FOREST FIRE RISK IN MASSACHUSETTS 



765 



on which engines are Hable to set fires. In a flat country, on the other 

 liand, the railroad runs through cleared and forest land indiscrimi- 

 nately, and the soil conditions may be very dry. 



CONCEUSIONS 



It seems to the writer that the following conclusions may be drawn 

 from this study : ' 



1. That the fire risk varies greatly with local conditions of soil, 

 topography, forest types, and population, even in a State as small in 

 area as Massachusetts. 



2. That methods of fire prevention and control cannot be State-wide 

 to be most effective, but must be modified by districts according to the 

 risk involved. Our figures would indicate, for instance, that it would 

 pay to spend ten times as much money in fire prevention in Middlesex 

 County as in Berkshire. Practically no such large distinction is neces- 

 sary or wise, but the data indicate that some modification of our 

 methods and expenditures is needed. 



3. That regulations for slash disposal should be modified to meet 

 different conditions of fire risk, provided such regulations are at all 

 drastic and call for the expenditure of money. 



4. That railroads traversing a flat, woodland country need a ir.ore 

 extensive system of fire prevention than railroads- in the hills. 



5. That amount and character of population determine fire risk 

 where natural conditions are not widely different. 



1919. 



Berkshire Hills 



Central Highlands. 

 Connecticut Valley. 



Cape Cod 



Eastern 



■ 83 

 235 

 517 

 60 

 830 



