682 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



TELEPHONE STATION ON PATROL ROUTE. 



A NUMBER OF THESE TELEPHONE STATIONS ARE DISTRIBUTED OVER THE DISTRICT SO THAT ALARMS OF FIRE MAY BE 



SENT QUICKLY TO HEADQUARTERS. 



the cooperative tract and covering a 

 range of vision of about 300,000 acres, 

 one-third of which is National Forest 

 land and the remainder alienated land 

 closely adjacent to the Forest bounda- 

 ries. The cost of the lookout man's 

 salary is divided between the Company 

 and the Service. Constant telephone 

 communication is maintained between 

 the cooperative guards, lookout, launch 

 patrolman and forest rangers. In case 

 of fire the patrolmen get in touch with 

 central stations which send out neces- 

 sary men and supplies. Several owners 

 and operators in the locality are also 

 prepared to give assistance in emergen- 

 cies. 



The patrolmen are placed in the field 

 before the fire season commences and 

 retained after the danger is over for a 

 short period each year for the purpose 

 of maintaining existing improvements 

 and doing new construction. Since the 

 agreement has been in force five patrol- 

 men's cabins and three pastures have 



been built and approximately 50 miles 

 of telephone line and 36 miles of trail 

 have been constructed by the company 

 and Forest Service in cooperation. In 

 the tract north of Lake Tahoe trails 

 and telephones are so arranged that it 

 is not necessary for a patrolman to ride 

 more than two miles from any point to 

 reach a telephone. Trails have been 

 carefully blazed so that men unfamiliar 

 with the country may find their w y ay to 

 any point without guides, in cases of 

 emergency. A fire line about a mile 

 long has been made, protecting a valu- 

 able stand of timber from a dangerous 

 slash area. Tools necessary for con- 

 struction work and fire fighting are 

 stored in adequate amounts at suitable 

 points. An inventory is taken by the 

 district ranger at the end of the season 

 and any losses noted are filled at the 

 opening of the next season so that all 

 tool caches will be fully equipped in 

 case of need. 



