712 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



litter. The object of such lines is not 

 to stop a fire, but to furnish a vantage 

 ground for patrol and for fighting fires. 

 The brushing out of all wood roads, 

 already mentioned, makes the best kind 

 of tree-cleared lines. 



Very frequently special tree-cleared 

 lines are made where there are no roads 

 or trails, as, for example, along the 

 boundary of a tract, about a recent 

 clearing around a body of young tim- 

 ber, etc. In Europe such lines are 

 often made between two compartments 

 where there is no road or other perma- 

 nent boundary. 



The width of tree-cleared lines is 

 usually from 6 to 15 feet. The Euro- 

 pean tree-cleared lines between com- 

 partments are usually about 6 to 8 feet. 

 Often a line from 10 to 15 feet is cut, 

 especially where a road may later be 

 located. In a number of instances in 

 this country very wide lines have been 

 cut, 75 or 100 feet in width. Such 

 great width is ordinarily unnecessary. 

 Strips a rod wide are usually of fully 

 as great value as the very wide lines, 

 except in conifers, where there is clan- 

 ger of crown fires. The maintenance 

 of these lines consists in brushing them 

 out every year or two. 



Ground-cleared Lines 



By ground-cleared lines are meant 

 strips on which the small brush and 

 ground debris are destroyed, and the 

 larger trees are left standing. Ground- 

 cleared lines may be made in open 

 woods, where there is little or no under- 

 growth to be injured or to interfere 

 with the work of clearing the ground. 

 The usual procedure is to burn a strip 

 through the woods from 10 to 20 feet 

 wide. This can be done only where the 

 conditions are such that a surface fire 

 may be controlled and restricted to the 

 desired strip. 



The open pine woods of the South 

 present an ideal condition for the use 

 of ground-cleared lines. In burning 

 the lines practically the same methods 

 as those described for burning over 

 regular fire lines should be used. 



Location of Fire Lines 



The existing roads usually constitute 

 the base or framework of a system of 

 fire lines. Ordinary roads, old wood 

 roads, skidding trails, and other open 

 strips are used first, and special lines 

 are constructed only when necessary. 

 Special lines should always be located 

 at the strategic points. 



In any given forest the boundaries 

 should first be protected. There must 

 be protection from fires that may start 

 on a neighboring tract. Often roads 

 running along or near the boundary 

 will give adequate protection. If not, 

 and there is danger of fire entering 

 from the outside, a fire line is desirable, 

 even if it is only a tree-cleared strip. 



Fire lines are often constructed 

 around recent cuttings, where there is 

 young growth established or on areas 

 where there is still considerable slash. 



One of the places where fire lines are 

 most needed is along railroads. It is 

 the custom of certain railroads to keep 

 their rights of way clear, usually by 

 annual burning. In some states this 

 is required by law. In spite of this 

 precaution, innumerable fires are set on 

 the right of way, and very commonly 

 by sparks thrown into the woods 

 beyond. 



Many special fire lines have been 

 tried. In general, these are based on 

 the principle that the right of way 

 should be cleared, then a strip of woods 

 left standing, and then a second cleared 

 fire line constructed back of this strip 

 of timber. The theory is that the trees 

 on the timbered strip will catch the 

 sparks thrown beyond the right of way. 

 Any fire set by these sparks on the 

 timbered strip will be stopped by the 

 second fire line. 



This principle has been used in a 

 number of instances in this country. 

 One good example is found in a hard- 

 wood forest in southern New York. A 

 railroad runs through the tract, along 

 a stream valley. The stream acts as a 

 fire line on the low side of the railroad, 

 but the opposite side is exposed to fre- 

 quent fires resulting from the sparks 



