152 



Canadian Forestry Journal. 



duty to prevent and extinguish fires. 

 They jjrevent fires by posting along 

 roads and streams and around lakes 

 and ponds cloth notices which state the 

 law in regard to fires. They also call 

 upon the farmers and caution them' in 

 regard to the use of fire, and warn 

 hunters and fishermen to be careful 

 with camp fires, wadding from the guns 

 and lighted matches. 



Then these forest rangers extinguish 

 fires that start in the woods. Some- 

 times they can extinguish the fire with- 

 out any assistance, but in case they 

 cannot do so they warn out the farmers 

 or villagers, who are obliged by law to 

 obey the summons, and the rangers 

 direct them in fighting the fire. 



During the danger periods, which 

 occur usually in spring and fall, the 

 forest rangers are assisted by tem- 

 I^orary fire rangers. These are ap- 

 pointed by the Forestry Branch upon 

 the recommendation of the forest 

 rangers. Each forest ranger and fire 

 ranger ])rovides hitn.self with a horse. 



Burned Guards. 



To pre\'ent prairie fires from coming 

 into the reserves, the forest rangers burn 

 the grass along the boundaries wherever 

 such a measure is practicable. This is 

 done after the snow is off the grass-land, 

 but before it is out of the woods. Rail- 

 ways burn the grass and other debris 

 along the right of way, under the im- 

 mediate supervision of the forest 

 rangers. Such burning needs to be done 

 at the right time. Otherwise there is 

 danger of setting fire to the woods. 



Plowed Guards. 



In arable ground along the bound- 

 aries, and through the reserves wherever 

 it is considered advisable, plowed fire 

 guards are made. In making these 

 guards a strip is plowed eight furrows 

 wide; and four rods distant from this 

 on the danger side another strip, four 

 furrows wide, parallel with the first is 

 ploughed. These strips are disc-harrowed 

 m the spring and fall just before the dan- 

 ger periods. The grass strip between the 

 guards is burned when it can be done 

 with safety. This double guard is used 

 as a line from which to back-fire when 

 the forest ranger sees it necessarv. 



Fire Roads. 



Roads are made around the bound- 

 aries and through the reserves. These 

 are located so that, when a fire occurs 

 on the reserve, men can be promptly 

 transported to it. Moreover, these roads 

 make it possible for the rangers to patrol 

 the reser\-es more thoroughly, and also 

 allow the settlers an easy means of get- 

 ting out the timber. When it is deemed 

 advisable, such roads can be used as 

 lines from which to back-fire. Where 

 these are made through poplar woods 

 they need attention every year, as the 

 poplars sprout readily from the root, 

 and, if not kept down, will soon make 

 the road impassable. 



Settler's Slashings. 



The forest rangers supervise timber 

 cutting so as to lessen as much as pos- 

 sible the danger of fire. Settlers are in- 

 structed by them to cut the trees low 

 so as not to leave stumps more than a 

 foot high: to take out of the woods all 

 parts over four inches in diameter of 

 every tree cut: and to cut the branches 

 so that they will lie flat on the ground. 



Spark Arresters. 



It is the duty of forest rangers to see 

 that railway engines passing through 

 or near forest reserves are properly 

 equipped with spark arresters. These 

 are not placed in or over the smoke 

 stack, as many suppose, but are bolted 

 to a framework in the forward exten- 

 sion of the boiler. To examine the 

 screen it is necessary for the engineer 

 to remove the front plate of the boiler. 

 This can be done conveniently only at 

 divisional points. 



Cleaning the Forest Floor. 



As opportunity affords, forest rangers 

 are required to clean up the forest floor. 

 Dead tree trunks and branches lying 

 around on the ground greatly endanger 

 the forest. Without this material the 

 forest would hardly burn. Grass and 

 leaves will carrv fire through the woods, 

 but unless the trees are small they will 

 not be killed. Fire in rotting logs and 

 brush will give heat enough to kill the 

 largest trees. On the Turtle Mountain 

 and Spruce Woods Reserves in Mani- 

 toba, on the Moose Mountain Reserve 

 in Saskatchewan and on the Cypress 

 Hills Reserve in Alberta, the removal 



