284 



THE FORESTER. 



November, 





those most nearly interested, have a further 

 duty to perform. This was made manifest 

 recently by (he very destructive fires in 

 the mountains west of Denver. To the 

 people of Colorado it is matter of common 

 knowledge that these fires burned for days 

 destroying many acres of valuable stand- 

 ing timber, threatening the existence of 

 several mining camps and their inhabitants, 

 and laving bare the soil at the headwaters 

 of a most valuable irrigation system. All 

 the available machinery of the state was 

 called into action and an appeal was made 

 to the National Government for aid in 

 checking the conflagration. As the peo- 

 ple of the state were alive to the damage 

 being done bv the fires and to the neces- 

 sity for extinguishing them, so they should 

 be alert in adopting every means for pre- 

 venting them. "An ounce of preven- 

 tion," and so forth, is peculiarly appiic- 



est administration of other lands to en- 

 courage the growth of new forests and to 

 prevent the destruction, by wanton lumber- 

 ing, or needless fires of those now stand- 

 ing. The U.S. Department of Agriculture 

 through its Bureau of Forestry is always 

 ready to aid by suggestion and other- 

 wise so far as lies in its power : if the 

 state would cooperate, for instance, by 

 requiring that their fish and game war- 

 dens should be practical foresters as well, 

 a great step would have been taken. Then 

 let these wardens be held responsible for 

 the economical propagation, protection, 

 and use of the State forests, as they are 

 now held responsible in the case of fish 

 and game. 



Where lumbering is going on upon 

 state land, let the wardens superintend 

 the operation by designating the trees to 

 be cut, seeing to the preservation of the 



COMPLETE DESTRUCTION BY REPEATED FIRES OF A FOREST, IN BATTLEMENT 



MESA RESERVE, COLORADO. 



able, for the damage done in five days can 

 scarcely be " cured " in fifty years. 



In addition to the service which may 

 thus be performed by cooperation between 

 the citizens, the state, and the United 

 States, the local state and county organ- 

 izations may do much by intelligent for- 



remainder and providing, if possible, for 

 a new growth in the future. Where 

 lumbering lias been completed upon state 

 land or where the trees, though standing, 

 are dead and dry -a tempting food for 

 flame let them burn over the slashings or 

 the useless standing i timber at a season 



