198 TRAXSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



XXII. The Management of Fire Protection Lines in Scots Fir 

 Forests. By Dr Kienitz. ]!^ote by A. C. Forbes. 



In several articles in the Zeitschrift fiir Forst und Jagdwesen 

 which appeared in 1901-2, Dr Kienitz, Forstmeister in charge 

 of the Chorin forest (visited by the Royal Scottish Arboricultural 

 Society in 1895), dealt with the question of managing those strips 

 of land in Prussian fir forests which run parallel to the raUway 

 lines, and which are maintained and managed to prevent fires 

 breaking out, through engine sparks, in the forest behind. At 

 the outset, Dr Kienitz called attention to the fact that at least half 

 a dozen systems of managing these lines often exist within as 

 many miles, and that it is impossible to lay down rules regard- 

 ing them -which could be followed with advantage in all cases. 

 About 2 miles of railway line run through the Chorin forest ; and 

 careful attention to the subject convinced the Doctor that the main- 

 tenance of the adjoining fire lines was far too costly a process, and 

 that equally good results might be obtained by cheaper methods. 



The police regulations for the maintenance of these lines date 

 back to 1856, according to which the ground on either side of 

 the line, for a distance of 8 to 16 yards, was to be broken up and 

 kept clear by the railway authorities. This ground could either 

 be utilised for growing green vegetables or potatoes, or could be 

 planted with hardwood, underwood, young conifers, or fruit trees. 

 The conifei'ous crops behind had to be thinned out and pruned 

 up for a farther distance of 8 to 16 yards, in such a way that 

 the companies could clear the ground of grass, moss, heather, 

 etc., and break it up in the desired manner. 



The principle of securing the safety of the adjoining forest by 

 keeping the surface of the ground of the first line cleai-ed of all 

 surface growth only, while utilising it for a forest crop, was not 

 fully recognised ; and considerable areas of ground were and are 

 left bare which might well have been put to use, while the 

 expense of keeping down the surface growth has still to be 

 incurred. In other cases, again, lines may be seen on which an 

 attempt has been made to grow hardwoods, which have succeeded 

 only on the fresher and less exposed ground. On the drier 

 and poorer soils, such attempts have not only been attended with 

 great expense, but also with indifierent results. On such spots 

 it is generally considered necessary to maintain within the forest 

 a second line of defence, which is intersected by ditches in such 

 a way that a ground fire would be checked. 



