Brush Disposal. 521 



would offer a good base of protection from fires of this class. 

 This should be further supplemented by a system of cleared belts 

 along the main logging roads. A total of 10% of the area would 

 provide for a very extensive system of fire belts. As the brush 

 is heavy on this area it would probably have been advisable to 

 lop the limbs from the tops, which could be done for not to exceed 

 10 cents per thousand feet. The area would then be left in good 

 shape for repelling fires, with all the greatest danger points 

 cleared up. For further protection, until the brush had rotted 

 away, two guards employed for four months in the year would 

 give very intensive patrol. Each guard would have only 2^ sec- 

 tions to patrol and should be able to see every foot of the ground 

 several times a day. 



The following summary makes clear the relative cost of the 

 two methods : 



Area cut over 3-300 acres 



Total amount cut, 52,600 M. ft. 



Cost of piling and burning at 46 cents per M, $24,000 



Proposed Plan. 



Cost of piling and burning 10% of brush for 

 fire lines, $2,400 



Cost of lopping brush on balance of area at 



10 cents per M, 4,700 



Cost of patrol, 2 men 4 mo. each year at $75 



per mo. for 5 years, 3,000 



$10,100 



Saving by proposed method $13,900 



It is believed that this system of partial piling and burning of 

 brush in the danger zones, supplemented by intensive patrol for a 

 few years, can be applied successfully to most stands in the yel- 

 low pine or the fir-larch or Douglas fir types. Further advant- 

 ages of leaving the brush unburned might be cited. Most of the 

 yellow pine type in this locality occurs on dry south and west 

 slopes. The brush and needle cover would help to retain mois- 

 ture in these very dry situations and would probably be an aid 



