CH. II 



FIRE PROTECTION 271 



where it adjoins forest of equally inflammable nature, or 

 dry savannahs, or marshy land with inflammable reeds 

 and sedges. All exterior fire-lines should be made wide 

 enough to prevent even violent fires to cross them and 

 thus enter the forest. It is true that in some localities 

 it is difficult to make the lines broad enough without 

 sacrificing a very large area. In the coniferous forests 

 of North America sparks are sometimes carried enormous 

 distances, and it is difficult to devise fire-lines broad 

 enough to make the forests perfectly safe ; in the Tropics 

 the fire may perhaps be carried through the air for a 

 quarter of a mile, but, as it is impossible to make fire-lines 

 of this width, except where wide river-beds or torrent- 

 beds happen to exist at convenient places, the lines 

 should be made as reasonably wide as possible, and the 

 remaining odds of safety must be confided to the care 

 of an efficient fire-patrol. In India fire-lines over 100 

 ft. (30 metres) broad are not often made, and they 

 may be of lesser width. 



Interior fire-lines may be made either to protect the 

 forest from fire which may originate from within, such 

 as by sparks from railway engines, from travellers along 

 roads, and in forest camping-grounds, or they may be 

 meant to serve as bases from which to counter-fire in 

 case fire enters into any one block, and thus, by sacrific- 

 ing this particular block, to save the rest of the forest. 

 Such lines, when meant only for counter-firing, may be 

 of different width, but are usually comparatively narrow, 

 and may even be reduced to the width of guide-lines 

 and nothing more. In a large area of forest it is usual 

 to have a few broad interior fire-lines, even where 

 there is little traffic, in case the fire crosses the ordinary 

 lines made for counter-firing in spite of all efforts made 

 to stop it. 1 



The best season for firino- the lines is when the grass 

 standing on them is sufficiently dry to make it probable 



1 For an example see map at p. 440, vol. xxxi. No. 8 of the Indian Forester, 

 showing the forests of the Mandui Range of the Bombay Presidency. On this 

 map will be found exterior and interior fire-lines 100 ft. broad, and interior fire- 

 lines 60 and 30 ft. broad respectively. 



