under control before the sun has dried the ground or the 

 wind has risen. Again, if smoke can be discovered in the 

 late afternoon the fire can be located and usually extinguished 

 when it is subdued by the dampness of the evening. These 

 latter observations must not be left till too late an hour 

 for the smoldering fires are very hard to find at night. 



In a mountainous country it is very easy to obtain moun- 

 tain peaks from which such a lookout can cover a large ter- 

 ritory. In such a country, if there be a good system of trails, 

 a mounted patrolman can take care of a very large district. 

 In a flat country such as our north woods there are no such 

 natural vantage points. On accounts of the surrounding trees 

 or brush it is very difficult to "see out." In order to over- 

 come this difficulty the State Forest Service has caused to be 

 erected all over the northern counties towers from which an 

 extended view of the country can be obtained. These towers 

 were built by the rangers and patrolmen at a very low cost. 

 By means of them the efficiency of the patrolmen is increased 

 many times. Also the nuirfber of men needed for patrol will 

 be reduced. Later these towers will be connected by tele- 

 phone to the headqaurters of the different patrolmen and in 

 the very dry seasons a lookout will be maintained contin- 

 uously. He will give immediate notice of any smoke discov- 

 ered and the cause of it will be quickly investigated. 



The cost of such a system might on the face of it seem 

 excessive, but when we stop to consider that by this means 

 one man will extinguish a fire which would, if not discovered 

 for a day or two, keep twenty men busy for several days and 

 in the meanwhile destroy considerable property, the real 

 economy is apparent. The pay roll piles up pretty fast when 

 a large number of men are employed and the property dam- 

 age caused by a comparatively small fire is often great. 



The b.uilding of these towers is a big step toward insuring 

 the safety of our forests and the lives of our isolated settlers. 



