CHAPTER VII 



PROTECTION OF FORESTS FROM FIRE 



THE first measure necessary for the successful practise 

 of forestry is protection from forest fires. As long as 

 there is any considerable risk from fire, forest owners have 

 little incentive to make provision for natural reproduc- 

 tion, to plant trees, to make improvement cuttings, or to 

 do other work looking to continued forest reproduction. 



In many localities great progress has lately been made 

 in forest protection. Organized fire protection has been 

 established in the National Forests and in most of the 

 State forest reservations. A number of States have begun 

 to develop systematic fire protection on private lands, 

 through the organization of State fire wardens. In some 

 instances private owners have formed cooperative associa- 

 tions for fire protection and employ a regular force of 

 rangers for patrol during the fire season. The most con- 

 spicuous and successful associations are those formed by 

 certain lumber companies in Idaho and Washington. 

 Throughout the country there are here and there in- 

 stances of serious effort toward thorough fire protection 

 by individual private owners. In spite of all that has 

 been done, however, the fact remains that most of the 

 forests of the country, particularly those privately owned, 



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