A Brief History of Forestry. / In Europe, the United States and Other Countries

by B. E. Fernow

The government, although practically much like a republic and largely independent of the home country, is theoretically a limited monarchy, the king being represented by a Governor-General, appointed by the king, and a privy council selected by the governor. The latter also appoints (now 81) senators for life to form the upper house of the Parliament or legislative body, while the lower House of Commons is elected by the people. Besides this imperial government, each province has its own separate government with a lieutenant-governor, appointed by the Governor-General, and an elected legislature; this autonomy being somewhat similar to that of the states of the United States and the division of functions between federal and provincial governments being also similar.

Although the home government retains the veto power, the supreme jurisdiction and various other powers, and although apparently, by the appointment of officials, its influence is guarded, practically the party management as exercised in Great Britain prevails, and independence from imperial influence and from the home government is continually increasing. In regard to the crownlands, including forests, this division as well as this relationship becomes important. Each provincial government except those of the three middle provinces administers the crownlands within its boundaries in its own way, yet on similar lines, while the Dominion government controls only the lands located outside of the provinces together with those of the middle provinces and the so-called railway belt in British Columbia. These latter lands were mostly acquired by purchase from the Hudson’s Bay Company, the Company relinquishing its territorial rights in 1868, and the transfer being completed in 1870 upon payment of £300,000.

1. Forest Conditions.

The forest area has at various times and by various authorities been roughly estimated as between one and a quarter and over one and three quarter million square miles, which would make the forest per cent. at least over 32. But this includes the open woodlands of the northern territory and of the prairies, which, while of great importance to the local settlers, are for the most part probably or surely not of commercial value. Commercially valuable forests, actually or prospectively, are found almost only in British Columbia and in the old provinces, the two forest regions separated, just as in the United States, by a forestless region, except that north of the prairie region a continuous belt of open woodland extends to near the mouth of the Mackenzie River. A careful examination of the sources of information has led the writer to the conclusion that less than 350,000 square miles or round 200 million acres would cover fully the commercially valuable forest land, although the wooded area of the provinces in which the commercial timber occurs is stated officially as around 450 million acres, two-fifths of which is to be found in British Columbia.

Indeed, although we are accustomed to look upon Canada as a great forest country, it really possesses about 60 per cent. less commercial forest area than the United States, and about one-quarter of the mature timber of that country. It will be understood that all such statistics are merely rough estimates, the data being slim, and eked out by conjectures based on geographical conditions which predicate the character of the country. Most unreasonable speculations and calculations[16] as to amount of timber standing and value have been made on impossible assumptions.

[16] As an instance, one statistician by mere mathematical figuring, namely, deducting the known crop and pasture area from the total land area would make the forest area of Quebec alone over 209 million acres. This includes the country north of the Height of Land, of 163 million acres, which by another mathematical calculation is made to be able to furnish over 65 billion feet of lumber, besides over 600 million cords of pulpwood and 370 million railroad ties; but under present conditions, owing to topography and character of the timber it cannot be utilized and its commercial value is altogether problematic. This calculation would leave as really or potentially available forest land south of the Height of Land 46 million acres in addition to over 5 million on farms. It is claimed that this forest area may still produce some 110 billion feet of coniferous and 1.5 billion feet of hardwoods, or 2500 feet to the acre.

The chief of the provincial Forest Service lately made the forest area of the province 131 million acres, including 2 million acres of waste land.

While by the change of standards and by local needs, forest areas may become commercially valuable which were not so considered before, and thereby the above figures may be eventually increased, from the standpoint of valuable lumber supply for the world trade, the above named area may be assumed to set the limit for the present.

A computation based on slender information has placed the country with open woodlands in the central region as exceeding 280,000 square miles. The Director of Forestry estimated that 150,000 square miles of this area might contain nearly 200 billion feet merchantable timber.