58 THE SCHOOL BOOK OF FORESTRY 



fire lines or lanes as they are sometimes called, 

 are stretches of land from which all trees and 

 shrubs have been removed. In the centre of the 

 lines a narrow trench is dug to mineral soil or 

 the lines are plowed or burned over so that they 

 are bare of fuel. Such lines also are of value 

 around woods and grain fields to keep the fire 

 out. They are commonly used along railroad 

 tracks where locomotive sparks are a constant 

 source of fire dangers. 



Our forests, on account of their great size and 

 the relatively small man force which guards them, 

 are more exposed to fire dangers than any other 

 woodlands in the world. The scant rainfall of 

 many of the western states where great unbroken 

 areas of forest are located increases the fire 

 damages. The fact that the western country in 

 many sections is sparsely settled favors destruc- 

 tion by forest fires. The prevalence of lightning 

 in the mountains during the summer adds far- 

 ther to the danger. One of the most important 

 tasks of the rangers in the Federal forests is to 

 prevent forest fires. 



During the fire season, extra forest guards 

 are kept busy hunting for signs of smoke through- 

 out the forests. The lookouts in their high 



