THE FOUNDATION FOR FORESTRY IN NEW JERSEY 



21 



its total area. A large part of this land is not suitable 

 for agriculture or similar uses. It will grow timber, 

 but always will be waste land otherwise. The part now 

 forested, but fit for other uses should be developed into 



FIRE BLACKENED RUINS 



Until this sort of thing is stopped it is hard to blame the man 

 who won't improve his woods or take a chance on future timber 

 crops. 



farms, pastures, orchards, home sites, etc., but much of 

 such land will be undeveloped long enough to grow one 

 crop of timber if not more. Meanwhile it will lie idle 

 and depreciate unless it does grow forest. 



Given the chance, throughout New Jersey nature will 

 retrieve waste land by spontaneous forest reproduction 

 and will maintain a forest cover of valuable species per- 

 manently, without artificial planting or other expensive 

 treatment. The retreating sources of virgin supply and 

 the imminence of its exhaustion have emphasized to 

 New Jersey, in common with every Eastern state, not 

 only the wisdom of, but the necessity for home grown 

 timber. Though the vast demands of the densest center 

 of population in the world, within and on New Jersey's 

 borders, can never be wholly met from the state's limited 

 woodland area, yet the state should not and need not 

 import most of the raw forest products used, as it now 

 does, and a unique market awaits her home grown tim- 

 ber. There is practically no barrier between the present 

 low production and the sorely needed and highly profit- 

 able maximum but fire. Because of this, as the forestry 

 movement has grown in scope, in public interest and in 

 achievement in New Jersey, its slogan has always re- 

 mained "Stop Forest Fires." 



Granting that fire-proofing the forests is worth while, 

 the obvious necessities are a knowledge of what causes 

 the fires and facilities for remedying these causes and for 

 stopping fires which start. New Jersey has taken up 



these problems through a cooperative system of Fire 

 Wardens in the appointment, supervision and mainten- 

 ance of which both the state and the local municipal gov- 

 erning bodies share the responsibility and expense. A 

 force of five fire wardens is maintained by the state, un- 

 der the direction of the Forestry Division of its Depart- 

 ment of Conservation and Development. These fire war- 

 dens have general supervision of all forest fire work 

 either throughout the state or in a large section called 

 a "Division." Their time is given to law enforcement, 

 to direction of fire fighting at the larger fires, to fire pre- 

 ventive work, to oversight of fire lookout and patrol and 

 to general supervision of the work and business of the 

 local fire wardens. Subject to the approval of the State 

 Fire Warden, the townships (or local municipalities) 

 appoint their local fire wardens. This force of local war- 

 dens numbering from 350 to 400, now covers 170 town- 



NATURE WILL DO HER BEST 



Even after a burn; but repeating the dose prevents maturing a 

 crop and makes barren land before long. 



ships, towns and boroughs embracing practically the en- 

 tire forested area of the state. The expense of maintain- 

 ing this organization and of the actual fire-fighting is 

 paid by the local governing bodies, subject to refund of 

 one-half the cost from the State Treasury after the bills 

 have been paid. Each township (or chief) Fire Warden 

 is paid $20 per year and his assistants or District Fire 

 Wardens $10 per year as salary or retainer. All wardens 

 receive $2 for the first two hours or less at each fire and 

 50 cents per hour for all time over two hours. These local 

 wardens are the backbone of the fire-fighting system, 

 with authority to compel the use of any equipment 

 necessary and the service of any one for fire-fighting. 



