4IO 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



October, 



SECOND-GROWTH NORWAY PINE POLES AND SEEDI.INGS ; RESUI^T OF ACCIDENTAI. 



PROTECTION FROM FIRE. 



Oil eight acres of second-growth Nor- 

 way Pine on dry sand, the average stand 

 per acre of trees one inch and over in 

 diameter was 267 trees: Norway Pine, 

 77 per cent, average diameter 8 inches; 

 White Pine, 9 per cent, average diame- 

 ter, 10.8 inches. There were only 44 

 seedUngs per acre, as recent fires had 

 burned the ground nearly clean. The 

 total merchantable scale per acre, of 

 pine five inches and over in diameter, 

 was 36. 5 cords. The average age was 80 

 3^ears and the stumpage value would be 

 $78 per acre. These figures give an act- 

 ual measure per acre of the growth pos- 

 sible under the unfavorable conditions 

 now existing. The}' give no idea of the 

 result which may be expected from sys- 

 tematic forest management. 



With this brief review of the charac- 

 ter of the forest covering and of the effect 

 of fires upon it, I turn to the question of 

 an organization for the practical man- 

 agement of the Reserve. 



The success of forest management of 

 these lands depends so entirely upon 

 effective fire protection that the organi- 

 zation should aim first of all to provide 

 a competent fire service. The agents of 

 the Bureau of Forestry were strongly 

 impressed with the feasibility of success- 

 ful fire protection under a right organi- 

 zation of the P'orestry Commission 'sown 

 agents. P^ffective protection through the 

 count}^ or town organizations is utterly 

 out of the question. 



While the organization and training 

 of a fire service is of paramount impor- 

 tance, it can be on simple and inej< pen- 

 sive lines. The essential point will be 

 the maintenance, during dangerous sea- 

 sons, of a fire patrol and, as an indis- 

 pensable aid to this patrol, the construc- 

 tion of artificial fire lines to supplement 

 natural fire lines. 



During the work in the summer 

 of 1 901, localities where fires are par- 

 ticularlv liable to start were ascer- 



