LAll'UU\iXG FOREST FIRE PROTECTION 



339 



DlCTERMl NATION OF NEEDED IMPROVE- 

 MENTS 



Tlie relative danger of hazards being 

 fixed in mind the next step is to de- 

 termine how to spend the improvement 

 allotment to secure maximum protec- 

 tion. A primary consideration is the 

 extension of the telephone system al- 

 readv in existence. The ideal plan 

 aims to secure such a method of tele- 

 phone communication that every district 

 can be readily reached from the main 

 office, from the lookout points, and ad- 

 joining rangers and patrolmen. Con- 

 sequently, it is a foregone conclusion 

 that a good slice of the improvement 

 allotment will be spent in this way each 

 year until this result is achieved. For 

 instance, it was recognized at the close 

 of last season that the Foresthill dis- 

 trict required better communication. 

 The secondary plan accordingly sum- 

 med up the matter in this way: "A 

 telephone line is needed from Foresthill 

 to Sugar Pine and Tadpole Ranger 

 Stations, at least, and if possible to 

 Robertson Flat and French Meadows. 

 The total length of this line will be 39 

 miles. The idea of building this line 

 is to prevent a recurrence of the dis- 

 astrous fires of last summer, if possible, 

 by getting quick communication with 

 all available help." 



Lookout towers are important fac- 

 tors to be considered in the protection 

 scheme and wherever established they 

 must be connected with the region they 

 control by telephone lines. The Banner 

 Lookout Tower near Nevada City was 

 erected the spring of 1911 and demon- 

 strated its usefulness in locating fires 

 in a region which had fires in one 

 locality when the patrolman was in 

 another. Where it is demonstrated in 

 an ideal plan that the riding patrol has 

 a proposition of this kind to deal with, 

 a stationary patrol, otherwise called a 

 lookout man, is invaluable. This man 

 acts in conjunction with the riding 

 patrolman and an added precaution is 

 thus given to areas particularly in- 

 fested with slashings and light burning 

 enthusiasts. 



Trails next claim the attention as a 

 subsidiary means of protection. The 



ideal plans give a large number of 

 trails that .should be constructed or 

 brushed, and the direct bearing of this 

 work on protection must be considered. 

 The secondary plan picks out the ones 

 which fit in best with the whole pro- 

 tective scheme. If it is seen that a 

 trail can be constructed that will save 

 llie ranger several hours' ride in getting 

 to an especially bad danger sj^ot this 

 piece of work will be considered be- 

 fore a trail which is recommended as a 

 convenience to stockmen and tourists. 

 Ca1)ins, barns and pastures must be 

 provided at strategic points to serve as 

 centres of the telephone and trail sys- 

 tems. The nature and cost of the 

 houses to be built will depend upon 

 whether they will be used as head- 

 quarters the year round or as stopping 

 places for fire guards. The ideal plans 

 are carefully scrutinized for all im- 

 provements needed to supplement the 

 force which it is estimated can be put 

 on the coming fire season. The direct 

 or indirect bearing of every piece of 

 proposed improvement on the whole 

 scheme of protection is considered. 

 The estimate of cost of each project is 

 given in the ideal plans as well as the 

 order in which the ranger considers 

 it should be undertaken. The matter 

 of improvements is directly correlated 

 with the plans for the organization of 

 patrol. 



ORGANIZATION OF PATROL 



The final decision on this extremely 

 important part of the protective scheme 

 can not be reached until the ideal plans 

 have been gone over with a fine toothed 

 comb. The ideal plans are more or less 

 impracticable in some instances through 

 the placing of undue emphasis on the 

 ])rotection of comparatively worthless 

 areas, but the secondary plan must get 

 down to bed rock and consider what is 

 really worth intensive protection. A 

 fire in the rocks and brush may be 

 stubborn and cover considerable area 

 l)ut it will not do a fraction of the 

 damage to the resources of the Forest 

 that a small fire will do in a heavy 

 stand of second growth pine or on a 

 planting or experimental area which it 

 has cost a lot of monev to establish and 



