Headquarters of the Co-operative Patrolman. 



FIRE PROTECTION IN CALIFORNIA 



By Knowltox Mills, Forest Bxaminer, Tahoc National Forest. 



IN WORKING towards the ideal of 

 efficient fire protection it is essential 

 to take advantage of every possi- 

 ble chance for cooperation between 

 interested bodies. The possibilities of 

 cooperation have undoubtedly been most 

 fully realized in the Pacific Northwest 

 where the work of private, federal and 

 State apencies is now so well coordi- 

 nated that the efficiency of all three is 

 thereby greatly increased. Cooperation 

 in protection, however, will necessarily 

 take various forms in meeting various 

 conditions. For the last five years a 

 cooperative agreement has been in force 

 between a pulp and paper com])any in 

 California and the Forest Service, 

 which has resulted in keeping fire dam- 

 age on the company's lands down to a 

 minimum and has given complete satis- 

 faction both to the company and to the 

 Service. 



The Crown Columbia Paper Com- 

 pany of San Francisco controls approx- 

 imatelv 40,000 acres of timberland in 



eastern California and western Nevada, 

 in the region north and northeast of 

 Lake Tahoe and south of the Southern 

 Pacific Railroad. The land is at an 

 elevation of G,000 to 9,000 feet on the 

 eastern slope of the Sierras and is 

 rough in topography. About 20,000 

 cords of red fir and w^hite fir pulpwood 

 are cut annually on this tract, for use 

 at the company's \m]\) and paper mill at 

 Floriston, California. 



Although the lire danger in the fir 

 type is not generally excessive, some 

 special factors here contribute to in- 

 crease the risk. As the tract is located 

 within the lightning belt a number of 

 fires have started from this cause. Dur- 

 ing the summer a large number of 

 tourists visiting Lake Tahoe frequent 

 the area, causing considerable danger 

 from camp fires. As an additional 

 source of danger wood-cutting for the 

 Lake Tahoe resorts has left a large 

 slash area in the southern part of the 

 tract. With this serious fire risk exist- 



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