360 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



August 



by gradually reducing the density and 

 quality, but the modern slash fire 

 threatens every industry in the region. 

 Logging on a large scale has just be- 

 gun in the California Sierras. In ten 

 years the amount of cut-over land will 

 be a large per cent, of the present mer- 

 chantable forest. As the trees are 

 large and heavy crowned, the slash 

 is very heavy, and if it is allowed to 

 lie, as at present, a fire in such a log- 

 ged area means not only the utter de- 

 struction of all reproduction on the 



and by the adoption of methods abso- 

 lutely in accordance with the true 

 state of affairs. 



i. Fire sentiment. The State of 

 California has an excellent fire law re- 

 cently passed by the state legislature. 

 If every citizen makes it his duty to 

 live to the letter of this law, and com- 

 ply with its demands the greatest step 

 toward the solution of the problem 

 will be made. At present the idea is 

 far too prevalent that fires are a neces- 

 sary evil, and the problem of combat- 







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Fig. 6. The same type of forest as shown in Fig. 2, where fire has been absolutely 

 excluded for 20 years. Reproduction nearly perfect. 



land itself, but also the destruction of 

 green timber about it. 



It is to the advantage of the State 

 of California to see that a second for- 

 est replaces the one now being cut on 

 such a large scale. This statement is 

 so apparent that it is hardly worth 

 making, save to emphasize the neces- 

 sity for fire protection. Only in intel- 

 ligent fire regulation is it possible to 

 keep the forest in existence, and work 

 to that end is the duty of every Cali- 

 fornian. This may be brought about 

 by a universal sentiment against fires 



ting them too insurmountable to be 

 worth attempting. This is most as- 

 suredly not the case. All fires have 

 small beginnings and prompt atten- 

 tion will reduce the number of disas- 

 trous burns an appreciable extent. 

 Hearty and general cooperation with 

 the fire officers and universal care in 

 the fire season will make laws a suc- 

 cess which otherwise will remain a 

 dead letter. 



2. Methods of -fire regulation and 

 control. One of the greatest objec- 

 tions to the plan of fire protection by 



