GENERAL ADMINISTRATION AND PROTECTION. 69 



even when be discovers a fire at a distance or when one is reported to him, 

 what measures will probably be necessary to extinguish it. If there is a good 

 chance that he can put out the fire alone, he should exert every effort to do so. 

 If, however, it seems probable that he will be unable to extinguish it by his indi- 

 vidual efforts, he should, if possible, decide at once on the number of men needed, 

 select a good camping site, and then get immediate help, reporting the facts 

 to the proper officer. 



Fire Fighting. 



The collection of men and supplies, their transportation to the fire, the estab- 

 lishment of camp, the arrangements for the preparation and distribution of 

 food and drinking water, the organization of the crews, the attack on the fire, 

 the timekeeping and the payment of the men, and precautions to prevent inju- 

 ries should follow specific instructions given in the lire plan. 



Reports. 



The officer in charge of a fire should submit promptly a report of the fire on 

 Form 874-6. For severe fires a special detailed report and map should be made, 

 In reporting fires the following classes should be distinguished: (a) Small 

 fires which burn not more than one-fourth acre; (&) fires which burn over 

 more than one-fourth acre but not more than 10 acres; (c) fires which burn 

 over more than 10 acres. This last class should be subdivided further: (c-1) 

 Fires that inflict damage amounting to less than $100; (c-2) fires that do more 

 than $100 worth of damage but less than $1,000; (c-3) fires that inflict dam- 

 age to an amount greater than $1,000. 



The supervisor's annual fire report, upon which the District Forester's report 

 is based, is made on Form 926, which contains full instructions for its proper 

 preparation. 



PROTECTION OF WATER SUPPLY. 



Importance of Protection. 



Undoubtedly the greatest value of the mountain ranges of the West, most of 

 which are within National Forests, lies in their influence upon the regularity 

 of the water supply. In many of the States the mountains afford the only 

 water supply for domestic use, for irrigation, and for the development of 

 power. The future development of the entire region, therefore, will depend 

 upon the amount of water and the manner in which it flows from the moun- 

 tains. 



Climatic conditions and geologic and physiographic formations are undoubt- 

 edly the principal factors which govern the precipitation and run-off, yet it 

 has been proved that the vegetative covering has a very decided influence on 

 run-off and probably a slight influence on precipitation. For this reason Con- 

 gress made the preservation of conditions favorable to streamiiows one of the 

 principal objects to be sought in the establishment and administration of the 



National Forests. 





 Use of Forest Resources When Not Injurious to Protective Cover. 



The preservation of the vegetative cover or its restoration, where it has 

 been destroyed, will undoubtedly insure the conditions most favorable to an 

 equable strea inflow. Experience has shown that the value of the protective 

 cover can be preserved by judicial use of both the timber and forage on the 

 watersheds. The policy of the Service is, therefore, not to deny the use of 

 any resource of the National Forests, except when it can be conclusively 

 proved that such use will be injurious to the public interests. 



Water Protection Plan. 



In order to follow a definite and consistent policy with respect to the restric- 

 tion of the use of the Forest resources for the purpose of protecting the water 

 supplies, complete information must be collected as to the sources, the amount 

 and use of water arising in the National Forests, the present condition of the 

 vegetative cover on the watersheds as to its influence on run-off, and the 

 special measures necessary to maintain the protective value of the cover. 

 This information will be presented in the form of a definite water protection 

 plan. This will include an administrative map and a report. 

 Map. 



The administrative map will show the watersheds that supply water for 

 municipal and domestic use, for irrigation, and for the development of hydro- 

 electric power. It will include the location of ditches, canals, flumes, dams, 



