740 Forestry Quarterly. 



C. E. C. Fischer reviews in detail the pros 



Fire Protection and cons as regards fire protection in the 



in the tropics. This includes a discussion of light 



Tropics. burning. Mr. Fischer first quotes B. Rib- 



bentrop, formerly Inspector General of 

 Forests, who argues for extended fire protection. "My parting 

 advice is to extend fire protection wherever feasible." Then 

 follow the usual arguments against fires. The arguments op- 

 posed to fire protection (chiefly as applied to teak in Burma) : it 

 retards teak reproduction, kills out bamboos by letting trees sup- 

 press it, fire affects other species more than teak, so burning is 

 beneficial to this valuable species ; fire gives the teak much needed 

 light; accumulated leaves, etc., unfavorable to teak regeneration; 

 no impoverishment of soil ; burn undergrowth to favor soil ; pro- 

 tection retards chir pine reproduction. After a thorough review 

 of the problem the writer concludes that fire is harmful ; in 

 certain forests fire protection must be accompanied by improve- 

 ment fellings ; "fire protection to be really effective must be con- 

 tinuous." 



Those who favor "light burning" in the southern pineries or 

 elsewhere will do well to read this article. 



The Indian Forester. May, 1912. Pp. 191-221. 



H. H. Haines, while admitting that cleared 



Utilization fire lines (or "pucca"="sure" lines) are 



of the best, shows the cost in area if a forest 



Fire Lines. is cut up by lines. "It does not seem to be 



realized that every area of four square miles 

 isolated by fire lines 100 feet wide means a loss of close on 100 

 acres (96.7 acres). There are other objections besides cost; 

 streams when denuded are apt to dry up ; cleared roads are dur- 

 ing the wet season much harder on transport stock. Mr. Haines 

 proposes therefore to plant the opened lines with trees that are 

 in leaf during the hot months ; the shade would keep out grass ; the 

 trees would be valuable for fuel and the value of the fire line 

 would be increased rather than diminished. Six trees are listed 

 which are considered practicable for fire line plantation. If 

 practicable, the scheme seems quite logically and certainly theor- 

 etically correct. 



The Indian Forester. July, 1912. Pp. 314-319. 



