298 THE PRINCIPLES OF HANDLING WOODLANDS 



inents for securing a force of men in case of fire. This 

 may be accomplished by cooperation with lumber or saw- 

 mill operators who employ forces of men, and through 

 cooperation with local residents, or, in case of small 

 tracts, through the cooperation of neighboring owners, 

 each of whom agrees to assist his neighbor in case of 

 fires. In some States there is a system of fire wardens. 

 In case of fire, the fire warden may call upon residents to 

 assist in extinguishing it. They are required by law to 

 repair to the fire in case of call, and there is a small statu- 

 tory compensation for services. In case of extensive 

 forests cooperative arrangements should be made with 

 every resident within the forest and with every user of the 

 forest to assist in fighting fires. In most cases where 

 lumbering is going on the men who are employed in the 

 logging operations, at sawmills, in road construction, 

 etc., will furnish a large force on occasion. Through 

 an efficient system of cooperation it is possible to secure 

 quickly a large force of fighters, and through this same 

 system all the residents soon take an active interest in 

 preventing fires from starting. 



The cooperative fire protective associations in the 

 Northwest, following the example of the Forest Service, 

 have organized systems of patrol and are doing highly 

 important work in suppressing forest fires in the white 

 pine regions of Idaho and Montana, and the fir forests of 

 Washington. These associations now include practically 

 all of the large timber owners in the Northwest, and 

 many small owners as well. The expense of maintaining 



