EXPERIENCE with the airplane during the recenf 

 tires in the St. Maurice Valley of Quebec proves 



^3-. 



FOREST FIRE AXD ITS WORK 



isions and 

 lakes and 



Upper Hopping off again after landing the daily supply of prov 



reporting on the progress of the fire-fighting. 

 Middle As the aerial observer sees it. Note how well the 



streams show up in respect to the direction of the fire. 

 Lower A twenty-five year old Balsam Fir stand after it was swcj)t by 



fire. Not a single young tree remains alive. 



THE AIRPLANE--WATCH-DOG d 



By Stuart Moir, Assistant Forestc 



its value as the fire-fighter's aid. Just as airplanes 

 were used during the w-ar to reconnoitre enemy positions 

 so they have demonstrated their worth as a 

 means of scouting forest fires. A daily aerial 

 reconnaissance of the forest fires, which the 

 writer was fighting with the aid of 60 men, 

 supplied the information which enabled him 

 to get it under control. The type of machine 

 used was an H. S. 2. L. flying boat equipped 

 with a 330 H. P. motor. 



On May 30th word was brought in by the 

 patrol of the Laurentide Air Service, con- 

 tractors for aerial work to the Laurentide 

 Company, Limited, that a serious fire was 

 burning along a six mile front north of Lakes 

 Grand Chienne and Big Eagle. Men were 

 immediately ordered to go to the fire by land 

 route and to take two weeks' provisions. The 

 following day a flight was made to recon- 

 noitre the burning area north of Lake Chienne 

 and to determine the best means of combat. 

 As soon as the plane had reached its altitude 

 huge columns of smoke were seen rolling sky- 

 ward to the west and north, and when within 

 50 miles of the fire, the air was pungent with 

 the odor of burning Spruce and Balsam. 



Flying at 3,000 feet it was possible to see 

 the outline of the fire in detail and to decide 

 exactly where the fighting gangs should be 

 placed to do most effective work. Although 

 only 70-80 minutes were required to fly from 

 the base to the fire, two days were consumed 

 by the first gang of 22 men taken from the 

 nearest drive camp to arrive upon the scene 

 of action. Travel by canoe and portage 

 through rough country transporting equipment 

 and provisions is slow and tedious work. Ar- 

 riving late in the afternoon the' men pitched 

 their tents, made the camp, and prepared the 

 fireplace for the cook. In any woods organi- 

 zation the cook is the king-pin in maintaining 

 the morale of the gang. 



At daybreak the following morning the 

 men were attacking the fire at its most dan- 

 gerous point. Trees were chopped, fire lines 

 cut through the leaf litter to mineral soil, sand 

 thrown on burning stumps, and logs to smoth- 

 er the fire and water used wherever available. 

 It is hot gruelling labor, for fires must be 

 strenuously fought to be mastered. The first 

 break comes at 9 A. M., when one-half the 

 gang is given a rest and something to eat 

 meanwhile the rest of the gang stick to the 

 job and are relieved as soon as the others re- 

 turn to the fire line. Fighting continues un- 

 til 2 P. M., when a halt is called. At 6 P. M. 



