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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



STATE NEWS 



CALIFORNIA 



'T'HAT public sentiment in California in 

 favor of forestry is steadily growing 

 is shown by the measures which passed 

 the last Legislature and received executive 

 sanction. Besides the general appropria- 

 tion bill which carries items of salaries, 

 support and printing of the State Board of 

 Forestry, ten other measures which have 

 to do with forestry in California were 

 passed. 



A new board of forestry was created to 

 consist of five persons, the State Forester 

 and four persons appointed by the Gover- 

 nor, one of whom shall be familiar with 

 the timber industry, one with the livestock 

 industry, one with the grain and hay in- 

 dustry, and one at large. Another measure 

 provided for the prevention and suppres- 

 sion of forest fires which are defined as any 

 fires burning uncontrolled on any lands 

 covered wholly or in part by timber, grass, 

 grain or other inflammable vegetation. 

 The State Board of Forestry was author- 

 ized to divide the state into districts, em- 

 ploy district fire rangers and pay fire- 

 fighting expenses under specified condi- 

 tions. It was provided that co-operative 

 agreements for the prevention and sup- 

 pression of forest fires or for reforestation 

 and afforestation purposes might be en- 

 tered into with federal, county, municipal 

 and private agencies. An appropriation of 

 $25,000 for the biennial period was made 

 to put this measure into effect. 



In addition, a number of forested and 

 brush-covered regions in the state were 

 given protection through the following ap- 

 propriations for the biennial period: 



Fighting forest fires, etc., in the San 

 Dimas Canyon in the San Gabriel Moun- 

 tains, $1,600; fighting forest fires in the 

 San Gabriel Canyon in the San Gabriel 

 Mountains, $3,000; prevention of forest 

 fires in the San Antonio Canyon in the 

 San Gabriel Mountains, $5,000; for refor- 

 estation, construction and maintenance of 

 fire lines and trails, Angeles National 

 Forest, $5,000; prevention and extinguish- 

 ment of fires in Tamalpais forest fire dis- 

 trict, $5,000. 



The above appropriations were made on 

 the condition that the various agencies re- 

 ceiving direct benefit from this protection, 

 such as the San Dimas Fruit Exchange, 

 Azusa Irrigation Company, San Antonio 

 Water Company and Tamalpais forest fire 

 district contribute an equal amount. 



Law enforcement measures were strength- 

 ened through an amendment to the Penal 

 Code that requires an effective spark ar- 

 resting device to be installed on any gas 

 tractor, oil-burning engine, gas-propelled 

 harvesting machine or auto truck harvest- 



ing or moving grain or hay, and the 

 carrying of two suitable chemical fire ex- 

 tinguishers by harvesters and hay presses. 

 The section regarding the leaving of camp 

 fires unextinguished was strengthened by 

 the substitution of the words, "Without 

 some person in attendance" for "upon de- 

 parture." 



A chapter in the Civil Code was revised 

 and now gives the United States the right, 

 heretofore limited to the state and counties, 

 of recovering in a civil action of double 

 the damages sustained from fires through 

 wilfulness, malice or negligence, as well 

 as the actual damages if the fires occurred 

 accidentally, and the full costs incurred in 

 fighting any such fires. 



COLORADO 



A CTING upon the advice of the State 

 Forester, the State Board of Land 

 Commissioners has definitely committed 

 itself in favor of effecting an exchange of 

 school lands, chiefly sections 16 and 36, 

 lying within the National Forests of the 

 State, for an equal acreage and value of 

 lands to be chosen in one or two bodies 

 within some National Forest, in order that 

 a State Forest may be created and handled 

 under forestry principles. 



The State Forester, together with Crosby 

 Hoar, of the United States Forest Service, 

 has examined within the Rout, White 

 River and Arapaho National Forests areas 

 which might serve the purpose of the State. 

 During the summer a crew of National 

 Forest men are examining State lands 

 which have not been examined by the 

 State Forester, and the Forest Supervisors 

 are assisting on other National Forests. 



Preliminary to this exchange the State 

 Forester has reported on nearly 28,000 

 acres of State land within National For- 

 ests, but the total area of such lands is 

 approximately 115,000 acres. 



The timbered school lands in the past 

 have been administered with great handi- 

 caps due to the small areas in single 

 bodies, scattered all over the mountainous 

 portion of the State, and under laws and 

 regulations which were not conducive to 

 good forestry practice. 



It is believed that the proposed exchange, 

 which is in a preliminary stage at present, 

 will result, if effected, in marked advan- 

 tage to the State and in considerable ad- 

 vantage to the United States Forest Serv- 

 ice, which will not have to contend with 

 the administrative disadvantages of hold- 

 ing within the boundaries of National For- 

 ests certain alienated areas. 



LOUISIANA 

 '"PHE Commissioner of Conservation, with 

 the approval of the Forestry Advisory 

 Board, has formally promulgated the spark 

 arrester regulations called for by the 

 Louisiana law passed in 1918. Louisiana, 

 which has so many excellent forestry laws, 

 feels proud to join those few states in the 

 Union which have laws requiring the use 

 of proper spark arresters and ash pans on 

 the trunk lines and tram roads of the state. 

 So far as we know the regulations for 

 wood-burning locomotives and skidders 

 are the first passed by any state ; wood as 

 a fuel is not used to any extent today in 

 logging operations except in the South, 

 where our splendid fat pine knots make a 

 mighty fine substitute for coal. The regu- 

 lations as issued require coal burning loco- 

 motives to be equipped with "cabbage- 

 head" stacks and solid ash pans. The coal- 

 burning regulations require no more than 

 what is already the standard equipment on 

 the great majority of railroads in the 

 United States and are modeled along the 

 lines of the British Columbia and New 

 York regulations. There will be, however, 

 a tightening up of the inspection under our 

 regulations. Skidders and loaders or other 

 portable engines used in the woods must be 

 equipped with screens in or over the smoke 

 stacks. 



The way the lumbermen and railroads of 

 the state have co-operated with the Depart- 

 ment of Conservation in these matters is a 

 very hopeful sign. Two conferences called 

 by the department in March, one for the 

 tram roads, the other for the trunk lines, 

 were very well attended and gave an op- 

 portunity for everyone to be heard. A great 

 many of the tram roads did not wait for 

 the issuance of the spark arrester regula- 

 tions to begin to install the devices recom- 

 mended by the conference, but got busy at 

 once and ordered the equipment. Other of 

 the tram roads were found to have used 

 cabbage-head stacks and similar device; 

 for many years and they were unanimous 

 in boosting the department's efforts to elim- 

 inate railroad fires. 



Never again when the fire warden talks 

 to the Louisiana farmer or stockman about 

 preventing fires in the woods can that indi- 

 vidual come back and say "why do you pick 



onus? These dummy engines 



and locomotives set more fires in a day 

 than we do in a week. Why don't you get 

 after them?" We feel that if the farmers 

 and stockmen will give us as good co-op- 

 eration as the lumber companies and trunk 

 lines seem to be willing to give us under 

 the new regulations, we shall soon have the 

 fire situation in Louisiana eating out of our 

 hands. 



