270 THE PRINCIPLES OF HANDLING WOODLANDS 



afterward abandoned. This is particularly true in the 

 second-growth woodlots. 



In most woodlots there are a great number of old 

 wood roads, often badly overgrown with weeds, brush, 

 or trees. If these are kept clear they are of great value 

 in fire protection. They make the different parts of the 

 woods accessible and offer points from which the fighting 

 crews may work. The author has in mind a tract in 

 Pennsylvania which was burned over in 1909 with great 

 loss, but which might easily have been saved had the old 

 roads been clear. 



It is usually impracticable, on account of the expense 

 entailed, to keep all the roads free of leaves, grass, etc., 

 but they may be kept brushed out with very little cost. 

 The author recently had some work of this sort done on 

 a Pennsylvania tract, eight years after abandonment of 

 the road, for less than $3 per mile. It may not always 

 pay to repair bridges and restore badly washed roads, but 

 in almost every second-growth woodlot most of the over- 

 grown roads may be reestablished sufficiently for fire-lines 

 with very little cost. 



Trails. The first object of trails is to open up a for- 

 est and make it accessible for patrol and for fighting 

 fires. In the National Forests, this work of trail con- 

 struction constitutes the first step in organizing for fire 

 protection. In undeveloped mountain regions it is im- 

 possible without good trails to get to a fire in a reasonable 

 time and with means for fighting it. The trails in the 

 National Forests are permanently constructed, and are 



