12 FOREST commissioner's REPORT. 



He is a careful painstaking worker, and the large amount 

 of special information he has furnished us I have no doubt 

 will prove of great value. 



His recommendation for future work I hope will be heeded, 

 and if followed for a few years we shall be able to intelligently 

 grasp the situation. 



Careful attention for several years has been given to the 

 study of how best to prevent forest fires, as every one fully 

 realizes how disastrous to Maine as well as to individual own- 

 ers, an extensive conflagration of this kind would he. 



The summer travel to our State for purposes of fishing, 

 hunting and recreation, is rapidly increasing, and as it is only 

 by free access to the private proi)erty of the individual land 

 owners, that the State is so greatly benefited b}' this travel^ 

 it seems entirely just and proper that every safeguard should 

 be adopted to protect their individual interests as well as our 

 own as a community. 



There is orreat danoer from the carelessness or thouo-htless- 

 ness, I should say, of the tourist in forest regions, on account 

 of forest fires, and I hope that more restrictions may be 

 placed upon them — not such as would l)e burdensome and 

 prevent their coming, for we welcome them all — Ixit such as 

 will cause them to more carefully observe the rights of others 

 and use greater caution to prevent such fires. 



They should be impressed with the gravity of the situa- 

 tion as far as possible because when the}' once realize the 

 possilile danger, there is ever}' reason to believe they will 

 be very willing to co-operate in preventing such a catastrophy. 



Notices such as the forestry law requires have been care- 

 fully posted throughout the State in localities where fires 

 were likel}' to occur and as far as I was able with the limited 

 means at command every precaution taken to have the people 

 properly warned. 



"Whether it has been owing to these notices in part that 

 we have so fortunately escaped extensive conflagration since 

 the enactment of the law I do not presume to say, but even 



