141 SURVEYS OF FOREST RESERVES. 



informed', for exauiple, that the burn on the upper west slope of the 

 San tiam-Prine villa road occurred earlier than thirty years ago. This 

 burn is now grown up to snow brush {Ceanotlms velutinus) and other 

 shrubs, and no evidences of reforestation are in sight. Some portions 

 of the great burn on the south slope of Mount Hood, I was informed, 

 are more than forty years old, and at present they bear only scattered 

 saplings. It is clear that in many sucli areas, where the conditions 

 are naturally unfavorable to the growth of trees, reforestation must be 

 extremely slow, and a hundred years is not too low an estimate for the 

 period that must elapse before a young forest covering of even moderate 

 density will return. 



MEANS OF LESSENING FIRKS. 



Before leaving this subject I wish to make certain suggestions, which 

 from my experience I believe will prove useful, in addition to the more 

 special provisions outlined below, iu reducing the number of forest fires. 

 Have printed upon cloth, and with suitable catch words for headings, 

 in conspicuous type, notices of the forest- fire laws, and their penalties, 

 pointing out especially that not merely is the setting of forest fires 

 punishable by fine and imprisonment, but that leaving a camp fire with- 

 out extinguishing it is also punishable in the same manner. These 

 notices should be posted at frequent intervals along all the roads that 

 enter or cross the reserve, and at as many camping places as possible. 

 The number of fire notices now in the Cascade Forest Reserve is 

 altogether too small, and some of them, being printed on paper and in 

 an inconsxjipuous manner, are easily overlooked or destroyed by the 

 elements. There should be twenty notices where there is now but one 

 Scores of postmasters and other Government employees or persons 

 interested in the preservation of the forests would take pleasure in 

 posting these notices at suitable places. 



One or a few convictions under the general forest-fire law of the United 

 States would prove of the highest importance as a warning and a check 

 to carelessness. The malicious fire setter usually so covers up his tracks 

 that it is difficult to secure evidence sufficient to convict, but a convic- 

 tion for the minor offense of leaving a camp fire without extinguishing 

 it would be extremely easy. Our own party, had that been our busi- 

 ness, could readily have secured in several cases evidence sufficient to 

 convict of this offense. 



FIRE LAWS. 



In order to call more directly to the attention of those who shall receive 

 this report the seriousness of the offense of setting forest fires the text 

 of the Oregon fire law and the Federal forest-fire law is cited in full. 



AN ACT To protect timljer and other property from fire. 



Be it enacted by the legislative assemhly of the State of Oregon : 



Section 1. If any person shall mnliciously, with intent to injure any other person, 

 by himself or any other person, kindle a fire on his own land or the land of any other 

 person, and by means of such fire the buildings, fences, crops, or other personal prop- 

 erty, or wooded timber lands of any other person shall be destroyed or injured, he 

 shall, on conviction, be punished by a fine not less than twenty dollars nor more than 

 one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail not less than three 

 months nor more than twelve^ mouths, according to the aggravation of the offense. 



Sec. 2. If :iny person shall without malice kindle any fire in any field, pasture, 

 enclosure, forest, prairie, or timber land not his own, without the consent of the 

 owner, and the same shall spread and do damage to any building, fences, crops, 

 cord wood, bark, or other personal property not his own, or to any wood or timber 

 land not his own, he shall on conviction be punished by a fine of not less than ten 



