closed cones, temporarily driving away seed eating ro- 

 dents, insects and fungus. Fire serves to keep a forest 

 clean and healthy by removing the insects and fungus 

 diseases which have their origin in the rotting litter on 

 the forest floor. These fires must be confined, of course, 

 to moderate surface fires as would be possible if the 

 rules for fire control (to follow) are used. The use of 

 fire is a silvicultural method particularly adaptable to 

 the coniferous forests because of their great fire resis- 

 tance and the fire favors the more valuable species and 

 the high-limbing sports. 



The following rules for fire control may be safely 

 used by any engineer or forester experienced in forest 

 fire fighting : 



1. Burn the forest litter, by means of surface fires, 

 during and at the end of the wet season, in intervals of 

 from five to fifty years, the periodical rotation depend- 

 ing upon the local rate of litter accumulation. 



2. Do not light fires in the forest litter after the 

 humus becomes dry. A wet humus serves as an index 

 to the safe firing season and prevents ground fires. 



3. Do not light fires while a high wind is prevail- 

 ing. 



4. Burn the snags in mid-winter when the conditions 

 are unfavorable for fire. 



5. Fire the lodgments of litter while conditions are 

 still unfavorable for surface fires. 



6. Light the first fires over the areas of least litter 

 and least density of stand. 



7. Backfire from the barriers. These barriers may 

 be roads, trails, canals, barren and cultivated areas, re- 



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