Trees As Sign Posts 



Varieties of trees, instead of unsightly 

 signs, are to give warning of approach to 

 railroad crossinfs, bridges and dangerous 

 turns on the Lincoln Highway, according to 

 an announcement by Elmer C. Jansen, 

 chairman of the American Institute of 

 Architect's general committee on the high- 

 way. Mr. Jansen, who recently finished a 

 trip over the Illinois section of the high- 

 way, said the tree feature was part of com- 

 prehensive plans for the restoration and 

 preservation of nature's beauties along the 

 transcontinental road. 



Cutting Walnut Trees 



A newspaper dispatch from Leaven- 

 worth, Kans., says: "There will be no wal- 

 nut trees left in this part of Kansas and 

 across the river, in Missouri, if the Euro- 

 pean war keeps up much longer. At pres- 

 ent three bands of men are cutting walnut 

 trees down and sawing the lumber into 

 12-foot lengths, shipping tliem to the East 

 by fast freight. 



The walnut lumber is wanted for gun- 

 stocks for rifles for the European armies. 

 All trees more than 6 inches in diameter 

 are purchased, and a good price is paid for 

 the lumber. Those selling the trees have 

 not been informed what country the wood 

 is destined for. 



H. S. Sackett in Charge 



Early in August the United States Forest 

 Service opened an office in the Federal 

 Building in Chicago, Mr. H. S. Sackett 

 being placed in charge. Mr. Sackett is 

 engaged in making inquiries for the Forest 

 Service into the cost of manufacturing 

 lumber and procuring reliable data on lum- 

 ber cost, a work which the lumbermen are 

 doing what they can to assist and en- 

 courage. 



Wood Pulp for Explosives 



.\ recent newspaper cablegram from 

 London says that the Germans will soon be 

 usmg wood pulp as a substitute for cotton 

 in making explosives, following a discov- 

 ery made by a German chemist. The wood 

 IS ground, cooked and changed into a 

 I'quid. Then it is cleaned, pressed into 

 sheets and by the addition of certain chem- 

 icals becomes a desirable substitute for 

 cotton as a basis for various explosives. 



Forester WiU Raise Fruit 



"E. M. Griffith, former State Foreste" 

 of Wisconsin, will go South, purchase a 

 tract of fertile land in the sunny clime, and 

 raise fruit where the wicked cease from 

 troubling and the weary are at rest. If 

 Mr. Griffith does as well in the fruit busi- 

 ness as he has done with forestry, he will 

 M a valuable acquisition to the State that 

 receives him as a citizen." savs the Hard- 

 'i'ood Record, of Chicago. 



Favorable Fire Season 



Reports recently received by the West- 

 ern Forestry & Conservation Association, 

 from all protective agencies in the \orth- 

 west, show practically no loss of timber 

 through forest fires up to the middle of 

 August. 



Favorable weather conditions and care- 

 ful preparations for the season are the 

 chief factors which have so far made for 

 a clean record on the part of patrol or- 

 ganizations. Following the plan of previ- 

 ous seasons each protective agency began, 

 well in advance of dry weather, to get its 

 territory in the best possible shape for 

 successfully combating any fires which 

 might become started. Additional lookout 

 points were equipped, telephone lines e.x- 

 tended and repaired, new trails con- 

 structed, and every effort made to secure 

 the best possible cooperation between the 

 various patrol organizations. These ef- 

 forts are now bearing fruit in the prompt 

 detection and suppression of all fires which 

 become started. 



Although the beginning of August saw 

 conditions much more favorable than 

 those of a year ago, there is still time for 

 the woods to become dry and only the 

 greatest care and vigilance will prevent 

 fires from starting during the next few 

 weeks. 



Gift to a College 



The State College of Forestry at Syra- 

 cuse has just received a very valuable gift 

 of over 120 mounted game and water birds, 

 and 21 mammals from Congressman Peter 

 G. Garry and his brother, Robert L. Garry, 

 both of Providence, R. I. This collection 

 was secured for the college through the 

 interest and help of Dr. William T. Horna- 

 day, director of the Zoological Garden in 

 Bronx Park. Dr. Charles C. Adams, For- 

 est Zoologist of the College, had presented 

 to Dr. Hornaday earlier the urgent need of 

 the College for mounted birds and mam- 

 mals. Soon after this Mr. Robert L. Garry 

 wrote Dr. Hornaday about the disposal of 

 the Garry game collection, as it will be 

 called by the College, and Dr. Hornaday 

 recommended that the collection be turned 

 over to the State College of Forestry at 

 Svracuse. 



Idaho's Good Record 



Idaho experienced a few small forest 

 fires in July and early August, none of 

 which have caused loss of timber. Onlv 

 the normal force of patrolmen is on duty, 

 but every precaution is being taken to see 

 that fires are promptly discovered. The 

 Forest Ser\-ice has this season constructed 

 several emergency warehouses where fire- 

 fighting tools, available for immediate ship- 

 ment to points needed, are stored. This is 

 in addition to the tool supply which each 

 National Forest maintains. 



To Save Shade Trees 



John J. Mclnerney, counsel for the New 

 Vork Motor Federation, will try to secure 

 the passing of a measure at the next Leg- 

 islature protecting the shade trees along 

 State highways. Many of the fine old trees 

 alonge the State roads are dying for need 

 of a little skillful care, Mr. Mclnerney 

 says, and this care should be given by the 

 State as it is in other parts of the country. 



Studying Forest Animals 



Alvin G. Whitney went to the New York 

 State College of Forestry during the sum- 

 mer as an advanced student to take up 

 ecological studies of forest animals with 

 Dr. C. C. Adams, Forest Zoologist. Mr. 

 Whitney is a graduate of Dartmouth Col- 

 lege and has taken advanced work in for- 

 estry at Yale University and went to the 

 New York State College of Forestry after 

 some time in the employment of the United 

 States National Museum and the Biolog- 

 ical Survey of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. During the coming 

 year he will investigate several problems 

 in the relation of birds and mammals to 

 woodlands. 



Slight Fires in Oregon. 



Oregon experienced no forest fires 

 worthy of mention during July. A few 

 fires escaped as a result of slash burning 

 but were speedily extinguished without 

 loss of green timber. About 300 wardens 

 are on duty outside of the National For- 

 ests and this number will probably be 

 slightly increased if rains are not forth- 

 coming within the next few days. The 

 need for strict enforcement of the forest 

 lav/s has been especially emphasized this 

 season, and a campaign to eliminate the 

 smoke nuisance has been vigorouslv car- 

 ried on. 



Lookout Stations 



An inspection of the forests in the Pine 

 Mountain and Cumberland sections of Vir- 

 ginia and Kentucky was recently made by 

 State Forester R. C. Jones, of Virginia, and 

 State Forester J. E. Barton, of Kentucky, 

 to select sites for building lookout stations 

 through the mountains as a protective 

 measure to reduce the number of forest 

 fires throughout eastern Kentucky and 

 southwestern Virginia. The Eastern Ken- 

 tucky and Southwestern Virginia Forest 

 Protective Association recently organized 

 in Jenkins, Ky., has also made plans to 

 build "lookout" stations through the moun- 

 tains of Elkhorn, Boone's Fork, Beaver 

 Creek, Long Fork and Shelby. The Con- 

 solidation Coal Co., one of the largest tim- 

 berland owners in this section, has sub- 

 scribed 100,000 acres to the association, 

 while other interests have subscribed con- 

 siderable areas. The Leslie-Perry County 

 Forest Association met at Hyden, Ky., 

 .August 3 and discussed plans looking to 



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