100 THE BOOK OF FORESTRY 



sharks along the track. Lightning sets some fires, 

 especially in the "West where electrical storms with 

 little or no rain are common. Such a storm set no less 

 than eighteen fires one Sunday afternoon on a National 

 Forest in northern Idaho. 



How to Prevent Fires. The best way to decrease the 

 number of forest fires and diminish the enormous annual 

 loss $50,000,000 is to educate the American people 

 concerning the danger that is incurred as the result of 

 carelessness in the woods. Everyone going into the 

 forest should realize that he should not leave his camp- 

 fire without pouring water upon it. A safe plan is to 

 build the fire on the stony edge of a brook or if that is 

 impossible, to rake away leaves and rotten limbs that 

 might smolder unnoticed. 



Next in importance to public education is the building 

 up by the States of a fire protection force composed of 

 lookout men, patrolmen, and rangers. Great strides 

 have been made in the science of fire fighting during 

 the last few years. Speed in the reaching of a fire is 

 absolutely necessary and that is where the mountain 

 lookout station is of such great service. These lookout 

 stations, which are used by the Federal Forest Service 

 and many of the States, are located on the highest 

 mountain peaks, points that command a superb view 

 of many square miles of forest-covered territory. Some- 

 times it is only a little hut on top of the mountain 

 while in other cases a steel frame like a windmill 

 tower is built and a one-room shack built on top of 

 this. Here the lookout man remains during the fire 

 season, a map of the region spread on the table before 

 him and a strong pair of field-glasses in his hand. If 

 he notices a thread of smoke arising from a neighboring 

 valley he reaches for the telephone and notifies the 



