88 Our Field and Forest Trees 



fires once started ran wild through thick woods 

 where there were no men to fight them, and were 

 so destructive that nearly three-quarters of the 

 forest covering the eastern Rockies is composed 

 of young trees. Engineers prospecting along the 

 line of the new Hudson Bay Railroad have found 

 that all the woods in that region are young. Most 

 of the burning was done before the railroads came. 

 The fires were started by settlers clearing land or 

 by campers, hunters, prospectors, and surveyors. 



And no doubt the clouds which had cherished 

 the forest helped to destroy it, for in close woods 

 some fires are started each year by lightning. 



In Canada the fire-ranging service, so arduous 

 and so important, is a department by itself. It 

 was organized in 1900, one year after Canada 

 appointed her first Inspector of Timber and For- 

 estry for the Dominion. 



The forest areas of the Dominion are divided 

 Into large districts, and each district is in charge of 

 a chief fire ranger. These rangers are under an 

 " Inspector of Fire Ranging," and under the ran- 

 gers are a number of men hired to patrol the 

 woods. 



The inspector, In addition to his other duties, 

 looks to the lines of railways, and determines 

 whether the regulations controlling them are being 

 obeyed or not. He must see that the rails are 

 bordered by cleared spaces free from bushes, trees, 

 dead branches, or long grass. He must make sure 



