Forest Fires in 1&9&. 



By WILLIAM F. FOX, Supt. State Forests. 



I 



N the care and management of wood- 

 lands one of the most important 

 duties devolving on the foresters is 

 the prevention or extinguishing of wood- 

 land fires. The skillfully made working 

 plans, the harvesting of the product, the 

 reforesting of burned areas, the technical 

 work of sylviculture — all count as nothing 

 if fire sweeps over the ground. 



In a primeval, unoccupied forest, con- 

 trolled and managed under one sole 

 ownership, little danger is to be appre- 

 hended from this source. But where 

 holdings are scattered, interspersed with 

 tracts belonging to various owners, 

 bounded here and there with agricultural 

 lands, crossed by railroads or highways, 

 strewn with the dry brush, dead tops, and 

 other debris of lumbering operations, and 

 traversed by careless parties of tourists, 

 campers, fishermen and hunters — fires are very apt to ensue. Despite these unfavor- 

 able conditions, which exist almost everywhere throughout the Adirondack and 

 Catskill forests, much has been accomplished in preventing the widespread fires which 

 in former years were allowed to run unchecked and unattended to in our woodland 

 districts. 



Good results have been attained through the appointment of a firewarden in each 

 forest town, and the thousands of warning notices, posted annually throughout the 

 woods and neighboring settlements, which have done much to educate the people in a 

 more careful use of fire and to awaken the attention of the thoughtless or indifferent. 

 Under the present law relating to forest fires the Commission is empowered to 

 appoint a firewarden in each town within the sixteen counties containing the lands of 

 the Forest Preserve. Many of our woodland towns are very large, having an area 



greater than that of some of our counties. Hence, the firewarden is authorized by 



328 



IN THE SPRING. 



