21 



Protection of Forests from Fire 



The Two Methods Used in California 



There are two policies of fire protection as ap- 

 plied to the forests of California. On one hand ia 

 the protection as afforded lay Light Burning. This Is 

 the name given to the practice of setting fires within 

 the forest at a season of the year when there is little 

 or no danger of their getting out of control, the ob- 

 ject being to consume the inflammable debris upon the 

 surface of the ground, and in this manner do away with 

 danger from fires for some time to come. The other 

 method of fire protection and the one most commonly em- 

 ployed within the stifete, is that of preventing and sup- 

 pressing fires within the forest. Under this system, 

 no fires are permitted to run through the forests, pro- 

 vided of course, that they are detected and extinguished 

 in their Inclplency. 



Protection through Light Burning; 



Of these two mehtods of fire protection, the first 

 to be discussed will be the protection afforded by 

 Light Burning as seen from the Light Burners side of 

 the quwstlon. The Light Burning advocates maintain 

 that the entire forest floor should be burned over at 

 frequent intervals by light controlled surface fires. 



