THE TRAINING OF A FORESTER 



ous not only to the forest but to human life. 

 Thus in the summer of 1910, the driest ever 

 known in certain parts of the West, high 

 winds drove the forest fires clear beyond 

 the control of the fire fighters, many of 

 whom were compelled to fight for their own 

 lives. 



The worst of these fires were in Montana 

 and Idaho, where the whole power of the 

 Forest Service was used against them. The 

 Forest Rangers, under the orders of their 

 Supervisors, immediately organized or took 

 charge of small companies of fire fighters, 

 and began the work of getting them under 

 control. But so fierce was the wind and so 

 terrible the heat of the fires and the speed 

 with which they moved, that in many places 

 it became a question of saving the lives of 

 the fire fighters rather than of putting out 

 the fires. As a matter of fact, nearly a 



hundred of the men temporarily employed to 

 34 



