221' AMERICAN FORESTRY 



clearinf; land, burning brush or slash, without a written permit, would be 

 absolute evidence of violation of the law, sufficient to secure conviction. The 

 objection may be raised that the settler is obliged to use fire very freely in 

 order to make a farm on land covered with young timber, brush and slash. 

 This is of course true, but our records of forest fires in Wisconsin for the last 

 six years show that from forty per cent to seventy per cent of all the fires have 

 been caused by settlers burning brush. A large proportion of the settlers in 

 the forest regions of the state are grossly negligent in the use of fire, and often 

 api)arently indifferent to the damage which they may cause to the property 

 of others. They frequently select the dryest and most dangerous times to start 

 their fires, and fail to take reasonable precautions to prevent the fire spreading. 



Under the proposed plan, the local patrols and fire wardens would be 

 authorized, as agents of the state board of forestry, to issue permits to set fire 

 when it was safe to do so, and the patrols would be instructed to assist new 

 settlers by showing them how to burn safely and to use their authority rea- 

 sonably, so as to secure the co-operation of the settlers. Campers, hunters and 

 fishermen must be allowed to build fire at any time, as this is necessary both 

 for cooking and warmth, but the patrols should keep in close touch with all 

 such parties and arrest them promptly for leaving a camp fire unextinguished. 



It will be noted in this proposed plan that the patrols are intended in 

 every possible way to prevent the starting of fires. They will of course be a 

 well organized body to fight fires when they occur, but their first and main 

 duty will be to prevent fires starting. However, under the best possible system 

 some fires will always occur, and in order to have an auxiliary force, under 

 the direction of the patrols and which they can call in time of necessity, it is 

 (>roposed to appoint county fire wardens and do away entirely with the present 

 system of town fire wardens. Many of the town boards have seriously handi- 

 capped the work of the wardens by failing to promptly pay the wardens, and 

 ^e men called out by them. Men will refuse to fight fire if they are obliged 

 o often wait a year for their pay. Most town boards are also strongly averse 

 to allowing any pay if their wardens help to fight fire in adjoining towns, 

 though such fires may at any time destroy much valuable property in their 

 own town. Therefore, it is necessary in order to secure good results to appoint 

 the wardens for the county, instead of the town, and give them full authority 

 to fight fire anywhere in their own or adjoining counties. The present limit 

 of $100 per township, or 36 sections, for fighting fire is entirely inadequate, 

 and therefore it is proposed to increase the limit which any county may ex- 

 pend in any one year to $300 per township. Thus, if a county contains 20 

 townships it could expend a total of $6,000 in fighting fire, but it should also 

 be provided that the county board of supervisors could exceed this amount in 

 cases of great necessity. 



In order that the fire wardens and the men called out bv them should 

 be paid promptly, it is proposed that the state shall pay the men and collect 

 the expense from the counties. The patrols should keep in close touch with the 

 wardens and arrange with them as to the men who should be called out in case 

 of fire, and thus build up a well trained organization for the control of forest 

 fires. 



Wisconsin now has a forest reserve of some 340,000 acres, largely upon 

 the headwaters of the Wisconsin and Chippewa rivers, but in order to protect 

 this important watershed, preserve this beautiful lake region as a summer 

 resort for the citizens of Wisconsin and other states,, and also to have a forest 

 reserve large enough to be a factor in supplying the wood using industries of 

 the state with timber, the state board of forestry will urge the necessity of 

 ;\cquiring a forest reserve of approximately 2,000,000 acres. The laud must 

 be purchased and in order to raise the necessary funds for the creation of an 



