1072 JOURNAL OF FOUKSTRV 



Government Protects O. & C. Land from Fire 



For the past three years the Government has been expending ap- 

 proximately $25,000 annually for the protection of the timbered tracts 

 of O. & C. land from fire, the work being done under the supervision 

 of the Forest Service. The O. & C. lands inside the boundaries of the 

 National Forest are patrolled directly by the Forest Service field force, 

 while the lands outside the National Forests are patrolled in co-opera- 

 tion with the private fire patrol associations and with the State Forester. 



The State of Oregon has a compulsory patrol law requiring every 

 owner to furnish fire protection for his timber holdings. In the past 

 the Government has paid its share for the protection of the O. & C. 

 lands in proportion to the acreage in each county, the same as the 

 timberland owners throughout the State. Since the beginning of the 

 suit, there has been but very little timber destroyed by fire. 



According to the terms of the Chamberlain bills, the proceeds from 

 sale of timber on the O. & C. lands will be used to pay the back taxes 

 to the counties in which the land is located ; also a certain portion of 

 the net receipts goes to the irreducible State school fund and the 

 counties in which the land is located. 



The loss of timber on O. & C. lands, therefore, not only means a 

 loss of wages to the people of the State, but also a direct loss in the 

 stumpage value. For this reason the O. & C. lands are protected for 

 the people. 



Those who think that forestry conditions in India are comparable to 

 ours may have an interest in the description of intensive silviculture in 

 the North Kanara Division : 



"In the month of June of each year the guards and coupe mali (a 

 cooly, termed a coupe mali, is allowed for each newly exploited coupe) 

 go through each newly exploited coupe and mark each teak seedling by 

 fixing a teak-wood stake 3 feet high firmly in the ground on the west 

 side of the seedling and one foot distant from it. This stake not only 

 marks the plant, but is used later on for supporting a grass shelter 

 which shades the seedling. 



"As soon as the seedlings are marked with stakes, a space of i^^ 

 feet round each plant is weeded and the earth slightly loosened. Weed- 

 ing is done at least once a month throughout the rains. 



"During October and November the teak seedlings are earthed up 

 with loose earth for a space of 2 feet round each. During December 

 grass shades are placed on the stakes to shade the seedlings. These 

 shades are removed in April and the grass is placed round the base of 

 the seedling. 



