FOREST RESERVE MANUAL. 55 



sions, and unsatisfactory reports are sure to result in delay, 

 and lead, in many cases, to a refusal in what is really a meri- 

 torious case. The forest officer should ever remember that 

 the Department, generally, has no information in the prem- 

 ises save his report. 



5. PERMANENT IMPROVEMENTS. 



Under this head falls the work of timber survey, outlined 

 in connection with instructions in the matter of timber sales. 

 The laying out of every block is a permanent improvement, 

 useful as long as the landmarks and map are in existence. 



This kind of work is supposed to be carried on whenever 

 circumstances permit, as, for instance, during damp weather 

 in summer, when danger from fire is small; also, during fall, 

 winter, and spring, whenever other work is not too pressing. 

 In judging this it may be said generallj'^ that the importance 

 of the several kinds of work is as follows: 



(a) Protection against fire. 



(5) Protection against trespass. 



(c) Special orders. 



{d) Regular work in timber (sales and "free-use" cases). 



(e) Trail work, etc. 



(/■) Survey work. 



In many localities the work of timber survey is carried on 

 fully as well on snowshoes in winter as on dry ground in 

 summer, and forest officers will act accordinglJ^ 



The construction of trails, placing of signboards, and sim- 

 ilar work must necessarily depend on conditions which the 

 forest officers alone can know. 



In any case a ran4om blazing through the woods should be 

 avoided. If the trail is worth making it is usually worth 

 doing well, and should therefore be properly planned, laid 

 out, anc" then cut out and worked. The custom of leaving 

 trails " hidden," as it were, by avoiding to mark their terminal 

 points and by leaving off signboards is considered inadvisable. 

 Every improvement of this kind should be made with a view 

 to doing as much good as possible. 



The construction of shelters, cabins, etc. , should be done eco- 

 nomically, and should, like all work of this kind, be done only 

 with the approval of the supervisor. All work done should 

 be reported promptly and intelligently. 



