22 Circular 211, Dept. of Agriculture 



by the Bureau of Public Roads. The numerous roa^ 

 improvement and repair projects required primarily 

 for administrative and protective needs on the na- 

 tional forests, together with trail building and main- 

 tenance, are handled directly by the Forest Service 

 and coordinated with fire control as far as possible so 

 that construction crews may be available in remot^ 

 areas of great fire hazard as part of the fire-suppression 

 organization. Twenty-five per cent of all receipts 

 from national forests are given to the counties in which 

 they lie, to be used for schools and roads. Under one 

 of the acts of Congress 10 per cent is expended by the 

 Secretary of Agriculture upon roads and trails con- 

 structed primarily for the benefit of settlers within the 

 forests. 



For the complete and economical use of the forage 

 on the forests it is sometimes necessary to develop 

 water or to construct drift fences, bridges, trails, or 

 other works. The Forest Service allots funds for 

 their construction only when the benefit to the forest 

 plainly warrants the expenditure. The use of funds 

 for these purposes can often be made more effective 

 if the assistance and cooperation of interested stock- . 

 men can be secured. Requests for cooperation should 

 be addressed to the nearest forest officer. 



PROTECTION OF THE NATIONAL FORESTS 



FIRE DANGER 



Fire is an ever-present danger on the national 

 forests. The great size of the forests compared with 

 the size of the patrolling force, the difficulty of reach- 

 ing remote areas across miles of wilderness, the dry 

 air and light rainfall in parts of the West, the preva- 

 lence of lightning in the mountains, and the constant ^ 

 use of fire in the daily life of the people and in the"* 

 industries all combine to make the hazard exceptional. 



Among the chief causes of fire are lightning, campers, 

 railroads, slash burning, incendiarism, and steam 

 sawmills. 





