710 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



sary appropriation for real protection. An appropriation 

 of $125,000 looks large to the average legislator; and it 

 is, but it is woefully inadequate when the area to be 

 covered and the immense values at stake are carefully 

 considered. 



A Battle To Save Human Lives 



The great battle recently put up against forest fires 

 has laid a heavy drain upon the Forestry Department's 

 resources. Already they face exhaustion, with the year 

 not yet one-third gone. But the battle could not be 

 stopped. It was a choice between letting Northern Min- 

 nesota burn, or incurring these bills, and surely no one 

 can conscientiously say that because we did not have suf- 

 ficient available funds on 

 hand that we should have 

 refused to take projier steps 

 to save not only property, 

 but human lives. The mem- 

 ory of the terrible 1918 

 forest conflagrations is too 

 fresh in our minds for even 

 the most radical critics to 

 take such a stand. 



Thus the State Service 

 finds itself at the end of its 

 rope, financially. It will main- 

 tain the fight against fire as 

 long as funds hold out, but 

 it looks as though the first 

 of the year will see us with- 

 out money ; and, through the 

 forced discharge of needed 

 men, with a sorry force left 

 to face an ever-threatening 

 situation. There being no 

 additional available funds, 

 relief will have to await until 

 the legislature meets in Janu- 

 ary, when it is hoped that 

 the present lamentable situa- 

 tion, financially, will be re- 

 lieved by speedy special ap- 

 propriations. 



The Fire Department of the Forest 



The Forest Service with its rangers and patrolmen, 

 paid from this limited fund, endeavors to maintain among 

 the scattered settlements and villages and summer resorts 

 and broad belts of wilderness, a fire department of the 

 forest. It is in general the same protective system as is 

 followed in Sweden, Germany and other forest countries. 

 It is the only system that has ever worked in forest pro- 

 tection. The rangers and patrolmen have many duties in 

 addition to fire prevention and control, but these other 

 duties we shall pass over for the present. Thousands of 

 fires, some along highways, some on the lake shores and 

 many in remote parts of the forest have been fought and 

 extinguished by rangers or under their direction. A 



rather complete system of observation from lookout 

 towers has been devised. (The air squadron of the Na- 

 tional Guard is helping at the present time). Firebreaks 

 have l)een constructed, slash disjxisal enforced, shelter 

 cabins built, trails and portages cut out and other means 

 of transix)rtation developed. Rural fire brigades have 

 been organized, fire fighting equipment obtained, im- 

 proved and in some cases originated. 



Much educational work has been done among settlers, 

 the majority of whom no longer look upon a running fire 

 as beneficial, but view it in its true light as a danger, a 

 menace, the most terrible curse of the north country. 

 The railroads have been induced to organize little forest 

 services of their own under state supervision. Co-opera- 

 tive fire protection is ob- 

 tained from the lumber com- 

 panies and mining com- 

 [ianies. Many townships 

 and some counties have been 

 l)ersuaded to vote money to 

 assist in fire control. What 

 is of special importance an 

 exceedingly competent force 

 of men has been trained. 

 Many convictions for viola- 

 tions of the forest laws are 

 obtained each year. All in 

 all a thorough system of fire 

 protection has been worked 

 out. What it needs to make 

 it more effective is more 

 means. 



The Unheralded, Efficient 

 Ranger 



Forest rangers go after 

 any fire that starts, no mat- 

 ter whether it is a smoulder- 

 ing patch of peat only a 

 rard across or a wide belt of 

 flame sweeping the forest 

 and threatening whole com- 

 munities in its path. Even 

 the worst fire can be fought 

 with some degree of success ; 

 if not in front at least at the edges to "narrow it in" or 

 keep it from spreading wider. Sometimes the rangers 

 do heroic things, acts which in the army would bring 

 decorations. But the rangers, patrolmen and other forest 

 officers are quite content modestly to perform their some- 

 times hazardous duties in saving life and property away 

 back in the woods, on the edge of the wilderness. 



Many persons are of the opinion that forest fires are 

 caused by some single agency, such as the railroads, 

 logging operators, fishermen, tourists or settlers burning 

 brush. While as a matter of fact, all of these are re- 

 sponsible no one stands out as pre-eminently guilty. 

 While the causes of forest fires vary somewhat from 

 year to year, it has been found in Minnesota that about 



A BIT OF THE OLD NORTH WOODS WHICH LUMBEKI.NcJ 

 AND FIRE HAVBi NOT REACHED. 



