THE CONTROL OF FOREST FIRES AT McCLOUD, CAL 



INTRODUCTION. 



Almost invariably the first step toward a wise use of the forest is its 

 protection from fire. This is particularly true of the forests of the 

 Sierras in California. Here the fire danger is unusually great, and 

 fires have been so prevalent that they have come to be regarded 

 almost as a necessary evil. 



The Forest Service in 1904 made a thorough study of forest con- 

 ditions and their relation to fire on the tract of the McGloud River 

 Lumber Company, in Siskiyou County. The object of the study was 

 primarily to devise a practical scheme of fire protection, particularly 

 for the logged lands, on which fire is most prevalent. Its results, 

 upon which the plan outlined in this report was based, show: (1) That 

 by proper care and the execution of certain measures it is possible 

 to decrease, or even to eliminate, the danger from forest fires; (2) that 

 such protective measures may be carried out at a reasonable cost; 

 and (3) that the results in most cases will fully justify the necessary 

 expenditures. After the preparation of the plan, its execution was 

 undertaken by the Service in cooperation with the company. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE TRACT. 



The lands of the McCloud River Lumber Company are situated in 

 Siskiyou County, Cal., near the town of McCloud. The tract is on a 

 level plateau at the base of Mount Shasta, at an elevation of about 

 3,000 feet. Its area is approximately 300,000 acres. The rainfall 

 during the period between the last of September and the middle of 

 May amounts to about 40 inches. On the other hand, practically no 

 rain falls during the summer months, and these constitute the season 

 of fire danger. The tract has been logged for the past seven years, 

 and about 43,000 acres have been cut over. 



THE FOREST. 



There are two distinct classes of forest on the tract whose occurrence 

 is determined by moisture and the composition of the soil. The fol- 

 lowing description, though true in large part of the entire tract, applies 

 more specifically to that portion of it later referred to as the experi- 

 mental area. 



THE PINE TYPE. 



On the drier lands, or where gravel occurs, the original forest is pure 

 yellow pine with a very slight admixture of white fir, red fir, or sugar 

 pine. The oldest pine is of excellent quality, but grows in rather open 



[Cir. 79.1 (5) 



