Conservation Commission 155 



have acted as a restraint. It is evident that prevention of fires 

 from this source can only be effected by the establishment and 

 enforcement of rigid rules or laws by the State itself. Fires 

 should not be set for these purposes at any time of the year except 

 under permit from a forest officer of the State. It is not sufficient 

 to restrict the burning to certain seasons, for the uncertain char- 

 acter of the weather makes it impossible to fix by dates any season 

 within which burning may or may not be safely done. 



Disposal of Slash 



The question of the most practicable method of eliminating the 

 fire hazard caused by the large amount of inflammable material 

 left on the ground after lumbering operations has, within recent 

 years, received the careful attention of foresters, lumbermen, and 

 owners of timberland the country over. That there is a great 

 danger from this source will be admitted by all. If the mass of 

 debris were removed, the greater part of the danger would be re- 

 moved with it; but under most circumstances the cost of such an 

 operation would be prohibitive. The problem resolves itself into 

 the following factors: The importance of the fire risk, depend- 

 ing upon the location of the cut-over area, the amount of brush left 

 on the ground, the character of the timber which remains stand- 

 ing, the condition of the forest floor, as regards the quantity of 

 duff or humus in which fire would spread, and last, but by no 

 means least, the cost of the various methods of disposing of the 

 slash. The methods best suited to the conditions must be deter- 

 mined by balancing the fire risk and the cost of protective 

 measures. 



In the more open coniferous forests of the West, experience has 

 shown that it is practicable to cut off all lateral branches from the 

 trunk of the tree when it is felled and collect these branches in 

 small piles. Then, when weather conditions are favorable, such 

 as after the first fall of snow in the winter, these piles may be 

 burned. The cost of piling and burning under ordinary condi- 

 tions ranges from ten to fifty cents per thousand board feet of 

 timber cut. When weather conditions are favorable the burning 

 may be carried on while lumbering operations are in progress. 



