178 



permitting their fires to run unchecked into the adjoining timber. A little- 

 foresight then would have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars for the 

 present generation, and, in my opinion, a little extra forethought at the 

 present time, embodied in careful legislative enactment, will preserve untold 

 benefits for the coming generations. 



The depletion of our forest wealth by lumbering operations, though 

 greater than is generally supposed, is not nearly so great a menace, as the 

 destruction by fire that is going on from time to time. A decade or so will 

 quite largely repair the damage done by an ordinary cutting, while scores of 

 years must pass before land, once burned over, can again be of any practical 

 value for timber hence, while wise laws should govern lumber operations^ 

 very stringent measures should be taken to protect from fire. 



Forest fires originate in various ways from locomotives on railways, 

 from carelessness in clearing up land, in operating portable mills, from lack 

 of care in properly extinguishing camp fires and fires for cooking purposes, 

 from thoughtlessly dropping burning matches, cigar stumps, and ashes from 



pipes, from discharging fire-arms, and sometimes by the fire fiend. 







Though hard to find a panacea for the complete cure of all these cases, 

 yet something can be done along each line. Much has already been done by 

 good, practical legislation, though perhaps more remains yet to be done. 



Agitation, legislation, education are the great threefold bulwarks that 

 must be raised in protection of our forests. Agitation will always lead to 

 legislation and, this, supplemented by proper education, is bound to have 

 effect. 



In all reforms, when the people are educated, to a wholesome apprecia- 

 tion of the law, rather than a dread of its penalties, then the battle is largely 

 won. The great questions of forest valuation and preservation should be 

 brought prominently before the minds of the rising generation during their 

 school days. While I do not believe in the multiplicity of text books, yet, I 

 am fully convinced that a small treatise embodying the location, extent and 

 estimated value of our forests, their usefulness, the necessity for their preser- 

 vation, a summary of the law relating to their protection and other such in- 

 formation, placed in the hands of our boys and girls, who so very soon will 

 be men and women, would be a great step in advance in our educational 

 Bystem 



