paying their proportionate share of the total cost each 

 year. The privately owned forest lands lying east of the 

 Continental Divide never received organized forest fire 

 protection, except that provided by the Federal agencies. 



By 1 Q !?9, when markets for smaller timber expanded 

 and small -timber harvesting and manufacturing methods 

 were developed, the "non-commercial" forests east of 

 the Continental Divide became "commercial". As such 

 they deserved more intensive fire protection. The 

 Legislature, through a series of actions, amended the 

 forest fire protection laws, taking away the powers of 

 the Board of Forestry to create forest fire protection 

 districts, and provided for the formation of forest fire 

 protection districts dependent upon the affirmative 

 vote of at least 51 percent of the landowners who own 

 51 percent or more of the forest land within the boundaries 

 of the proposed district. 



The State law makes the private landowner responsible 

 for furnishing protection against the starting or the 

 existence of a fire and to suppress the spread of fire on 

 his own lands during the full period of each forest fire 

 season. The State Forester has the basic responsibility 

 to provide protection to the State-owned forest lands. The 



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