Part II 

 Forest Fires and the Brush Disposal Problem 



The slash menace constitutes the greatest single problem in con- 

 nection with forest fire protection. 



Lumbering Slash. — The large areas of inflammable material fol- 

 lowing old-style lumbering operations are almost certain to catch fire 

 sooner or later. As a matter of fact, most of the serious fires have 

 started in slashings. Control of such fires in dry seasons is almost im- 

 possible, and the loss of life and property has been enormous. 



In addition to the destruction of merchantable timber on adjacent 

 lands, the second crop on the cut-over lands is, in case of a forest of 

 mixed age-classes, retarded by fire for at least 50 to 100 years, through 

 the destruction of the yotmg growth under merchantable size. This of 

 course does not apply to a forest where the trees are practically aU of 

 merchantable size, especially where fire, following cutting, facilitates 

 reproduction, as is true of Douglas fir on the Pacific Coast and of 

 western white pine in the interior. 



In many cases, the soil is so injured by fire and resulting erosion, 

 that it is rendered incapable ef producing merchantable timber for 

 generations and possibly htmdreds of years. Very frequently the com- 

 position of the forest is changed as a result of fire on either virgin or 

 cut-over lands. Everyone is familiar with the growth of aspen, birch 

 or jack-pine, which frequently follows fire on cut-over lands in Eastern 

 Canada. The rapid extension of Itunbering operations into new sec- 

 tions constantly increases the extent of territory subject to this class 

 of fire menace. 



Settlers' Slash. — ^The slash resulting from clearing operations of 

 settlers is a source of fire danger which ranks closely with the lumbering 

 slash. In one sense, the danger from this source is greater, since the 

 settler's slash must be burned, and there is naturally a strong tendency 

 to perform this operation at a season when a clean bum can be secured. 

 As a result there is a great danger of fire escaping and getting either into 

 virgin forest or into adjacent lumbering slash, frequently causing great 

 loss of property and even of life. Considerable progress has, however, 

 been made, through legislation, in the regulation of settlers' slash- 

 burning operations. The principal point to which further attention 

 in this connection is most urgently needed is the employment through 

 the stunmer season of a sufficiently large force of efficient rangers to 

 ensure strict compliance with the laws. 



