74 FOREST PROTECTION 



On private and State Forests, causes vary widely in different parts 

 of the country. The situation in the National Forests presents a 

 good representative summary of the general causes of forest fires. In 

 the South, where fires are most frequent and prevalent and burn over 

 the largest area, fires are intentionally set to improve the grazing and 

 reduce the number of cattle ticks. Crown fires seldom occur in south- 

 ern pine forests, except in young, dense stands. The question of the 

 annual burning of the woods in the South has been a debatable one 

 for many years. Chapman has shown that, under certain conditions, 

 fires may improve longleaf pine reproduction. Incendiaries have 

 caused 71% of the forest fires in Florida and a very large share in 

 most of the southern pine states. 



4. METHODS OF DETECTION 



Speed in detecting and reporting fires is of the utmost importance. 

 Generally forest fires are detected by: 



1. Lookout men stationed at high elevations on towers, cabins, 



platforms, or rocky points connected with the nearest per- 

 manent community or ranger station by telephone. A defi- 

 nite system of primary and secondary lookout stations has 

 provided excellent protection in our National Forests, Na- 

 tional Parks, and many of the State Forests. Great advances 

 have been made in the development of the Osborne forest 

 fire finder, telescopes and maps, etc., to aid in the location 

 of fires as they are observed. 



2. Patrol by guards, wardens, and other forest workers along 



forest roads and trails and on logging operations in regions 

 of serious fire hazard. 



3. Public volunteer reporter system, as railroad train men, motor- 



ists, hunters, fishermen, and vacationists, who have frequently 

 been of great assistance in reporting fires to responsible au- 

 thorities. 



4. Airplanes have been occasionally used in eastern Canada and 



in many sections of the West. 



Communication systems, chiefly the telephone, are of great im- 

 portance, and many thousands of miles of telephone lines have been 

 constructed. The heliograph and telegraph have also been used. 

 Patrol is conducted by auto, on horseback, or on foot. Owing to im- 

 proved highway systems, the automobile is most frequently used, not 

 only for patrol but also for bringing men quickly to the scene of 



