HANDLING THE FIRE PERIL 331 



practical knowledge to patrol and fight fire. The state should assist him, for 

 life, property and forests are community resources, and it is in the strongest 

 position to do educational and law-enforcing work. But since to bring about 

 such an ideal division in itself requires much education, the associations now 

 have to assume much of this burden also. 



These policies, and the methods by which they are put into practical 

 application have developed from comparatively small beginnings. The first 

 step was installation of patrol systems by individual owners. This led to 

 cooperative patrols to reduce the expense of duplication. This, again, quickly 

 proved the far greater efficiency of systematic organization, wholly aside from 

 the question of cost, and also greater influence over careless public and 

 lumbermen. Varying in extent of territory from a single watershed, as in 

 Idaho, to half a state, as in Washington, patrols were consolidated into formal 

 associations which assess each member at an equal acreage rate and transact 

 the entire business of employing, supervising and supplying the fire forces, 

 having them authorized by the state, building trails and telephone lines, 

 etc. The cost is modified to suit the season by adding or laying off men, and 

 danger points are given special attention, much better than through individual 

 effort. Especially advantageous is the covering of gaps between holdings. 



Cooperation with state and government forces is placed on a systematic 

 basis. The terrfitory of each association is divided into districts, each having 

 its local patrol, and these are grouped by districts under inspectors. A chief 

 fire warden controls the whole system. Every officer, in addition to straight 

 patrol and fire work, is held responsible for keeping settlers, campers and 

 loggers advised of the fire laws, dealing with violators, looking after dangerous 

 slashings, etc. They are as severe upon lumbermen as upon any one else and 

 pay no attention to ownership. The same work is done upon land belonging 

 to non-members as upon that of members. This principle of equal treatment 

 is a cardinal one throughout. The member owning but 40 acres has the same 

 vote in the affairs of the association as the member with 100,000 acres. 



The cost of this protection varies from II/2 cents an acre annually to as 

 high as 15 cents expended last year by some of the hardest-hit Idaho associa- 

 tions. In Idaho, the state is a member of the associations, paying its pro 

 rata on its timbered grant lands. In Washington it helps defray the expenses 

 under agreement by the state forester. 



One of the early lessons learned was that results in forest protection are 

 most truly measured not by the fires put out, but by the absence of fires 

 to extinguish. Patrolmen are selected largely for their ability to command 

 public respect and enlist public interest in the first problem. Similarly each 

 association gives its work and results the greatest possible publicity, which is 

 an easy matter, for press and public accept the work as for community 

 good and the information obtained as reliable. 



It soon became apparent that the same advantage secured by local 

 cooperation would apply to the working together in other than local matters 

 by the several associations. Consequently the Western Forestry and Conser- 

 vation Association was formed to afford central facilities for all forest protec- 

 tive agencies in the five states of Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and 

 California. It is a sort of grand lodge, without individual membership except 

 that the chief state and federal forest officers are prominent and valued 

 members. All associations devoted to forest conservation are eligible, includ- 

 ing the public conservation associations having no connection with the timber 

 industry, and have equal vote. 



A forester is employed, with facilities for investigative and educational 

 work. One of the chief duties of his office is to act as a clearing house for all 



