WAKINGS AGAINST FIRES 



371 



care of forest fires until it meets again, 

 guessing at the amount that will be 

 needed. Here is one of the weak points 

 in the system. No one can tell before- 

 hand about the extent of forest fires. 

 Sometimes the guess is too high, and 

 sometimes it is too low; and when the 

 appropriation is exhausted before the 

 time arrives for which it was set apart, 

 the whole State must needs go without 

 fire protection until the Assembly meets 

 again, and a new appropriation is made. 

 And, again, if one part of the State 

 suffers extensively from fires, the money 

 appropriated for the benefit of the whole 

 body politic may have to be spent in 

 that particular section, to the detri- 

 ment of the remainder. While there is 

 no remedy at present for this awkward 

 and dangerous situation, a condition 

 which has actually existed and on one 

 occasion has placed the Commonwealth 

 of Pennsylvania without forest fire 

 protection for a period of eleven months, 

 yet we may take much comfort and satis- 

 faction from these two supplementary 

 acts which were passed by the last 

 Legislature, and look forward with 

 confidence to further improvement in 

 the laws, later on. It is a gain for the 

 private associations to have recognition 



by the State and to be able to co-operate 

 with State authorities in patrolling 

 places of danger, but the great step in 

 advance is the privilege which each 

 county now has to provide itself with a 

 competent State official to take charge 

 of the fire wardens and to regulate their 

 actions. Fire fighting, like everything 

 else that is worth while, requires knowl- 

 edge and experience. A trained man 

 will do much more than ten greenhorns: 

 a section gang from a railroad, who are 

 used to working together and have been 

 taught to obey the orders of the fore- 

 man, will put out a fire much quicker 

 than fifty farmers who turn out in 

 response to an emergency call. Where 

 there is no discipline a great many 

 stand around and do little or nothing 

 except to turn in their time of loafing 

 and draw their pay. 



We really need trained fire fighters 

 as well as trained fire wardens to direct 

 them, but it is too much to expect 

 such perfection at the present time. We 

 are content with the good prospect of 

 having competent men of intelligence 

 and experience to act as wardens 

 throughout the heavily wooded por- 

 tions of the State. 



WARNINGS AGAINST FIRES 



POST cards cautioning forest users 

 in the Appalachian region against 

 setting fires in the woods have 

 recently been sent by the Federal 

 Forest Service to residents in the vicinity 

 of the forest areas which have been pur- 

 chased by the government. 



These post cards state that burning 

 of the woods does not improve the graz- 

 ing, and does not exterminate poisonous 

 insects or animals. On the other hand, 

 the cards say such burning injures the 

 grazing value of the land by killing off 

 the better grasses, by decreasing the 

 fertility of the soil and by increasing the 

 possible damage to the ground, and its 

 covering of vegetation, from frost, sun, 

 wind and rain. Furthermore, they state 

 that burning injures the timber, impairs 

 its merchantability, and lowers its sell- 

 ing price ; that it increases insect damage 



by weakening the vitality of the trees 

 and affording an entrance for insects 

 through the fire scars, and, in addition, 

 that it kills out the young trees which 

 are just getting started. 



For the reasons enumerated, it is 

 announced that no grazing will be 

 allowed on the government lands which 

 have been recently burnt; the rule 

 being enforced in order to give the range 

 a chance to recuperate from the effects 

 of the burning. The effect of this pro- 

 hibition will be to close certain areas 

 against grazing; therefore fires set 

 through a mistaken notion that they 

 will improve grazing, will curtail the 

 forage resources. 



The cards further ask cooperation of 

 all forest users in the prevention and 

 control of forest fires. 



