]
the fall of over-mature trees; in tiie openings on a moist siil shaded by the surround- \
ing stan<l young spruces develop, which in turn seed up the neighbouring vacancies i
caused by the removal of mature timber. i

Growth Bate of Engelmann Spruce— Crow's Nest Valley, Alberta.

' ^

::i

■

A ft w measurements taken of the growth of Engelmann spruce furnish a founda-
tion for the following table.

Age- Eiameter Height.

„— . Breast High. —

"^'■s Inches. Feet.

10

20 '_] '." ■■■

3*^ 3-8 38

40 5.1 43

50 6-6 68

•'0 81 68

''0 95 7i

W> 10-7 73

J»0 12. fA

100 13.1 fi

110 14.1 95

1^0 15.0 9S

130 15.7 102

Spruce is long lived and frequently reaches larger diameters than indicated above.

Lodpepole pine is a tree of quite different characteristics. It grows best on a
fresh or moist mineral soil but will succeed on an impoverished, burned over, gravelly
hillside or upon a steep mountain where soil can only be found in pockets and crevices
in the rock.

I.odgt-pole pine is very intolerant in the seedling stage. It demands light a:ij
grows in douse even aged stand,«. It has many of the characteristics of the jack pine.
After it reaches an age of eighteen to twenty years it produces seed every year in
large quantities; the stOny weather-proof cones remain on the trees for years. After
a lumbering operation where most of the timber is removed, or after a fire, they ger-
minate, and, pa -ticularly after a fire, find the seed-be<l they need, a mineral soil ex-
pose<l to the light. In such conditions the cones from a few scattered pine trees will
speedily and densely see," sip n large arra. The seedlings immediately develop .t
strciifr persistent tap root which enables them to succeed on poor soil. As the tree
becomes older it requires less light for its development.

iH

■WM

t mineral
lopes and

produce -I
ininating
ght of on
ed out in
hrive. It
are right

clay soil
nd punky

reated by
surround-
vacancics

I'illc l-i'lifiHlllrtiiiM nil lallil lillCllol (»\i'r fmil tffll yf;i(>. H^.*".

ed above. 1

)e8t on a «

, gravelly l

1 crevices J

light and
ack pine.
■ year iii
8. After
they ger-
I soil ex-
trees will
levclop .1
the tree

|,. 1.1

llciiinhis Kir. Hliii'h liiis i|ftii-(| tin-, i-nnv irit; mi tin' I.umi- ti-ii

i
J

I' »

I 'ill

I

<'ni«'- N...t Xalli'y fmrii < '.iliiuaii tu MiLiiritiw Mill. Tlic ni.:i.l,,\v IuikI i< lit l.n iik'riiMltiin> if
iliiiimil ; the tiriao-:. on thr lift uit tit mil) fm ^'rl>Hill^ tiniNi.

; rilV |.. 1:1.

I'lUiuiil \iilliy iif OKI Man Kmr, slmwinK fiiiiKt ri'|ilaiiil liy an iiiiiih«linti\f <ijtl.

1

-' i

IS

Growth Bate of Lodgtpole Pise — Crow's Hett Vtlloy, Alberta.

McaDun'tnoiitu takni nf th<> rmwiH rato of the pine in the Crow't Ncit valley
form n hi'is for the fnUowing tuble: —

Aft.

10

20

30

40

60

eo

70

80

00

ain'ter.
•t iligh.
nchea.

HtiKbt.

Ft'tt.

3-2

23

5-2

37

0-8

48

8-

68

»•

04

9-1

CO

10-3

73

10-7

■n

11:

80

LoduppoU' i* n fliort-livcil trpc nnd seldom ri'nclK'-' n diann'tor of mure tlian
fourteen inches. Its growt'.i rate fall* off rapidly after sixty years.

Enfrelmnnii spriice and lodtfi'i 'do pitie are similar in that th<y are both very
.i»ily killed by a ground fire and both very free from all other forms of damage. Cull
<iiio to decay is i tt over 2 per cent for either of these timber*i.

Doiifflas fir as a species has been iinfortunati' in that the sites upon which it
ronches its optimum development in the Crow's Neat valley, the terrace.*, southern
i-loiies and fliit'* nf the mouths of ertn'ks, linve Wen most severely burned.

In tiie Crow's Nest valley fir thrives, im the moist, rich river flits and on the
pravelly terraces and .slopes, especially on those with a southern exposure.

Fir is very intolernnt in the seedlinfr stage and the youngf trees will suee 'ed oidy
in full lijfht. The trees bepin to seed when they reach a diameter of four inches and
seed abundantly and frequently. TJie seeds have a hiph percentage of fertility and
germinate especially well on a fresh mineral soil such as is exposed after a fire. This
characteristic together with the great fire resistance of the mature fir trees renders it
a tree especially adapted for reproduction on burned over areas. Fires have been so
frequent on the terrace and lower slopes of the Crow's Nest valley that the mature
trees have finally been killed and the reproduction has been unable to make a start.
Around the trees which still remain are prairie areas covered with a fairly dense sod.
It is noticeable, however, that the fir makes the oest progress of any of the eastern
slope .species in reproducing on a dry sod. This is probably due to the fact that the
seedlings immediately produce a strong tap root which enables them to secure mois-
ture from the subsoil.

Diameter Orowth of Douglas Fir — Crow's Nest Valley, Alberta.

Douglas fir is very little damaged by ground fires, is wind-firm and, in the Crow's
Nest valley, very sound. Opportunity was found to secure a few incasuremails of the
growth of Douglas fir which form a basis for the following table: —

14

Akp. I)iniiirti>l'

Y»'r». "II • lilt, ktuiiiii.

1(. '"*'"••

^•^ '.■.■,■.■.■.■:.■:.■:.■:.■:;:;;;•;; i.;

J:;;: ;;;::::::;:: :::::::::: »

w» • ; '*

T '■■".■'::::::::::::::::::::: J:,

;;; :••>

^ H-8

,'"* 10-

'"" ".

;];;:;;::::::: !-

If :::::::::::::::::::::::::; :

Hi» ,..„

-; :•... ■.•.;. ■;:::::: It;

;:: ic-

\1::::::::: ;?•»

ii •

Bi-ariMK in niii.,1 th.. Rroivtl, hal.it* of the three spc.ies inciitioi.v.i it is i-a-iy to
underMam that after a tire whieh destroyed the tiniU-r n:id expose.1 the mineral K,.il
the ,hn.Ie-l„vui» .i"-'"''-. with il« miihII qiiniitilies of seed, was replaced hy the HkIu-
.len.nndinjr imie. whi.h had «tor. d up {«r the eii.erReney the aeeumiilutioi. of year. ,.f

,7" f";'"'-"""- I)-uKlfl.s fir owe. it. presence to its preat ability to resist the many

lires which swipt the territory.

The tabte. of growth rates are put forwar.l only as tentative bases from whi.h
to make at. estimate of the length of time that will Ik; required to produce the various
u. iH,r.nMt for.>t produets. Spruee uixl fir are the two species whieh .hould be
grown for lumber and dimension timber. In such ea.o they will not bo cut before
they reach a diameter of 12 inches or more, and will bo at least 1)0 years old for
spru... and 110 y.ars old for fir. unless the necessity of the times re<p,ires the use
of timber much smaller than 12 inches in diameter. It will, therefore, be 75 years
beforv the present reproduction is producing spruce luinb- and 95 ^cars before the
Doujflu!. fir now started will U' large enough for use.

Yield Table for lodgepole Pine— Crow'i Nest Valley, Alberta.

The pine which constitutes the greater part of the 80 square miles of produc-
tion, will probably find its main use f.,r mining props, railroad ties, and fuel poles
and posts for the praiive. The number of poles and props the.t we may reasonably
• to cut per acre from the present stand of 14 to 17 year old reproduction is
the following table. This .table should not be accepted as holly authorili.
' a tentative estimate baseil on several acre measurements in stands of

,. Titfs pfi- iiiie.

leiTs.

•»" COO

''' 45(1

W 310

'" 210

:' 170

«»» 170

I'rops per acre.
H ft. loiijf.
6 in. at top.

420

530

620

CoO

820

8S0

ttL.

X"

u

The tMv »h»wt that the •viriuf .viiKI jwr .vmr i« hi|rhi-.i hi ihr viul ..f M vrnrn.
A<'('''|>titiir fli'o '••ft. |>rr>|w rh tlir vifM df hid' niTr tviT.v li'i ><iirv th<' folii wiiiu tuble
•how* nuinbor of avre* that mu-t U kipt cuiiiimiallv priMluciiig prop* t« iiKiiri' a
(■oii>tiitit "Hiiplj- fur ihf iiiiiiintr "f fhc AIIktIi oiiil-tlclilii: —

.\mi" iif K)"'tii>K iiiiin- |iri>|i» iii«'»i.

•my tfi Ill-Ill r ri>ii-.talil »ltii(.|.. .

To supply pri>p» for —

Intirtintioiiiil Coal aiul t'"kf ('<<tiipuii,v —

'» ''""* O.r.iW)

'" »f»13 , ,..„,.,

Crow'it Xe»t Mit>r» —

ill in<»H •.M.lMO

in 11M:I " Jj"i:.'(i

l.<'thliriil{ri' Miwn —

!' "•'•^ K'.lL'O

"' 1»1^ 2;t»0

S^ulliiri' All.trtii «'o:.l Fi< lil --

'" ""•'* :!.i.:jiio

'" >'•'•'' iwmt

Cencdea Area.

It is C'Mimntiil that K, M,iinri. mil«s „{ hiii.l thnt wii« f.riKiinilly covered with
f..«st IS now without a forest cover, or enough repro.luetioi, to justify the pre<liction
tluit It will. I. tore iiiiiiiy (leeniie-. lieiir niiothcr fnrcf-t crop.

lac .Icnu.hM area is a htrip alonff the river bottom from the foothills to the «um-
111. t a strip whi.h exieiul, higher on the north si.lc of tlie hills than on the south si.le
lui'l uhieh wi.lens out so as to in.-lu.le the valley mouths an.l vallevs of all the larper
tiM.Mtary str.onis. Fast of th,. (Jnp hetwee,, Turtle an.l Hluff mountains at Frank
lira, tieally the whole country is denuded.

TIk. valley bottom wa>. ex.-<.pt for mea.lows inuiu.liately aloii^ the stream, very
heavily timbered. Ims spreading from the trails, railn.ad construction an.l ojxrution
have burned It so re,H.ate.lly that th.. timlH-r has b<.eu onsunied; aft.r the timber
tl„. r-,,r.,du,-ti...i U.Um .K.str..ye,l an,: with the sfan.ling timber and future possibili-
ties of timb,-r there has gone up in .smoke tiic vegetation and humu.s, the fertility of
the soil. ^

The soil in the meadows and small river and creek flats is a fairly rich fresh clay
an. prayel loam. KNewher.. on the tern...es. .,n the ben.-hes. a.i.l particularly on the
lnt'h.r slojxs which constitute ' least 90 pt-r cent of tl... nr.'a. the .-oil consists of clav.
>t„„es and gravel. de,Kis,to.l in banks, of sterile gravelly .-l.,,x.s or of a thin covering
ot sand, stones and clay over beds of rock.

Tnder virgin timber of the Crow's Xest valley the gravelly clay is overlaid with
ne to four inches of humus, duff an.l mossy grouii.l cover, cnstantlv increasinc
sources and reservoirs of plant food and moisture.

The burne.l-..yer soil of the .l.iiu.led .ma i, har,l an.l .Iry with no such covering
I he thin grass which comes „p after the .•onstantly recu.rii.g r,re^ neither enriches nor
protects the soil, seryes but poorly to hohl it in place and by it. •. napiration aids the
-sun in robbing the soil of moisture.

The denuded land bears a few traces of its former forc-t cover There are
scattered trees and small patches of reproduction throupho- ,c sr,a but th.-n- is no
evidence that in tl.e face of the repeated fires the forest cover is making anv advance
The contrary is taking place. Every year new fires kill more of the old trees and the

13

rf-proihiotion, iiiipovprish M\\\ furtlu'r the fertility of the ^^oil and spreail tho boimd-
nriea of the deniulod land yet wider by running; over areas previously covered with
timber produotioii.

Value of Denuded Land.

A portion of the land ilcseribcd above may be more profitably employed than in
growinp timber. The presenee of over 4.500 people in the mininjr towns and lumber
camps of the Pass creates a pood market for farm and ranch produce. It is 20 miles
from Coleman to a pood ranchinp, and nnich further to a pond farminp country.
Ciinpeq\iently it i< not to be wonderecl at that the fullowinp prices prevail.

Hay !i«1'i per ton.

Buncliprass 10 per ton.

Green fee<l 9 per ton.

Oats 1 per bushel.

Potatoe- 00 cents per bushel.

Turnips 00 eent.s per bushel.

Epps 50 cents per dozen.

Prices for meat, fowl, cattle and horses are correspond inply hiph. Oood prices
for produce combined with a belief in the possible future rise in tho value of the land
have encournped three classes of settlers.

(a) TRICK GVIinF.NKIiS.

Several homesteads have been entered by niw comers, chiefly Europeans, for the
purpose of prowinp purden produce. These people have taken \ip 100 acre homesteads
nearly, if not quite, all stony mountain slope-, and in the pockets uf soil have striven
to raise cabbape, caulirt"\vers, carr<its, turnips, ice. for the mines. The soil is too poor
and the Aupust frosts have liecn too frequent for success.

('>) RANniEIiS.

Several raiichci's have sicured fair locatioiis and are niakinp a livlnp by ranpinp
horses and cattle, raisinp oats ainl liarley for preen feed and cuttinp meadow and
shortprass buy for sliipnient. W'liere tlie nuniliiT of stock is snuill and the territory
larpe there is profit in prazinp in tlio valley.

(c) MINKRS.

Tb.ere are a few instanees wher(> miners have availed themselves of the homestead
law to secure cheaper resiliences than is aflFordetl by rentinp or buiblinp houses in town.
They make no use of the land.

Kxperinients made liy the ranchers and truck pardeners mentioned above have
shown that there arc comparatively few situations and those easily defined, as meadows,
valliy bottoms and wide terraees. where families can be maintained and homes sup-
ported by the proceeds from the land. \Vhercver it is possible for industr.v and intel-
lipence to make a livinp on the land it should be permitted and settlement should be
encournped, biit wherever the land is such that it cannot support a ranch or produce
a parden crop it should remain in tli(> han<ls of the povernment and bo devoted to its
onl.v profitable vise, the prowinp of timber. More land than can possibly be used by
ranehinp or apriculture has been honii'steaded, the remainder is fit only for. and most
valuable for. the production of timber.

The West Canadian Colliery owns 2,700 acres of land, the most of which is
denuded. The manapers, throuph Kuro|H'an associations, have some knowledge of
forestry and favour the adoption of some plan of sowinp or plantinp the land to trees
for the production of mining timber.

S'"ven (I,,.- ..ftl,.. I,,.,, l„.n,.-.l.;,.i-in il,.. Cn.u-. \,M V.ill.y. I,ilil.- ,.f i|„- |;„„| is (it for Murirult,,.-..
oo poor '"'"K ' 'II-'" ""^ >t..in.

Liihil .iiifiiialU f.H.'HIf.l. Kill l.iii I ..>

■iiTtiililiii Iin.'itiMii Ikk I»., n |i,,i,„ -l,.:i,|,.,i.
710- [I. 111.

I nil. I \v,i-li.il iiiilil til, -tiiin siilisiiil i, ,.s|M.Mi|. Thi*

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A portion of the denuded land is within burned-over timber limits. The limits
though Talueless, are still held under license because, should they be released from
the licenses, they would immediately be available for homeeteadingf. The owners fear
to have homesteaders within their limits because of the great fire danger.

Small areas of denuded land varying from 160 to 1,200 acres are held by other
mining companies. Without exception the managers favour the adoption of some
practical plan, vhich will provide an inexpensive supply of mining timbers on their
own land. Th y would consider favourably sowing or planting under government
co-operation, if they could feel sure that trees so sown or planted would not be des-
troyed by fire.

THE EASTEBN SLOPE SHOULD BE FORESTED.

To provide for the complete development of the west every square mile of land
will need to be put to its best use. The agricultural land will undoubtedly be farmed;
the land unfit for agriculture should grow timber. The reasons for this are based
altogether on ordinary business foresight and are in no way sentimental. Where
agriculture is possible and not detrimental to more important interests on the eastern
slope of the Rocky mountains it should be practised. But, as has been shown above,
the greater part, at least 95 per cent of the land area below timber line, is not and
never can be agricultural. It should be devoted to the growing of timber for thp
following reasons: —

The West Heeds the Timber.

The Canadian West now has the smallest population it will ever have; the virgin
timber supply of the west is greater than it will ever again be. Forces which are in-
creasing the one are still more rapidly decreasing the other. There is no substitute
for lumber. If common lumber costs each one of the 1,000,000 people in the west $23
per M. while the American tariff prevents export, and this while the most accessible
forests are being logged, what will it cost when there are 18,000,000 people in the
west, when the removal of the tarifi permits the export of British Columbia timber,
and when all the accessible forest land has been burned and logged over?

The mining industry is the most important in several of the western towns.
Coal cannot be n™' "ithout timber; mines in Pennsylvania after spending largo
sums of money ir 'ng timber found it more satisfactory to grow it at home.

The mining of tht 00,000 tons of coal estimated by the Geological Survey to

exist in the Alberta odi-tield will require 45,190,400.000 lineal feet of mining props,
the produce of 9,000,000 acres for sixty years. That timber is not in sight in the
whole coal district, nor are there young trees coming on that will produce it, but the
l.ind is there, capable of producing nothing else. The lack of mining timbers near at
hand will render mining the coal more expensive. The extra expense will be paid by
the western settlers in the shape of a higher price for coaL

The Forest is Valuable for Protection.

Next to the wood problem the water problem is the most important in the west.
Mr. J. S. Dennis in his report as Commissioner of Irrigation for 1895 states that
there are 59,000,000 acres of irrigable land in the semi-arid region of the Canadian
west. The accompanying map shows the location of the arid region, and of the on\f
watersheds from which water may be secured for irrigation purposes. Measurements
liy the Canadian Irrigation Survey in 1895 show that the total water available from
different watersheds is distributed as follows: —

Eastern slope of the Rocky mountiiins 98-4 per cent

Cypress Hills and Wood mountain 1-6 "

706—8

^m

IS

The total water suppl, if «,ual,y distribu^ef - J« ^^oT-nt oflhTata
Stream gaugings show that it is only suBicient to irrigate pe

of the irrigable land. „,«„;„„* to irrieate 16 per cent of the

The total flow from th3 eastern slope is '^^^^'^""'^r^s^^or^^^en water is
total irrigable area in tho west, but the flow at low ^^^^'J^^^ ^ y^ „,,. The
needed, i. only sufScient to ^^PP^^ ^f " f °' ^^' tT^onls^d .erve to show the
above figures are fr^m the -"f ' J^^^^JjXr h^the w^ter for which private
dependence of irrigation upon f"^?*'^- .^f ^f ^es of irrigation canals and ditche:
individuals have already ^^^/t'"^*^*^, ^^"^^J;^,^^; iiat the total water supply avail-

of the preservation of a forest cover j ^^^^ the utiUzation

The function of a reservoir in «°^?"'8ation system is ^^^^

of the water by holding it over from t'"f«. "^..^^'^^^^^^^^^^^ crops. The forest is

to periods of drought, .en ^J^- -^[^f ^ ,^^^^^^^^^^ country in

to this extent a reservoir. "^^"P^'^^^PJ^"., that the soil mulch or humus was
the CroWs Nest Pass have 7P^3«^^^t\,;e .t^^^^^ the spongy vegetation
destroyed, that hard gravel, clay f ''^ J'-^^^^i^tTe o the soil was decreased by
common in th« forest was al'^^'"; "";! ^« Z£Z^. The natural result of these
transpiration from the grass and «'^P°:f ^'^^J^ ^^/^j^ is not held, but immediately
conditions is that the moisture from melted snow a"d ram is no^ ^^

runs from the bare har.l slopes to the ^ -"- «f '^ J^^ ^^ ^^^^b^ by the vegetation.

'^^'''r^ziT"'^t^^:T::zrs'^^^^^^ f- wnch the.mn o« is

rZerat.'™ ^ ^dually Lo the ^ Vl^^rst^Sd meK": P^Ten^ ^tZ
the flow of the streams during the dry season occasioned by the rapid

venes between the snow l'^^ and the streams oui productive of disastrous

iK-t: "S£^^r..s.Su, £...»« .... ^« -^---

elevations, there is a f^-"* J-'^/- ,.^^*^^ i"„UUe streams before reaching the main
SllJrrrun oTint clfc^;* aid «ueutly the extremes of high and low

"^aSr^i^rt^ ::fi;:o^Si?^rS^i.^t:cn of cro.; lumbermen
sufferTough the de,trvu3tion of stream improvements, the breaking of booms and
Llosfof logs in the high water; municipalities, provinces and railways suffer
Ihrough 4e destruction of bridges and road-beds; every form of business dependent
^pon trafiic or water-power feels the loss imposed by floods

Reservoirs may restrain floods, but if reservoirs are to be ^""^^'"'^'^V^Wah a
be nSary for the protection of the reservoir basins. The slow run-off through a

A roUway "f ln^s nil llmi. V. Mf\.m»u'^ Limit.

»ir -ir-T'W — rm

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W.tI >1..|». ..f MrlHlliHiiv llilifi-. Il Iki- l».ri Inilllr.l mi I. lull thftni.-t will r. . >.1mI.Ii>Ii il-ill.

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orest

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forp«t floor doc* not porniit the wotcr to escape in luch volunw oratiuch speed u to

inalili' it to wnsh soil imrtii-lc* iiito the otrfiitii. Wutor running rapidly from burned
ix|K>si'il 8oil coviT rarrirs lurjfi> <|iinntitir« of Hilt with it to the ■treama

The wuttr from ilcnu.JiMl arcim will fump down to tht> ntrcam* at least twice aa fait
B> the wator from foront nrras. In tluit va*c it has fll tit; the silt carrying and
cro<lin(r power. A reservoir on a strenni liailin>f fronj n di i i.j.'d area would therefore
reerive annually many times the qnatitiiy of itilt that would uc carried into a rcMrvoir
on a Rtream with a forested cjitchment liasin.

It is quoted in the report of the Commi&sioiier of Irriiratiun for 1806, that 'should
the forests ho de«troyed, the .strennw, irrigation system"! and crops would meet a
similar fate.'

The Forest will Produce a Bcvenm.

There are approximately 8.244 sqiiarn miles within the waterrhe*! known as the
east slope of the IJoekies. 'I'lie nmlntennncc of n forest cover on this area will not
cn(:iil an expense, but will atTord the only revenue which can be seoired from land
that is unfit for farmintr or raiichiiit,'. If no more profltnble crop than mining props
is produced nnd these are sold at a stumpage of J cent per foot, the prevailing price
in the Crow's Nest Pass to-dny. the revenue to the government will be for each acre
$24 every 60 years. The east slope will be no exception to the world-wide experience,
thai fiirests under busii ess mnnnKemeiit pay a iH-rnmnent and substantial profit.

HOW FOREST HANA0£1Q:nT KAT BEGIN.

FIRK PROTECTION.

The greatest menace to the forest on the eastorn slopo is fire. There is always
jifcnt clauK'er that s\iciTediiijf fins will <ie.stroy the mature timber and the young forest
ail. I iiinviTt valiuible land ''.to n waste area.

Fir<s come from the C'liiiadiaii I'acitic liailway. settlers clearing land and eare-
li'ssness by irrespoii.siblo foreign miners.

'I'iic lire protective system now in force is as eflScient as it can be made under
present eoiiditions. The chief fire ranger, whose territory covers all Southern Alberta
anil whose duty includes forest ranging as well as fire ranging, has established a sys-
tem of patrol during the diy season and has co-operaU'd with lion. Peter McLaren to
seeuro efficient protection ot the timber. The only point upon which this scheme
could lie improved would lie the appointment of some person to take charge of the fire
proteetion in thw district, who could be on the ground all the time and give all h,i»
attention to the supervision cf tlie work. The increasing development of mines, pros-
IK'cts and settlement on the eastern slope constantly render this step more necessary;
and the increasing value of timber makes the strengthening of the fire protective
force advisable.

There is good telephone connection between the danger points; the ejal comp.inies
and the lumber companies are always ready to call out their men to fight fires all
that is needed is organization and sincere effort on the part of some official in
authority who can spend most of his time in the district. The Mounted Police have
mer. 'ationed at Crow's Nest, Co'eman, Blairmore, LiUe and Frank; if they should
rece... instruct.' ons to co-operata with the official in charge of the territory they
would be of great oerrice in general patrol, and in emphasizing oheerrance of the law
by initiating a few proeeeutions.

The greater number of the fires come from the railroad. The fire rangers on the
right of way snould be given authority to examine the engines, to see if they are com-
p^ing with the law, and should be taught how to make such an examination.

Ovttiiif Oreen Timber.

Fnder tno pr»K««>nt »yiitein of Iork'HK w" '"• nearly all Uie tfeei below 10 inchet in
(Unm<>t«r are 1< f i »tuiidiii|f, prf.immbly to (trow to a large »«o for future loRRinK. »nd
to seei* up the Rround for u fuliirf crop. In ioine Jistricts this regulation is no doubt
n winfl one, but in lli<' tiniU-r of the Crow's Neat Talley tbe re«ulU are not in th«be«t
interest* of tbe luinbiT lrod<> or the foreat.

After a loi^irinfi op<'rntion in a mixed atanJ of pine and apruce, there ia left s
fcattercd itaml of pint- and spruce polea from four to ten inches in diameter. If it
w«re certain that tlnMo jxilis would remain without wind-throw or destruction by fii«
until they were twelve or sixti-en inches in diameter it might be profitable to leave
them, but, as it if, the spruce, being ahallow rooted and auddealy expoied to the fleroe
gales of the Crow's Nest Pass, is blown over within a few years after the logging
operations. The pine, a deeper-rooted tree but not as strong, ia broken off. Fire
protection will probably U? bett.r in tlu' future, but ui> to the present tho greater
part 01 the out-over land has been burned over within five years after logging. The
liitivv slash remains iiiHaniinalile for years and carries a fire that destroys oil the
trees remaining. It has been the general experi iice that the small trees left after
a lumbering operation arc not<saved for a future crop but are a dead loss.

If the trees remaining secdvd up the ground to a valuable species, they might
prove a good investment, but natural production is not especially good on a tract
logged to the 10-inch diameter limit. Spruce, pine and fir are the important species.
Taking out all ilio trees to 10 inches diameter opt^is up the forest to such an extent
tliat tliv soil is dried out too much and too much light is admitted for a successful
spruce repr.xluction. On the other hand, the duff on the surface of the soil prevents
a rapid reproduction of fir and pine. The results would be better for spruce repro-
duction if the forest were not oi)ened so much and would be better for pine and fir
reproduction if it were cut clear, or nearly a.), and tlie brush burned broadcast.

Closer utilization uf the timber is possible. The lumber cumpuniva are taking
logs down to 8 inches or less in tho top and would take lu logs more per acre if they
were not d«terred by the 10-inch limit. They could take the rest of the green spruce
and pine down to a diameter of four to six inches for mining props and thus profitably
and benefically clear up tlie operation. On all the old oper„i ' .na it is noticeable that
they c\it the stumps six to eighteen inches higher than ia ne^nsaary. The cutting is
nearly uU <lon«! when there is very little or no snow on the p-'ound, and when there is
no necessity for cutting stumps over 12 inches high. They leave on au average in
long tops aiul in old skjdways 20 twelve foot logs, 8 inches or more at the top, on
every acre. This waste is due tu carhessness by lumber-jacks. It is a waste which
many governiuenis are checking by charging dues on the timber left in the woods.
I.uniheriiig oi«Tations in the Crow's Nc^t valley leave in the woods in skidways,
high stumps and long tops, the following amounts per acre: —

30 mining props 8 ft. x 6 iu.

15 logs 12 ft. X 8 in.

150 feet board measure in high stumps.

Per B<iuare mile there is: —

161,600 linp..l feet mining props.
288,000 feet B. M. lumber.

In addition there are left in trees under ten inches in diameter, trees which are
unlikely to stand until ancthrr cutting:—

Per acre: —

40 mining propa BftxCin.

16 logs 19 ft X 8 in.

'I'lllil" I Ifft ..II ,1 t|;i. t li.;.'t'i-l I., til.- I'l III. Il illillil. t. r lllllil. .\I;.IIV .if 111.- -I.lll.lilli.' -(.III.-. - ll;l\.- .llHil.

J

Tor> J.. •.11-

%: m

31

Per mile :—

204,800 lineal feet props.

192,000 feet B. M. lumber.
The total probable waste per square mile is therefore:—

366,400 lineal feet mining props.

480,000 feet B. M. lumber,
i he revenue to the government from the above at current ntumpage rales would
be $296.76 per square mile. The value of the wasted timber at current market prices
is «9,013 per square mile. . , , i.

Logging in the east slope should be under the superintendence of some one who
would exercise his judgment in following the ideas here outlined. The first care in
logging a protective forest such as that on the east slope should be that the forest
cover should never be removed on steep slopes whei« too rapid run-o£P or erosion would
result in damage. In all situations the removal of the timber should be followed by
as rapid a reproduction as possible. Fortunately both objects are capable of Poetical
solution. It has been mentioned that it may be found advisable m the Crow s JSMt
vallcv to grow spruce for lumbor and pine for mining props, ties and polewood. iJi
the valley heads and in the steep and usually moist slopes, where a protective forest is
needed and where spruce grows naturally, spruce may be maintained. It wdl be cut
to a diameter limit as it is at present, but not an arbitrary Umit It will not be so
heavily cut over as at present, but just sufficient to open up the stand and permit
natural reproduction. The amount and manner of cutting should be decided by the
forester in charge, and should be such as to impose no hardships on lumbering oper-
ators. On the gentler slopes and terraces comprising the greater par1;of the area, pine
and fir jnay be encouraged. In this ca?- clear cutting would be the rule, the scheme
Xmng to leave small blocks of seed trees in the most advantageous positions, properly
fire-guarded, to take everything else, down to props, lagging, and cordwood, and to
scatter the brush and burn it. The burned-over land would provide the best possible
seed-bed for pine and fir, and judging from observations and experience elsewhere a
dense reproduction, such as to insure a permanent forest cover and timber supply,
wi.uld follow immediately. ... j »

In the interest of closer utilization of the diminishmg supply of timber and to
reduce as much as vossMc the slash left on the ground operators should be encour-
aged to take out everything tluy can handle without a loss. A good plan would be to
scale and levy stumpage dues on: —

(a) All stumps over 12 inches in height.

(b) All timber over C inches in diameter left in the top.

(c) All logs over 10 feet long and 6 inches in diameter left in skids and roUways
or left lying in the woods.

(<i) All mining props left in the woods where such are marketable.

Dead Timber.

The present supply of dead timber is being sold at a rate which will ensure its
removal before decay ruins its value. When it is sold under contract in blocks the
mining companies make a clean cutting, remove all the sound wood down to four
inches and leave the ground in good shape. Provision should be made whereby the
license should be cancelled on all cut-over land, and all title to and iuverest in the land
should be held by the government.

Agrionltaral Settlement.

In the interesU of the development of the country and the utilisation of ml^
natural resources agricultural settlement should be permitted wherever there is fertile

n

■oil of sufficient area to raise under existing climatic and market conditions enougb
produce to support a family in decency. Homesteads in broken country along creek
bottoms, valleys and on meadows in the mountains would be rendered more valuable
if they were not laid out in quarter spctions but in legal subdivisions. As it is there
may be a meadow large enough fur only one homestead but divided among four
quarter sections. No one family enn by any means homestead the whole meadow ami
no four families can make a living from it. If homesteads could be entered by legal
subdivisions oi forty acres each, they eould be more fittingly adjusted to the irregular
areas of arable land existing in the mountains.

Grazing should be permitted as at present on the unoccupied public land of the
east slope, but should be under the supervision of the forester in general charge of the
country so that steps may be taken to prevent damage to the range or to the forest by
over-grazing.

The welfare of unsuspecting immigrants and the best utilization of the lands
demand that no homestead entry should be granted until the area involvetl has been
examined by the forester and pronounced fit for agriculture.

Beforestation.

There are large areas, chiefly the land described under the heading ' Denuded,"
belonging both to the government and to mining companies, upon which no crop can
be raised and upon which in the absence of natural reproduction it may be found ad-
visable to institute some methods of artificial reforestation.

Unless it should develop that some mining company is willing to undertake trc-
planting on a spiall scale this method of reforestation may be dismissed as too expen-
sive for the area under consideration.

Lodgepole pine seed can be secured cheaply in large quantities during the logging;
operations in the valley. The burneil slopes and gravtiUy benches of the denudeil
areas, especially the areas with the lightest ground cover, would appear to afford a
seed-bed upon which broadcast sowing on the snow in the winter would be productive
of good results. A portion of this land suited for reforestation belongs to the West.
Canada Colliery Company, the managers of which are interested in forest preservn-
tion, and it ' possible that the company would be willing to co-operate with the
government in the reforestation scheme.

Further Sorreys.

It is widely believed that the timber on the east slope of the Kocky mountains is
very important to the great plains to the east, both for its own sake and because of
its influence on climatic conditions and waterflow. Yet it is not known how mucli
timber there is, to what extent it has been destroyed by fire nor how much it afifects
the waterflow.

Timber and irrigation administration would be assisted by a knowledge of the
quantity and location of the timber and the most feasible methods of fire protection,
by a study of the interdependence of forests, precipitation and stream flow and by a
study of the natiiral laws governing the advance, reproduction and development of the
forest. Such a study could be made and all practical results secured by a small forest
survey party working for a few months along the east slope northward from the inter-
national boundary.