﻿WHITE PINE UNDER FOREST MANAGEMENT. 61 



of roads and trails is exceedingly useful and in many cases es- 

 sential, since they serve as fire lines and at the same time afford 

 easy access to any part of the area. A road only 6 feet wide, from 

 which all litter and vegetation have been removed, can be made an 

 effective barrier against a severe ground fire, while a single furrow 

 of earth or a cleared trail will often check a surface or grass fire. 

 Where the risk of fire is very great, as in extensive pine forests, or 

 where valuable property is to be protected, special fire lines may have 

 to be constructed. The most effective kind is a fully cleared strip, 

 from which trees, underbrush, and all debris and litter have been 

 removed down to the mineral soil. Ordinarily a width of from 6 to 

 1 5 feet is sufficient, though sometimes a greater width may be neces- 

 sary. The cost of constructing a fire line for second-growth wood- 

 lands ranges from $30 to $50 a mile. 



Existing roads and trails can, of course, serve as fire lines. To be 

 really effective, however, they must be cleared of all underbrush and 

 debris. In addition, fire fines should be established at strategic points, 

 such as boundary lines and along hill crests. Especially dangerous 

 points, such as along a railroad or where old slashings are next to 

 young reproduction of valuable timber, should also be protected by 

 special fire lines. In the Northeastern States, where the woodlands 

 are in small blocks broken by many roads and trails and numerous 

 houses, the presence of a forest fire is soon detected. The farmer can 

 act as his own guard, and by proper care in clearing out his roads 

 and disposing of his brush make his woodlot comparatively safe. 



For observing wide stretches of uninhabited woodland, forest-fire 

 lookout stations on elevated points have been established in several 

 of the States with good results. The watchman in charge is provided 

 with a map of the surrounding country, a telescope to detect a fire, 

 and a range finder to locate its position. As soon as a fire is observed 

 he telephones for aid. During the dry season, from April 1 to Octo- 

 ber 1, a patrol system is very essential for the protection of wide 

 stretches of sparsely settled country. 



An effective fire-fighting outfit should include shovels, rakes, grub 

 hoes, axes, ropes, and collapsible pails. The implements should be 

 kept in a convenient place ready for immediate use. 



The various methods of fighting fires have been developed accord- 

 ing to the needs of a particular locality. For checking ground fires 

 which smoulder and burn stubbornly where there are large accumu- 

 lations of duff, the digging of trenches with shovels or grub hoes has 

 been found very effective. In sandy land, free from rocks, sand may 

 be used effectively in extinguishing fire. Loose loam is also good for 

 the purpose, though not as effective as sand, but heavy soil that 

 forms clods is of little value. Some surface fires in dry leaf fitter or 

 in short grass among scattered tree growth may be beaten out with 



