Conservation Commission 143 



exercise great care to see that they do not set fires by ashes from 

 pipes, cigars or cigarettes which they may be smoking while in 

 the woods. 



Lightning 



Lightning is responsible for a large number of fires every year 

 During the year 1911, especially, fires caused by this agency 

 were very numerous. Sixty-five were reported in the Forest 

 Preserve during that year. An article on " The Relation of 

 Lightning to Forest Fires " has recently been published by the 

 United States Forest Service. The purpose of the studies made 

 as a basis for this bulletin was to discover what relation, if any, 

 there was between tree species and liability to damage from 

 lightning. The result of the investigations conducted by the 

 writer of this bulletin seems to be, that the predominating species 

 within a given forest region is the one which will suffer most 

 from lightning. In this State, the pines and hemlocks are more 

 often struck by lightning than other species. 



There is no way of preventing fires from this source. Fires 

 started by lightning frequently originate on mountain peaks and 

 ridges in inaccessible localities. Although we cannot prevent 

 these fires, the system of mountain observation stations, which 

 has been established by the State, is of invaluable service in dis- 

 covering them after they have started. 



Incendiarism 



There are, in every community, certain persons of low moral 

 character, who, out of pure maliciousness or with an idea of 

 of avenging fancied wrongs, are ready to set fire to forest or wood- 

 land, in order to cause a loss to the owner of the property. These 

 persons fail to see that as members of a community which derives 

 its living from the forests, they themselves are bound to suffer from 

 the destruction of the forests. Fortunately, there are but few of 

 these persons in any community, and the fires which are set by 

 them seldom do a large amount of damage. 



Incendiarism is one of the causes of fire which is extremely hard 

 to combat, but a vigilant patrol and ceaseless watchfulness on the 

 part of mountain station observers tends to minimize the damage 

 which can be done bv this class of fires. 



