370 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



plenty of room for light and growth, 

 and this will mean fewer trees, each 

 one with a large value, rather than many 

 small trees of less value. This is shown 

 strikingly in the report, which says that 

 it will be far more profitable to have 70 

 trees on an acre with average diameters 



of 20 inches than 160 trees with diam- 

 eters of 15 inches. The 20-inch trees 

 have a stumpage value of $3.61 each, 

 while the 15-inch trees have a stumpage 

 value of only 83 cents apiece. The acre 

 of larger trees, therefore, will be worth 

 about $120 more than the other. 



BETTER FOREST FIRE LAW 



By WILLIAM R. FISHER 



TWO supplementary acts were activity in local forestry that may be 



passed by the last General Assem- designated by the Department of Fores- 



bly of Pennsylvania, which are try." This comprehensive phrase will 



expected to add materially to the enable the Department to give a wide 



efficiency of the forest fire protective range to the functions of the district 



service of the State. forester. 



Act No. 432 provides for a system Under the act the Pocono Protective 



of fire patrols under the joint co-opera- Fire Association asked for the ap- 



tion of the Department of Forestry and pointment of a district forester for 



private fire protective associations. The Monroe County, and the Commissioner 



cost of maintenance is to be equally promptly responded to the request. The 



divided between the two parties to the need of local State officials to look after 



agreement, and the private organiza- the work of fire wardens has been 



tions which avail themselves of the plainly urgent for a long time, but 



benefits of the law are required to make hitherto there has been no provision 



an annual report upon their activities under the law for supplying the want, 



to the Department. This official recog- This act furnishes an effective agency 



nition of the private fire protective for the desired object, 



associations under the law will give them Before these important additions to 



higher standing in the estimation of the the machinery of forest fire protection 



public and increase their importance were brought about, the people of the 



and their influence. State were, in some respects, not so 



Another Act (No. 414) tends in the well protected against forest fires, under 



same direction, and its effects will the existing law of 1909, as they had 



surely bring into closer relation the been under the" old law. In former 



private associations and the State times each county bore the expense of 



Department of Forestry. The act whatever forest fires broke out within 



authorizes the Commissioner of Forestry its borders. The township constables 



to assign foresters to duty as district were the fire wardens and the County 



foresters in such counties as, in his Commissioners paid the bills. So in 



judgment, "the demands of forestry this way, the burden of the cost for 



warrant." It then becomes the busi- fire-fighting fell upon the county which 



ness of the district forester to bring the was immediately concerned in the fire 



uses and purposes of practical forestry losses. 



to the attention of the people, to collect Under the present law, however, the 



data and to assist owners of forests and State Commissioner of Forestry is the 



woodlots; to conduct experiments, to Chief Fire Warden and has charge of the 



assist in Arbor Day work, to inspect suppression of forest fires all over the 



and report to the Forestry Department State. Every two years the General 



upon the work of the fire wardens, and Assembly makes an appropriation to 



"to promote and advance any other cover the estimated expenses of taking 



