PROTECTION OF FORESTS FROM FIRE 



711 



Fully cleared fire lines should be 

 cleaned off every year or two. The 

 leaves and other debris accumulating 

 upon them should be removed by burn- 

 ing or otherwise, and in the case of 

 grubbed lines the soil should be stirred 

 over by raking or harrowing. 



The work of burning over the fire 

 line can best be done in early spring. 

 The leaves and other debris will become 

 dry on the open fire line sooner than in 

 the adjoining forest or chaparral. The 

 aim should be to do the burning at 

 exactly the time when there will be the 

 least danger of the fire spreading to the 

 woods. It is, however, not always pos- 

 sible to organize the crew so as to have 

 the work done at the most favorable 

 period. In the case of an extensive 

 tract the work may be begun exactly 

 on time, but the whole woods may be- 

 come dangerously dry before it can be 

 finished. It is especially difficult to 

 carry out this work of burning over the 

 fire line in open pine woods on dry, 

 sandy soil. 



When the burning has to be deferred 

 until the woods as well as the fire line 

 are dry, great care should be exercised 

 in the work. If the ground cover con- 

 sists of leaves or needles, the procedure 

 is as follows : 



Narrow, cleared traces are made on 

 each side of the fire line proper by rak- 

 ing or brushing aside the leaves, or 

 needles, and debris. Sometimes, in flat, 

 level areas it is possible to make the 

 trace by plowing one or two furrows. 

 Usually these traces need be no more 

 than a foot wide. A fire is set along 

 the side of the fire-line. One or more 

 men follow this up, constantly brush- 

 ing the burning or smoldering embers 

 toward the center of the fire line, the 

 idea being to keep the fires confined be- 

 tween the traces. Other men follow 

 behind and watch, the burning area to 

 prevent a possible spread of fire. If 

 there is a strong wind, no burning 

 should be done. If there is a slight 

 wind across the line, one trace may 

 suffice on the lee side, and the burning 

 should proceed against the wind. Under 

 ordinary circumstances a crew of from 

 four to six men suffices for burning 



over fire lines, but if the weather is very 

 dry a much larger crew may be re- 

 quired. 



In very dry weather the burning is 

 best done early in the morning or in 

 the late afternoon and evening. The 

 air is moister and there is usually less 

 wind at those times. 



In California several interesting ex- 

 periments in keeping clown the brush 

 on the broad lines are being tried. One 

 is to pasture on the line a flock of goats, 

 which eat down the new weeds and 

 sprouts, and trample the ground. An- 

 other is to establish on the line a dense 

 growth of succulent herbaceous plants, 

 which would tend to keep out ordinary 

 weeds and obviate annual or periodic 

 grubbing. 



The cost of constructing fully cleared 

 fire lines varies enormously, just as 

 does the construction of a road or trail. 

 The cost of clearing the line depends 

 upon the width, character, and quantity 

 of timber and brush to be cut, the 

 quantity of tops to be disposed of, and 

 the character and quantity of ground 

 debris, as well as the labor, the difficul- 

 ties of work, the efficiency of organiza- 

 tion, etc. If the ground is grubbed, the 

 cost is affected by the character of the 

 work done, the difficulties of working 

 the ground, and the topography. In gen- 

 eral, the fire construction of an 8-foot 

 fully cleared line costs anywhere from 

 $10 to $100 per mile. An average fora 

 second-growth woodlot would be from 

 $30 to $50. If there is a good market 

 for cord-wood and other material, the 

 timber might return 50 or 60 per cent, 

 of the whole cost. The wide fire lines 

 in southern California cost from $100 

 to $200 per mile. They are now cleared 

 every two years at a cost of from $50 

 to $75 a mile, and the cost of mainte- 

 nance will be progressively smaller 

 from year to year. 



Tree cleared Lines 



By a tree-cleared line is meant one 

 from which the trees and brush are re- 

 moved, but from which no effort is 

 made to clear the leaves or other small 



