70 NEW BRUNSWICK FORESTRY CONVENTION 



and arc protected from discharge upon any cause except gross neglect or in- 

 efficiency by the provisions of the Civil Service Act. They are paid from 

 $720 per year, to $2500 in the case of the supervisors. 



The supervisor is responsible for the patrol and protection of his 

 reserve, and he is expected to devise means best adapted to protect it. 

 Wherever circumstances demand it he is authorized to hire additional forces, 

 purchase materials and supplies, and to provide for the transportation of 

 such, incurring expenditure up to 300 for the extinction of fire. If a 

 greater sum is needed the supervisor telegraphs to the head office for 

 authority. 



The rangers are generally employed permanently, though the force 

 may be decreased during the non-dangerous season. They are required to be 

 men of woods experience, to live on the reserves, to furnish their own horses, 

 or in country where necessary their own boats, and supply a camp equipment. 

 The rangers report monthly to supervisors concerning all tires occurringintheir 

 districts. These reports cover the location of the fire, damage done, probable 

 cause, and all particulars of discovery and methods, time, and means of ex- 

 tinction. At the end of the year the supervisors present an annual fire re- 

 port for each district to the head office. 



Since this system of fire protection has been adopted, the area of land 

 under protection has .been doubled, yet the area annually burned over has 

 been reduced by one-half. Only 16 acres in each 10,000 were burned over in 

 1905, and the total cost of extra labor and supplies for fighting fires on 

 92,000.000 acres was only $12,500. 



The total amount of timber destroyed by fire on an area of 92,000,000 

 acres under such system of protection was only 152,000,000 board feet, while 

 on a total area of 12.000,000 acres of forest land New Brunswick in 1903 

 lost 184,000,000 board feet ; or on the United States reserve lands 165 board 

 feet were burned for each 100 acres. On New Brunswick forest lands 1525 

 board feet were burned for each 100 acres. This extra 1300 feet would 

 have paid for quite a bit of fire protection. 



The system followed is that of watching for fire, instead of waiting for 

 it. A constant lookout is kept during the dangerous season from command- 

 ing points, and the reserves are patrolled as effectively as possible. Roads, 

 trails and fire lines are built on ridges, or wherever they will be most effec- 

 tive in checking fire, and also serve as a quick means of communication 



