THE WHITE PINE REGION 335 



are set through carelessness in the use of matches or tobacco. 

 Fishermen and hunters in the woods and especially people 

 simply out for pleasure are responsible for this class of fires. 

 On Sundays and holidays during the warmer months and in 

 the vicinity of manufacturing towns many fires are apt to start 

 from such causes. It is much more difficult to trace the cause 

 of fires due to carelessness than those due to railroads since they 

 may start in the most distant and out of the way places, 

 while the latter start near the track, and therefore in a locality 

 which can be easily reached and often is well watched. 



Doubtless a large number of the fires of which the cause is 

 reported as "unknown" are due to carelessness. It is believed 

 that if accurate information about all fires could be secured 

 carelessness would have to be ranked as at least equal to railroad 

 locomotives as a cause of forest fires in the white pine region. 



Burning brush in clearing land gives rise to a good many fires 

 and should be ranked as third in importance among the causes 

 of forest fires. ^ 



Methods of Fire Protection. — The situation as regards fire 

 protection is the same in many respects as in the northern 

 hardwoods region. Small areas of woodland lying in isolated 

 bodies interspersed with cleared land are held by countless in- 

 dividuals. Here again state control of the organization for fire 

 protection, with active wardens in each town, will be the ideal 

 system. 



The comparatively level nature of the country, with only 

 small differences in relative altitude, make mountain lookout 

 stations less effective than in a hilher country. There are a few 

 peaks considerably above the general level which offer good 

 sites for such stations. Mount Monadnock, in southern New 

 Hampshire, and Wachusett Mountain, in northern Massachu- 

 setts, are two examples, but it is inadvisable to endeavor to 

 extend a system of stations over the whole region. Good tele- 

 phone faciUties and the numerous local wardens will take the 

 place of mountain lookout stations. 



1 See the appendix under " Forest Fire Statistics " for further information. 



