14 PRACTICAL FORESTRY IN 



lies with the man who controls the land, the timber owner 

 and lumberman. He does have his part to play, which is dis- 

 cussed elsewhere in this booklet. But he will not, indeed can- 

 not, do so until the rest of us play ours. The community 

 must not only cooperate, but in some directions must act first, 

 because from the beginning the lumberman is governed by 

 many conditions which are fixed by the people. It is for the 

 people to make these conditions reasonably favorable so that 

 he will have neither excuse nor incentive for failing to con- 

 form to them. 



In this cooperation the people should not be expected to 

 grant privileges which are not for their own advantage also. 

 Nor should they hesitate to cooperate if it is to their ad- 

 vantage, merely because it is also a help to the lumberman. 

 It is natural that the public should disincline to assume any 

 further burden to enrich the timber owner. Were this the 

 sole object of forest protection it would be fair to leave it 

 to him. But it is the height of bad economy to obstruct or 

 refuse to help him in handling forest resources to our best 

 advantage. Whether he gains or loses is merely incidental to 

 us, but whether we gain or lose is of very great importance. 



First Step Is to Stop Forest Fires 



Obviously reduction of the forest fire hazard is the most 

 urgent problem. Not only is fire the greatest destroyer of 

 existing forests, but it also discourages investment in re- 

 forestation. The public has a right to expect the lumberman 

 to adopt every safeguard against it in his operations. Never- 

 theless, the first step to encourage him in this is to reduce the 

 appalling carelessness with fire in which the people of the 

 West are the worst offenders in the world today. 



Forest fires are almost always unnecessary. They usually 

 result from a neglect of consideration for injury and distress 

 to others which is not shown by the American people in any 

 other connection. The traveler or resident in forest regions 

 simply fails to realize that his own welfare and that of count- 



