The reserves were allotted in lots of , generally intermixed with other lots sold to individuals within each surveyed township. Except in the Talbot Settlement (where they were located off the main roads), they were generally arranged in a checkerboard pattern within each township, and were a serious obstacle to economic development as they were effectively , either being abandoned by lessees after the timber had been fully harvested, or unattractive because of the availability of cheap freehold land. This was recognized by the Legislative Assembly in 1817 when it passed resolutions that condemned the lands as "insurmountable obstacles" and called on the Parliament in Westminster to authorize their sale.