FOREST FIRES 13 



Surface fires may often be beaten out with a brush or 

 sapling top. In some cases they can be stopped by raking 

 back the burning material with a rake or fork. In loose, 

 sandy soils they may be stopped by shovelling earth on the 

 burning material. This method is employed extensively in 

 Plymouth county. As in the case of crown fires, back firing 

 may be resorted to in extreme cases of surface fires, but 

 should be avoided if possible. 



Portable chemical extinguishers are used to some extent in 

 fighting forest fires. The weight of the extinguisher and the 

 necessity of repeated charging with soda, acid, and water, 

 have militated against their general employment. 



No matter what method of fire fighting may be employed, 

 promptness and watchfulness are essential. Many of the 

 worst fires could be easily put out if taken in hand before 

 they gain headway; and many will break out again if the 

 place is not carefully watched for a day or two or until rain 

 falls. 



PREVENTION 



In fire fighting, as in combating disease, an ounce of pre- 

 vention is worth a pound of cure. The best way to put out 

 a fire is not to let it occur. 



The owner of woodlands can do much to prevent fires by 

 running fire lines around or through the most exposed por- 

 tions of his woods. These are simply strips from ten to 

 thirty feet wide, from which the brush, deadwood and leaves 

 have been removed. They are cheaply and easily made by 

 raking clear a path along the margins of the line and burning 

 the line over at a time when there is no danger of the fire 

 getting away. For example, a line only ten feet wide along 

 the edge of a woodlot that borders on a public road greatly 

 lessens the danger from a fire that might result from the 

 careless dropping of a match or cigar stump from a passing 

 vehicle. Such lines can be prepared for less than ten dollars 

 a mile; and they can be kept in order by burning over once 

 or twice a year at a much smaller cost. 



Notices requesting travelers and workmen to be careful in 

 the use of fire for camping and other purposes, have been 



