584 Forestry Quarterly. 



that communication with the officials is not always easy for the 

 distant colonists. This could be overcome by having special pa- 

 trols at the proper season make a circuit of the district to afford 

 the opportunity of making the necessary arrangements for per- 

 mits. This requirement, to be sure, is mainly of educational 

 value accentuating the feeling of responsibility. 



E. LEG1S1.AT10N Regarding Other Persons. 



The most difficult, and at the same time the most dangerous 

 class of persons responsible for forest fires are the many different 

 people who visit the woods for business or pleasure, or who are 

 merely passing through. The laws make distinction of railways 

 and settlers, but this third class remains, as a rule undifferentiated. 

 It would appear that at least three classes may be made, namely 

 those who are in the woods for business connected with the 

 woods, loggers and the like ; those who are engaged in business 

 other than connected with the woods, such as prospectors and 

 miners ; and lastly visitors of various descriptions, hunters, 

 campers, etc. It would appear that the first two classes should 

 and could be dealt with separately, for they are, as a rule, defi- 

 nitely located, although for a shorter time than railroads and 

 settlers. 



Is there any reason why the lumber company should stand on 

 a different footing towards the community at large as regards 

 responsibility for forest fires, than the railroad company? Is the 

 logger or the miner or prospector in any different condition than 

 the settler excepting perhaps permanency of location? The con- 

 ditions and needs of these two classes are known and, therefore, 

 definite prescription is as possible as for the railroad company 

 and the settler. It is our opinion that the lumberman have been 

 in the past, and are still, indirectly at least, the greatest cause for 

 destructive conflagrations, simply because of the debris which 

 has been left after their operations. It is tolerably certain that 

 without the debries and the opening up to the sun and wind of 

 large areas the virgin woods would usually be without extensive 

 fires. Just as the railway company is to be forced to reduce the 

 danger from fire, since fire is one of its tools, so for the opposite 

 reason the logger should be forced to reduce the danger from fire, 

 because he creates the condition for its most destructive force. 



It is needful to accentuate that the worst damage to the coun- 

 try at large does not come from the burning of the timber — which 

 can usually be utilized — , but from the burning of slash which 

 consumes not only the young growth and seed trees, but often the 

 soil itself, leaving it barren and useless forever. 



There are two methods of reducing the danger from slash in 

 logging operations, namely, systematically burning it while the 

 logging is going on, and 'downing' tops and branches so that they 



