134 Conservation Reader 



and those areas from which it has been stripped will be 

 replanted. 



In the White Mountains of New Hampshire, with Mt. 

 Washington as the center, is a remnant of a once beautiful 

 forest, which has been acquired by the government. This 

 is know;n as the White Mountain Forest. It will be en- 

 larged as the years pass and carefully guarded. It will 

 serve for aU time as a beautiful pleasure and camping 

 ground. 



It is not the government's plan that the National Forests 

 shall remain unused, but they are to be used wisely, so as 

 to be of the greatest permanent good to the greatest num- 

 ber of people. The men who have been placed in charge 

 of these lands are called "forest rangers," and their duties 

 are of many kinds. 



The rangers supervise the sale and cutting of the mature 

 or ripe trees as they are needed for limiber, mining timbers, 

 or posts. They see that the waste parts of the cut trees 

 are piled so as to lessen the danger from chance fires. 



During the long summers the forests become as dry as 

 tinder and the loss from fire amoimts to millions of dollars 

 every year. It is the chief duty of the rangers at this time 

 to patrol the roads and trails leading through the forests 

 and keep a sharp lookout for fires. 



Stations have been established upon high points from 

 which there is a view over a wide extent of country. In 

 each of these stations there is a man constantly on watch 

 for columns of smoke which indicate the beginning of a 

 forest fire. When smoke is seen a message is telephoned 

 to the ranger station nearest the fire, and from this station 

 men are sent as quickly as possible with the object of putting 



