154 PRACTICAL FORESTRY 
to February, patches are burnt over with the ob- 
ject of preventing the growth of weeds and the 
accumulation of combustible litter. This method 
should only be resorted to when all others fail. Al- 
though fire may be used advantageously at the proper 
place in the proper time, it is foolish to plant or ex- 
pend any labor whatever in the way of improvement 
cutting on forests without having beforehand ar- 
ranged for ample protection. Forestry is simply 
impossible in districts where fire occurs. 
Fires may be divided into three classes: Crown 
fires, those which burn in the crowns of the trees; 
surface fires, those which burn over the surface of 
the soil; and ground fires, those which burn in the 
humus and duff. Very often these are united into 
one sweeping conflagration. 
Fires may be prevented by patrols during the dan- 
gerous season, by the construction of fire lanes, and 
by removal of combustible materials, such as slash 
and litter, from the surface of the soil. 
If the forest is large, the telephone is of course 
of great value. By means of it fires may be quickly 
located and time saved in securing help. 
Roads and trails are also a great help in that 
they render fires more accessible, and serve as van- 
tage-points in fighting them. 
The effects of fire are practically the same all 
