FIPTH NATIONAL CONSERVATION CONGRESS 397 



The Minnesota law of 1911, creating a forestry department, and the fire 

 service, is undoubtedly the most complete legislative act of its kind operating in 

 any State. It provides an adequate organization and an appropriation of $75,000 

 to put the organization in operation. Though, without doubt, an increased appro- 

 priation will be necessary to ensure the highest efficiency in protection work, the 

 start is unusually good. 



Under the Minnesota law a State forester and assistant was appointed as the 

 central authority in the fire service. The timberland of the State was then di- 

 vided into fourteen districts, each district in charge of a ranger who superin- 

 tends all prevention work and directs the fighting of fires which may occur. 



Under the direction of these district rangers is a force of patrolmen, who, 

 during the less dangerous times, are kept busy constructing camps, lookout 

 towers and trails, and extending telephone lines. During 1912, 50 State, 25 

 Federal and 50 township patrolmen were employed. In addition to this force 

 250 patrolmen were maintained by the railroads of the State. Independent patrol 

 work is done by the mining and lumber companies of the State, their total ex- 

 penditures in 1912 being about $50,000. 



Minnesota has within the limits of its forest area 2,700 miles of railroad 

 upon which 475 engines are regularly operated. To minimize the risk from this 

 source the State department employs an inspector whose duty it is to investigate 

 the condition of the spark arresters and report such as are found defective. This 

 system of State inspection in connection with the speeder patrolmen maintained 

 by the railroads, has gone far toward lessening the number of fires started by 

 locomotives. 



Slash, left after lumbering, has been a difficult problem to deal with, and a 

 determined effort safely to dispose of it has been made in Minnesota. The law 

 of 1909 required that all slash resulting from cutting operations should be piled 

 and burned. This, because too inflexible, was not satisfactory and required the 

 same treatment for a variety of conditions. 



In 1911, this law was modified by an amendment, which left to the judgment 

 of the State forester the form of disposal to be used in each case. The methods 

 of slash disposal most often required of the operators are among the following : 

 Piling and burning, lopping of tops, clearing of fire lines around the slash. The 

 principal winter work of the State rangers is to examine each logging operation 

 in his district, to decide which form of slash disposal is best suited to the condi- 

 tions, and to enforce his directions as to its disposition. The expense to the lum- 

 ber companies for this work at present is about $300,000 annually; but this 

 cost will be materially reduced as the men in charge gain experience. 



Minnesota was apportioned $10,000 annually from the Weeks law fund for 

 the protection of the watersheds of navigable streams. 



The annual loss from fires in Minnesota for the last ten years is estimated at 

 $100,000. The losses figured by the State department for the year 1912 is as 

 follows : 



Number of fires 345 



Number of acres burned 18,927 



Damage $22,754 



