PROTECTION OF FORESTS FROM FIRE 



717 



there were, during the dry season, one 

 guard for each 20,000 or 25,000 acres. 

 This will follow naturally as the in- 

 creased receipts from the Forests jus- 

 tify a more intensive management. 



In flat regions more men are required 

 for patrol than in rugged country, 

 where large areas may be overlooked 

 from prominent elevations. It has been 

 the .general view that in flat regions 

 like the Lake States and the plateau 

 portions of Maine and the Adirondacks 

 there should be at least one guard for 

 each 10,000 acres. 



The required force of guards is gov- 

 erned by the risk of fire and the value 

 of the property to be protected. In the 

 case of a forest of very great value 

 there is necessarily a correspondingly 

 greater justification for expenditure in 

 fire protection, just as one takes out 

 fire insurance in proportion to the value 

 of his property. As the value of our 

 forests increases, there will be a cor- 

 respondingly greater amount of money 

 spent on protection. This principle is 

 illustrated in Europe, where the forests 

 are very valuable and where frequently 

 there is one forest guard for each 1,000 

 acres. (Prussia, one for 1,700 acres; 

 Baden, one for 750 acres.) 



Patrol Along Railroads 



Railroads in many cases are the most 

 prolific source of fires. In some sec- 

 tions over 50 per cent, of the fires are 

 from the sparks from locomotives. 

 While most of these fires could be pre- 

 vented if the railroads used proper ap- 

 pliances on the locomotives for arrest- 

 ing the sparks, nevertheless, in many 

 cases, it is probably impossible to pre- 

 vent sparks which will start fires in 

 very dry weather. It is, therefore, 

 necessary to supplement the use of 

 spark arresters by patrolling the right 

 of way. 



The most effective method of patrol 

 is to follow every train with a speeds- 

 equipped with mattocks, shovels, pails, 

 and .other necessary equipment for 

 fighting fires. A fire started by a spark 

 from a locomotive may be put out be- 

 fore it has an opportunity to gain am- 

 considerable headway or to do much 

 damage. 



It is not always practicable to follow 

 every train a long distance, and it may 

 happen that there is danger from the 

 sparks only at steep .grades. In that 

 event the patrol is concentrated at the 

 dangerous points. 



The plan of following every train by 

 patrolmen may be practical where the 

 distance traversed by the road is not 

 great, but it would not be feasible for 

 a great mileage. Thus, for example, 

 the problem of patrol is being consid- 

 ered by certain large railroads with the 

 view of applying it over the entire sys- 

 tem, wherever there is danger from 

 fires. The purpose is to save the an- 

 nual expense of fire damages. Thus, 

 one system in the northeast, covering 

 not over 2,000 miles, is said to have an 

 annual expense of $50,000 for for- 

 est-fire claims. It is probable that the 

 most practicable method of supervision 

 of the right of way would be through 

 the organization of section men, with a 

 special patrol at certain grades where 

 the danger from fires is particularly 

 great. There is no reason why the 

 section men, if provided with proper 

 speeders and other equipment, should 

 not be trained to repair at once to fires 

 which may start along the right of way 

 and put them out, with comparatively 

 small loss of time. 



In Minnesota the law requires that 

 railroad companies must put on patrol- 

 men to patrol their tracks. The forest 

 commissioner may compel the compan- 

 ies to put on as many as one man to 

 each mile of track. 



(To be conclude^ in January.) 



