CHAPTER VII 

 FOREST PROTECTION 



PROTECTION of the woodlot is an extremely important 

 and very simple matter. Most of the difficulties and com- 

 plications in connection with forest protection occur in the 

 management of extensive forests. Here large sums of 

 money must be spent in making different parts of the forest 

 accessible, in cutting expensive fire breaks and in main- 

 taining patrols in the danger season. These are the things 

 that require money and technical knowledge. 



Few woodlot s involve any of these questions. They are 

 usually small and surrounded by open country or well 

 traversed by roads, making them accessible all around. 

 These roads and the open country are very efficient fire 

 breaks, which, together with location of the woodlots in a 

 comparatively thickly settled country, make any patrol 

 unnecessary. The woodlot is, however, liable to a certain 

 degree to the following dangers : fire, grazing, mismanage- 

 ment, trespass, windfall, sunscald, insect and fungi at- 

 tacks. The remedies in most cases are very simple. 



FIRE 



Only two types of fires are likely to occur in the woodlot, 

 the ground fire and the surface fire. The ground fire 

 burns below the surface fed by the humus, leaf mold and 

 peat in the soil. These fires occur commonly only in 



153 



