140 Third Annual Report of the 



Clearing Land 



.Clearing land lias always been a prolific source of forest fires. 

 A number of years ago*, when fires were set indiscriminately for 

 this purpose within the forest regions, large areas of timberland 

 were burned over every year by careless persons who did not take 

 proper precautions to prevent the escape of their fires to the sur- 

 rounding forest. Fires to clear land are usually spoken of as fal- 

 low fires or " burning fallow." It is the custom to do a large 

 amount of this burning in the spring and fall, and too much cannot 

 be said of the need for caution in looking after such fires. The 

 present Conservation Law provides that fires for this purpose in 

 the forest " fire towns " may be set only under permit secured 

 from representatives of the Conservation Commission. The forest 

 rangers of the Commission are given to understand that they will 

 be held responsible for any damage which may be done by fires set 

 under permit granted by them. In this way a high degree of pro- 

 tection from serious fires from this cause has been secured. 



Outside of the Adirondack and Catskill regions, the Conserva- 

 tion Commission does not have jurisdiction over the setting of 

 fires for clearing land. In most cases, if a farmer suffers his fal- 

 low fire to escape through carelessness, it is his own woodland 

 which will be damaged. For this reason it is only common sense 

 that he should use the greatest care to prevent any accident. Close 

 observance of the following rules would prevent damage from fires 

 of this class. 



1. See that the area to be burned is separated from your wood- 

 land by a fire line. (There may be a road or other natural bar- 

 rier, which will save the labor of constructing a special fire line.) 



2. Do not set the fire unless you have sufficient help present to 

 control it. 



3. Do not set fires during dry weather or during heavy winds, 

 or at any time when conditions make the fire situation dangerous. 



4. Avoid burning over large areas at a time, in order that you 

 may at all times have the fire under full control. 



5. Do not burn brush so close to standing timber that the trees 

 might be injured by the heat of the fire. 



6. Do not leave the fire until you are absolutely sure that it has 

 been entirely extinguished. 



