Mr. Tyrrell describes the country immediately north of the Saskatchewan as a thickly wooded belt, “which contains a large quantity of timber, chiefly white spruce, trees up to eighteen inches in diameter. It is a wooded country with trees from twelve to eighteen inches in diameter, tall with clean trunks—good, nice timber. Of course, the timber does not grow as large on high, dry, sandy ridges as it grows in the valleys. Most of the timber is in good soil in the valley bottoms, but there is more or less land all over. The poplar and birch affects the higher land, and the spruce and hemlock the valleys.”
Mr. Dowling states that the sides of Green lake are “densely wooded with poplar and spruce.”
Pioneer Arboriculture.
Speaking of his visit to Ile à la Crosse lake, Mr. Dowling states in his report:—“Some ash-leaved maples had been planted in the garden of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s post, which are now from ten to fifteen feet high, quite healthy and bearing abundant seed.”
According to Mr. Dowling’s report “The timber in the rocky country bordered by the southern shore of Lac la Ronge is not large or abundant. Southward there is some improvement, and large individual spruce trees occur occasionally. The ‘lob sticks’ at Big Stone, Hudson’s Bay Company’s post, are fine examples of these. On Montreal river, small Banksian pine cover the eastern slope of the sandy plateau. No large timber, spruce or pine, is seen till near the lake, where at the southern end some groves of large spruce occur. On the watershed south of Montreal and Deer lakes the largest timber is seen. Here the formation of the country is evidently morainic, but southward the country slopes gently towards Saskatchewan river.”
Some Merchantable Timber Areas.
Mr. Crean reports that a considerable quantity of merchantable spruce timber is to be found in Methye lake section. There is some remarkably fine spruce along the banks of Whitefish river, and it extends in not very dense forest across to Methye lake, a distance of about eight miles.
Summarizing the results of his explorations in 1908, Mr. Crean reports.—“Although numerous prairie openings occur, this tract may be spoken of as practically covered with small timber not generally of any commercial value. The poplar is the principal growth, and, following the rule so well known throughout the western prairie country, indicates good land. Some spruce is found and large quantities of small second growth jackpine. There is some tamarack. There is, of course, no white or red pine. The poplar in some places would make fine pulpwood or barrel staves. Generally speaking it is of no commercial value. There are several small groves of good spruce along Churchill river, and at Methye portage there is a large quantity of good spruce. Along Whitefish river the timber is large and of good quality. On both the east and west side of Green lake some good timber is found but it is scattered. Generally there is ample timber for settlers’ use, but not enough to supply any lumber industry.
“Throughout this district there are many points where a large amount of water power could be developed, and there are numerous small power sites. The district might be utilized so as to create great industrial centres. The great advantage of the numerous water powers is the fact that sufficient power can be obtained at many points to supply the needs of a fair sized community. On almost every stream there are sites where small powers could be easily developed and grist mills, saw mills, lighting and pumping plants could be operated at the minimum of expense. I did not gauge or measure the possibilities of any of the water powers, but made rough estimates of a few prominent ones. On Beaver river at what is termed Grand rapids probably
Ten Thousand Horse Power Could be Developed.