108 FIRST BOOK OF FORESTRY 



ready to be thrown down by the winds, and the forest is 

 changed into an impenetrable tangle, ready for another 

 and far more serious fire. 



Fires usually start in the woods through the careless- 

 ness of man, for at least all of our eastern forests were 

 almost free from large burns until lumbering and settle- 

 ment began. A common cause is the camp fire left burn- 

 ing in the woods. To go away from a camp fire without 

 putting it out is gross negligence. 



To have a camp fire under control, it should be built in 

 the right place. To build a fire against a large fallen 

 trunk, especially large rotten logs, to start it on a thick 

 bed of pine or spruce leaves, or on a thick layer of duff, is 

 a common mistake. Such a fire would often require more 

 than a hundred pails of water to put it out. A better 

 way is to pick out a clean spot for a mere lunch or 

 dinner fire, a sandy or gravelly river bar or similar place 

 and then to build the fire of two larger sticks and an 

 armful .of small material, as shown in the picture. Such 

 a fire is convenient to cook by and easy to put out. 



Fires are sometimes set intentionally ; more often, how- 

 ever, they start from clearing land, also from locomotives, 

 and even from lightning. 



To fight fire in the woods is usually difficult. In most 

 cases it costs considerable time and effort merely to locate 

 it; for though the smoke is easily seen at a distance, to 

 find the fire is often quite a task. 



