4 LEAFLET 4 0, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Every educational facility available should be brought into play. 

 The motion picture and illustrated lecture should be used to bring 

 to every southern schoolhouse, churchhouse, or other meetinghouse 

 a forest-protection message for old and young. The press, the bill- 

 board, the poster, the community fairs, and expositions should all 

 play their part. 



Fire clanger should be reduced by clearing highways and rights-of- 

 way, making sawmills and other forest operations safer, and ade- 

 quately safeguarding brush fires. 



Those who cannot be persuaded by education must be reached by 

 other means. Laws honestly, fearlessly, and fairly enforced must 

 be called to the public aid. 



Preparedness 



Systematic preparation to cope with woods fires begins where 

 prevention stops. Even with the unlawful woods burner restrained 

 and carelessness hedged about with every possible precaution, we 

 shall still — while men are human — have some fires in our southern 

 woods. We must, therefore, have for every protective unit — 



(1) A system of detection which will accurately locate every fire that occurs, 

 within the fewest possible minutes after the first appearance of smoke. 



(2) A means of communication by which the message that fire has broken 

 out at a given place may be brought quickly to the nearest warden, ranger, 

 or other person whose duty it is to attend to it. 



(3) Tools, supplies, and equipment of the right kinds, in adequate quantities 

 kept in the right places. 



(4) Organized manpower and means of transportation which will insure 

 that the fire reported can be hit quickly and hard before it gains headway. 



Fire Suppression 



The last step in fire-protection effort is actual fire suppression. 

 Its aim is to extinguish the fire completely, with the least possible 

 damage, in the shortest time. This requires energy, thoroughness, 

 and organizing ability on the part of leaders in fire control. Pro- 

 viding effective fire suppression is a task which requires the best 

 thought and cooperative effort of both landowners and the general 

 public. 



The 11 Southern States are all actively engaged in the protection 

 of private and State-owned forests from fire in cooperation with the 

 Federal Government under the terms of the Clarke-McNary law. 

 It is believed that in the solution of the fire problem vigorous 

 support of this cooperative effort offers the best promise of success. 

 The forest area protected by these States in 1935 was 61,569,645 

 acres, while the area classed as "needing protection but receiving 

 none" was 137,678,500 acres. 



By working unitedly on such a cooperative program of fire protec- 

 tion for the South, including prevention, preparedness, and sup- 

 pression, public and private agencies and landowners, backed by 

 the popular will, can make and keep the forests of the South 

 productive. 



U. 5. GOVf RNMENf PRINTING OFFICE: I93G 



For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. Washington, D. C. Price 5 cents 



