1180 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



TABLE 3. Annual State aid in forestry to private owners, by projects 



FIRE PROTECTION 



The greatest amount of State aid in forestry being provided private 

 owners in the entire Nation is for forest fire protection. This amounts 

 to over $3,000,000 annually and constitutes approximately 60 percent 

 of the total. 



Fire protection embraces the employment, organization, and super- 

 vision of all personnel engaged in preventing, discovering, and sup- 

 pressing forest fires. It likewise provides for all publicity and educa- 

 tional efforts and the equipment used for teaching the public the need 

 and importance of forest-fire prevention. To fire protection is 

 charged the cost of lookout towers, telephones and telephone lines, 

 roads and trails, horses, vehicles and motor equipment, and the 

 employment of personnel and purchase of any equipment and supplies 

 necessary to the detection, reporting, and suppression of forest fires. 



It does not necessarily follow that, simply because a State provides 

 funds for fire protection, all timber owners within that State receive 

 direct benefit from such aid. Where fire protection is established on 

 a State-wide basis, all private owners do receive direct aid from State 

 funds so spent. 



In many States limited funds prevent organized protection on a 

 large part of the private lands needing fire protection, and in such 

 cases direct State aid reaches only those owners within the protected 

 districts. Nevertheless, outside owners receive indirect aid through 

 the broad forestry educational programs and demonstrations of pro- 

 tection, management, and the like, conducted by the central State 

 forestry organization. All States having important private forest 

 holdings except Arkansas, Idaho, and Montana, now extend aid in fire 

 protection to all or groups of private owners. Arkansas has no organ- 

 ized State forestry department. Although State funds for fire pro- 

 tection are made available in Idaho and Montana, these are spent for 

 the protection of State-owned rather than privately owned forest 

 lands. Except in Illinois, which provides fire protection funds inde- 

 pendently, all State organized protection activities are on a coopera- 

 tive basis with the Federal Government under provisions of section 2 

 of the Clarke-McNary law. 



The Lake region, embracing Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, 

 and Wisconsin, ranks first in the Nation in the amount of State funds 

 provided for fire protection and suppression. The Middle Atlantic 

 region ranks second and New England third. 



