PROTECTIVE MEASURES. fi51 



d. Trenches round Peat Deposits. 



Wherever peat occurs in the forest soil, deep trenches should 

 be dug round the peat deposits to isolate them from possible 

 forest fires. 



e. Conduct of Thinnings. 



Early and careful thinnings should be made in young 

 coniferous woods, and all dead branches should be pruned off 

 and removed. The least that should be done is to clear the 

 boundaries of all compartments of dead wood to a breadth of 

 30 to 45 feet. 



/. Along Railway-Lines. 



Fire-traces must be kept clear of woody growth, and of dead 

 leaves, heather, and other inflammable material along all 

 railway lines passing through forests. Most forest fires due 

 to sparks from locomotives break out within 30 feet of a railway 

 line, but to render the fire-traces quite effective, they should 

 be 60 feet broad. The French law regarding forest-fires in 

 the Maures and Esterel, makes such fire-traces compulsory 

 along all railway-lines running through the forests of those 

 Departemcnts. 



A short act, for the United Kingdom, named the Railway 

 Fires Act, became law on the 4th August, 1905, making railway 

 companies liable for damage done to crops, to the extent of 

 ^6100. This limit to the value of the damage does not meet 

 the necessities of the case, as regards extensive woods on dry 

 sandy soil. 



(j. Roads and Rides in the Forest. 



The network of forest-roads and rides may afford consider- 

 able assistance against fires. In order to protect the forest on 

 either side of roads from any risk of fire from sparks from 

 pipes, etc., of travellers, or cartmen, all inflammable under- 

 growth and dead leaves should be cleared from the roads, and 

 from a strip 10 to 15 feet broad on either side of them. 



Some of the rides may be cleared as fire- traces, and where 

 the prevalent winds are from the west, it is better that rides 

 to be cleared as fire-traces should be at an angle of about 75 



