A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 999 



necessary that the debris be the result of the owner's operations. 

 Idaho, Montana, and Pennsylvania require that slash resulting from 

 logging operations must be disposed of as required by the State 

 forester or fire warden. New York requires the lopping of tops over 

 3 inches in diameter within the "fire towns." Thirteen States have 

 special requirements for the removal of slash along highways and 

 railroad rights of way. (See fig. 1.) In Maine, Minnesota, New 

 Mexico, and New Hampshire slash must be removed from strips 

 of specified width along the boundaries of adjacent property; in 

 Wisconsin along the boundaries of county forests, and in Minnesota 

 along lake shores. 



In Oregon the operator must fell snags not only near engine settings 

 but also along property lines and near areas of reproduction. In 

 Washington the State forester may require felling of snags on any 

 part of the operation where he considers that they constitute a fire 

 hazard. 



In 23 States, logging locomotives and stationary engines (unless 

 they burn oil), and in some instances portable and other mills, must, 

 be equipped with efficient spark arresters and other devices to prevent 

 the start of fires. Ten of these States require that cleared lines be 

 maintained along logging railroads and around engine and mill set- 

 tings, in order to prevent fires from spreading. 



Chiefly in order to facilitate inspection and enforcement of slash 

 disposal and similar requirements, several States provide that owners 

 or operators must report intended cuttings and new set-ups of portable 

 mills. For example, Maine requires operators of portable mills to 

 obtain licenses, which may be suspended during dry periods. In 

 New Hampshire portable mills must be registered with the State 

 forester and must get a permit before operating in each location. 

 Massachusetts provides that portable mills cutting over 10,000 board 

 feet at a setting must notify the State forester as to the location, size 

 of the lot, and the approximate dates of operating. Minnesota 

 requires that the State forester be notified before any timber is cut 

 in a forest or wild land area (except in clearing agricultural land or to 

 cut one's own firewood), and that a notice be posted on the land giving 

 the legal description of the land to be cut over and naming the person 

 who will be responsible for disposal of the slash. New Hampshire 

 requires advance notice before pine is cut, with information as to the 

 name of the owner and the location and size of the lot. Timber 

 owners and sawmill operators are also obliged to report the quantity 

 of timber cut each year. In Rhode Island, timber owners must 

 register with the State Bureau of Forestry before cutting for other 

 than domestic use. 



USE OF FIRE 



Under the laws of practically all of the States it is a misdemeanor 

 to let fire burn on one's own land unless it is kept from escaping and 

 damaging the property of another. (In Nevada this is a felony.) 

 In most of the States, the person responsible for the fire not only is 

 liable for damages but may also be punished by fines, imprisonment, 

 or both. 



The laws of 32 States contain some sort of restriction on the burning 

 of slash, brush, grass, or other material on one's own land. Thirteen 



168342 33 vol. 1 64 



