716 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



out and employing such help as is nec- 

 essary. There is no reason why this 

 plan should not provide adequate pro- 

 tection for tracts of from 100 to 500 

 acres at an annual cost of from three to 

 five cents an acre. 



One of the most essential measures 

 in the protection of small tracts is to 

 secure the cooperation of the owners 

 of all the neighboring tracts in watch- 

 ing for fires and in mutual assistance 

 in extinguishing fires, no matter on 

 whose land they may start. 



Supervision of Large Tracts 



In the protection of large tracts from 

 fire a special organization for patrol is 

 necessary. This organization can best 

 be combined with that required for the 

 management of the tract. In every 

 forest that is being developed there is 

 necesary a certain force to supervise 

 any work such as logging, the contruc- 

 tion of roads, the protection of game, 

 the prevention of trespass, etc. This 

 organization is best illustrated in the 

 National Forests. There is a permanent 

 corps of trained rangers who live on 

 the Forest, each in charge of a specified 

 area. There men have executive charge 

 of all the work in the woods. During 

 the dry season this force may be sup- 

 plemented by temporary forest 'guards 

 for special fire patrol. Each guard is 

 assigned to a specified part of the 

 Forest, which he is required to patrol 

 regularly ; he prevents the start of fires 

 as far as possible and watches for any 

 fires which may start within his range. 

 It has already been explained that one 

 of the purposes of the construction of 

 trails through the Forests is to enable 

 constant patrol and access to fires which 

 may be started. The guards ride or 

 walk over these trails under a system- 

 atic plan. There is usually a regular 

 beat over which the guard travels at 

 regular intervals. In some tracts it is 

 possible to go over the beat once a day ; 

 in others it requires a much longer 

 period. When not on patrol the guards 

 are engaged in the general work on the 

 Forest. 



In the plan of control the guards 

 keep in close touch with each other 

 and with the ranger in charge of the 

 whole work in order that they may 

 communicate in case of fire by signal 

 from outlook stations, by telephone, or 

 any other method of communication 

 that may be established in the Forest. 



Most of the National Forests of the 

 West are in rugged mountain regions, 

 with comparatively few roads and trails. 

 The guards usually travel on horseback 

 over certain roads or trails, keeping 

 track of the people who enter the For- 

 est, and giving them special warning 

 regarding carelessness with fire. In 

 this way each person entering the For- 

 est is impressed with the fact that his 

 movements are watched, and the result 

 is that he is more careful with camp 

 fires, smoking, etc. 



On large tracts patrol is concentrated 

 at critical points. The guards spend 

 most of the time where there is the 

 greatest travel, frequently inspecting 

 camp grounds, sawmills, and other 

 points where fires are most likely to 

 start. 



In some instances the actual patrol 

 over trails is more or less dispensed 

 with, and men are kept continuously at 

 lookout stations, from which a large 

 area can be overlooked. In case of 

 fire, signals are sent to other lookout 

 stations and to headquarters, with the 

 necessary instruction regarding the 

 location of the fire, the number of men 

 needed to fight it, etc. 



It is impossible to give a specific 

 rule regarding the number of men re- 

 quired to protect tracts of different 

 sizes. There is no question that the 

 National Forests are very much under- 

 manned. In some cases a single man 

 has the responsibility of protecting 

 more than 100,000 acres. This area is 

 much too large even under the most 

 favorable conditions, and it is only 

 through the most efficient work that the 

 damage by fires has been kept down to 

 1.86 per cent, of the forest area. Even 

 with the proper facilities for communi- 

 cation, the fire protection force on the 

 National Forests should be quadrupled. 

 Very good results would be obtained if 



