will only add fuel to a surface fire should 

 be removed or piled and burned during the 

 spring before the snow leaves the ground, 

 or when there is no danger from the spread- 

 ing -of such brush fires. The absence of in- 

 flammable material on both sides of the road, 

 together with a clean road itself, will effec- 

 tively check a light surface fire. 



The old grades used as fire lines should be 

 cleared, and all old railway ties removed, as 

 well as all young trees which are reforest- 

 ing such grades, for a width of at least one 

 rod. This material should be piled and burned 

 on the grade, since the fire itself exposes the 

 mineral soil and effectually clears the ground. 

 The ground in these lines should be roughly 

 broken up or in a burned-over condition dur- 

 ing the danger season. While the cost of this 

 work naturally will vary, the first cost should 

 not be more than an average of $25 to $30 

 per mile. If, on the other hand, the old 

 grades are kept clean from the time they are 

 abandoned, this cost will be nominal only. 

 As a matter of fact, the cost of constructing 

 the wide fire lines on the state reserve, where 

 there were no stumps to be removed, was 

 about $10 per mile; but, where there were 

 many stumps, and where the fire line was 

 located on sloping ground, the expense of 

 constructing went as high as $30 per mile. 

 So, while it is impracticable to make an exact 

 estimate of cost for a complete system of 

 fire lines, it is safe to say a prevention of 



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