Meanwhile private limit holders, here and there, had begun to see the need of conservative methods, and by 1908, at least two large Paper and Pulp concerns had placed foresters in charge of their logging operations.
5. Education.
Until 1900, associated effort to advance forestry in Canada had relied on the international American Forestry Association. In that year, largely through the officials of the Dominion Forestry Branch (Mr. E. Stewart), the Canadian Forestry Association was formed.
This Association has grown more and more vigorous, and having escaped the period of sentimentalism which in the United States retarded the movement so long, could at once accentuate the economic point of view and bring the lumbermen into sympathy with their effort. In 1905, a quarterly magazine, the Canadian Forestry Journal was started by the Association, making its work of instruction and propaganda more effective. The technical literature, as yet slightly developed is found mainly in Bulletins of the Forestry Branch.
A most promising convention held in January 1906, with the Premier of the Dominion presiding, participated by prominent officials and business men, seemed to foreshadow the time when a real rational forest management, at least in some parts of the Dominion would be inaugurated.
But it can hardly be said that the expectations were realized, and another such convention was held in 1911, which may perhaps be followed by better results.
In 1909, following the precedent of the United States, a Conservation Commission was appointed for the Dominion under federal support, manned by the leading officials and prominent representative men from all provinces, and here the forestry interests may find at least educational advancement. The first two years of the existence of this Commission have, however, produced little advancement.
While the Ontario government had directly discredited the forestry movement by abolishing its bureau of forestry, indirectly it laid the foundation for a sure future, in 1907, by establishing in its provincial University at Toronto a Faculty of Forestry, with full equipment. A year later, the Province of New Brunswick also established a chair of forestry in its University, while some time earlier, the Guelph Agricultural College had introduced the subject of farm forestry in its curricula. The latest development in educational direction is the forest school organized in 1910 by the government of Quebec in connection with its forest service for the purpose of educating its own agents.