NEWS AND NOTES 



761 



noon, a ranger patroling along the "Divide 

 trail" discovered a fire, gave the alarm, set 

 out himself at once to fight it, picking up all 

 the help he could on the way. He arrived at 

 the fire in the evening with four sheepherders 

 and started to work at once. 



The same evening at 8 o'clock another 

 ranger thirty miles away received warning 

 of this fire, saddled up and started to assist 

 in fighting it, picking up four or five men on 

 the way. He arrived there at 2 o'clock in 

 the morning and began work. 



A third ranger, at Heber, received instruc- 

 tions at 10 o'clock that same evening, picked 

 up a small force and was ready to start in a 

 short time. On account of the long dis- 

 tance, hard night riding, his party was de- 

 layed from reaching the scene until 8 o'clock 

 the next morning. 



With this extra help the fire was put under 

 control before it gained much headway. The 

 fire did little damage, but it was burning di- 

 rectly towards a large body of timber. With- 

 out quick action on the part of the ranger 

 who discovered it and the help given by his 

 brother officers, a great loss might have eas- 

 ily resulted. 



Another fire was handled much in the same 

 manner. The ranger patroling on the "Divide 

 trail" discovered it, rode at once to the tele- 

 phone station nearby, informed the super- 

 visor at Provo and went back to the fire at 

 once. He picked up several men at the 

 reclamation service camp, some campers and 

 sheepherders and started in fighting. 



Another ranger twenty-five miles distant 

 was instructed to get all the assistance possi- 

 ble and ride to the fire. Not knowing how 

 many men would be needed he telephoned to 

 Spanish Fork to the president of the Stock 

 Growers' Association, telling him of the fire 

 on the forest and asking him to get together 

 as large a force as he could, but not to send 

 them until further instructions. In a short 

 time a force of 100 men equipped with saddle 

 horses and fire fighting tools was ready to 

 start. 



As it happened, this fire was under control 

 and this e.xtra force was not needed, but 

 should the fire have developed as was first 

 expected, 100 men would have been at it 

 and would have crushed it out before cover- 

 ing a large area and doing much damage. 

 The fire was discovered at 2 o'clock in the 

 afternoon and in two hours was under control 

 and entirely out before dark of the same 

 day. 



Late in August another fire was discovered 

 near the forest nursery on Beaver Creek. 

 The same quick, decisive action was taken 

 and in a few hours a force of thirteen men 

 and a complete fire-fighting outfit with sup- 

 plies sufficient for three days was gotten to- 

 gether at Kamas. 



They arrived at the fire at 7 o'clock in the 

 evening and went to work immediately with- 

 out waiting for anything to eat. By 2 o'clock 

 in the morning the fire was completely 

 trenched around and fairly well under con- 



trol. The force stopped for a delayed supper 

 and a short rest, returning to work at 4 

 o'clock. By 10 o'clock the same morning the 

 fire was under control. This fire was burn- 

 ing directly toward a body of fine merchant- 

 able timber amounting to 30,000,000 feet and 

 worth probably $90,000. 



_ The forest area embraced by the Uinta na- 

 tional forest, comprising over 1,285,000 acres, 

 is on the west extension of the high and 

 rugged Uinta range, and on the Wasatch 

 range. It protects the heads of many streams 

 important in irrigation and as a source of 

 water supply for hydro-electric power plants. 

 The main streams are. Duchesne, Straw- 

 berry River, Bear River, Weber River, Provo 

 River, Black's Fork of Green River and Rock 

 Creek. Important power projects are already 

 in operation on the Provo, Bear and Weber 

 rivers, and more are contemplated. 



All these streams will ultimately be reser- 

 voired to their utmost capacity for both pow- 

 er and irrigation purposes. The necessity, 

 not now appreciated, of a complete and effi- 

 cient forest-cover with the soil conditions 

 vvhich it carries, will then be beyond ques- 

 tion. Fire is the most destructive agent of 

 such cover. 



The full force of the damage of many ex- 

 tensive old burned tracts is obscured by the 

 subsequent shrubby growth. Quite a stretch 

 of the imagination is required to picture fire 

 denuded watersheds with their original dense 

 forest cover. 



Another important feature of a forest, al- 

 though it does not figure directly as a money 

 value, is the scenic eflfect. There are many 

 beautiful lakes at the heads of the stream, 

 particularly the Provo River. These spots 

 are ideal camping resorts whose attractive- 

 ness and beauty would be destroyed by fire. 



European Conservation 



Captain John B. White, of Kansas City, 

 who has been touring Europe investigating 

 the practice of forestry and conservation for 

 the United States Conservation Commission, 

 said in a recent interview : — 



"The United States has much to learn 

 from Europe regarding the conservation of 

 natural resources. We shall recommend the 

 adoption of the methods of the nature of 

 those which have been in successful 0|ier;r- 

 tion here for many ye.Trs. The taxatinn of 

 American forests is a hardship which dis- 

 courages the planting and cultivation of trees, 

 and with its abolishment a long step forward 

 would be taken. 



"In Austria a landowner is relieved of tax- 

 ation for twenty years, provided he grows 

 trees on his property. 'The tax is imposed 

 only when he starts cutting and begins to re- 

 ceive a return on his investment, and even 

 that it is only nominal. In Switzerland, for- 

 ests whatever their age, are always exempt 

 from taxation. 



"We need relief and encouragement of 

 this character in the United States. Our con- 



