GOVERNMENT FOREST WORK. 25 



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 

 reaching remote areas across miles of wilderness, 

 the dry air and light rainfall in parts of the West, 

 the prevalence 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. 



A small fire may spread into a conflagration, and 

 fires, matches, and burning tobacco should be used as 

 carefully in the forest as they are in the home. Care- 

 lessness in this respect may mean the loss of lives, 

 homes, stock, and forage, and of a vast amount of 

 timber which belongs equally to all citizens. 



Fires may start in a region remote from supplies 

 and water and reach vast proportions before a party 

 of fire fighters can get to the scene, no matter how 

 promptly the start is made. By far the best plan, 

 therefore, is to prevent fires rather than to depend 

 upon fighting them once they start. This subject has 

 been given the most earnest attention by the Forest 

 Service. During the danger season the main attention 

 of supervisors and rangers is devoted to preventing 

 fire. Extra men are employed, the Forests are sys- 

 tematically patrolled, and a careful lookout is main- 

 tained from high points. Roads and trails are being 

 built so that all parts of the Forests may be quickly 



