26 



Yearbook^ of Agriculture 1949 



less areas that formerly took 24 hours 

 of foot travel. That 22-hour gain in 

 time often spells the difference be- 

 tween using two men to put out a little 

 fire and having to employ large forces 

 of men to put out a big one. 



What are some of the precautionary 

 measures against fire? 



Glean up logging slash; build fire 

 breaks or fire lanes to divide the woods 

 into small blocks; keep fire-fighting 

 tools handy and in good condition; 

 know the location of the local forest 

 fire warden or forest protection officer; 

 line up the fire-fighting manpower in 

 the neighborhood in advance. 



What do foresters mean by "burning 

 period"? 



Normally the "burning period" is 

 the "heat of the day," from about 10 

 a. m. to just before sundown. Unusual 

 weather or other conditions may pro- 

 long the "burning period" and even 

 may create a severe "burning period" 

 at night. 



What is a "backfire"? 



A fire intentionally set on the fire 

 side of a control line as a part of the 

 process of controlling a fire. Using such 

 a fire when the control line is close to 

 the fire edge is sometimes called burn- 

 ing out or clean burning. 



What is a "fire dispatcher"? 



He is a member of the forest fire- 

 control organization who receives re- 

 ports of the recovery and status of 

 fires, determines the locations of fires, 

 and sends the men and the supplies and 

 equipment that are needed to suppress 

 fires. . 



How does the United States Weath- 

 er Bureau cooperate with fire-control 

 agencies? 



The Weather Bureau prepares spe- 

 cial fire-weather forecasts for use by 

 forest fire-control agencies. Three types 

 are issued: A "general outlook" for 2 

 to 3 days; a "daily forecast" for the 

 ensuing 36 to 48 hours; and, upon re- 



quest, "special localized forecasts" for 

 short periods of 3 to 12 hours. 



Why are man-caused fires usually 

 worse than lightning fires? 



Lightning usually strikes on the tops 

 of ridges and starts a small fire, which 

 spreads slowly, especially if the light- 

 ning storm is accompanied by rain. 

 Man-caused fires most frequently start 

 along roads, trails, and streams, in 

 canyons, or on the lower slopes of the 

 hills; they spread rapidly uphill and 

 often become conflagrations. Fires in- 

 tentionally set, that is, incendiary fires, 

 nearly always occur in periods of high 

 fire hazard. 



What is the best way to dispose of 

 burning matches and tobacco in the 

 forest? 



Break your match in two and hold it 

 in your hand until you are sure it is out. 

 Put the burned end back in the box or 

 in your pocket. Cigarettes and cigars 

 should be put out by wetting the end 

 with saliva, throwing them in water, or 

 clearing a spot of inflammable mate- 

 rial down to mineral soil, and grinding 

 the fire out with the foot. Pipe heels, 

 which are a particularly dangerous 

 source of forest fire, should be ground 

 out in mineral soil. Mechanical lighters 

 for the pocket and ash containers for 

 automobiles are recommended for all 

 persons who travel in forests. It is well 

 to refrain from smoking when the 

 woods are dry. 



Will burning things thrown from air- 

 planes in flight start fires? 



Several fires have occurred that were 

 believed to have originated from burn- 

 ing material thrown from airplanes. 

 We cannot give a categorical answer, 

 but that the practice is dangerous seems 

 obvious. 



Why did the Indians start fires in 

 the forests? 



Tradition says that they did so to 

 drive out game, but we have no positive 

 proof that they did this as a regular 

 custom over any large areas. The In- 



