418 Forestry Quarterly 



The British Columbia Forest Branch have continued their 

 educational propaganda among the inhabitants of the Province 

 by addressing to settlers and farmers a letter giving regulations 

 concerning fire permits and rules for guidance when burning 

 slash or brush in clearing land, and also stating what to do in case 

 fire should break out. In this connection it is interesting to 

 note that it has been said that the settlers of British Columbia, 

 as a community, cooperate in the work of fire prevention more 

 than in any other part of Canada or in the United States. 



The heliograph, used for communication between high observa- 

 tion points overlooking the surrounding forest, is worked on the 

 principle of the reflection of the sun's rays, as when a small 

 boy uses a mirror to blind a pedestrian by flashing light into his 

 eyes. 



Dots and dashes, indicated by breaking the ray of light with a 

 shutter, form signals, read by the sense of sight and at a rate of 

 10 or 15 words a minute and for a distance of 20 to 30 miles. 

 The only unfavorable condition to the working of this system is 

 cloudy weather. Moonlight answers, but, of course, as can be 

 readily understood, is much less satisfactory than sunlight. But 

 it has been found that messages sent in smoky or hazy weather 

 are more easily read than when sent in bright sunlight. 



A lookout man on discovering a fire, using his compass, reads 

 its course in degrees and then signals to a second man, who 

 possibly is able to see the fire, asking him to read also with his 

 compass. By platting these two courses on a map, the location 

 of the fire is found at the point of intersection, when the in- 

 formation is immediately telephoned or heliographed to the near- 

 est ranger and supervisor's headquarters. 



A signal lantern of 1900 candle power is used in connection 

 with the heliograph at night or during cloudy weather, but the 

 reflection from this light can be transmitted satisfactorily only 

 for a distance of 10 miles. 



During the forest fires around Star and Cranberry Lakes in 

 the Adirondacks this summer, nineteen students from the summer 

 camp of the New York State College of Forestry did work for 

 which they have since been highly praised by Warden Yerden 

 and Ranger Ferris. It is believed that the efiforts of these 



