15 
Such protection is not afforded by paper legislation with threats of 
penalties, but only by the active exercise of the police functions of the 
State, by organizing the forces in the field for prompt action in pre- 
venting and stopping the spread of fires. Again, such organization 
can not be expected to be effective or to persist unless there is a head 
to it, whose duty it is to keep the organization in active order. 
Legislation against willful, malicious, and careless firing of the woods 
exists in Wisconsin. There is even an organization of a fire police 
attempted by the appointment of unpaid fire wardens, and two officers 
of the government, the chief clerk of the State land office and his dep- 
uty, are made, respectively, State forest warden and deputy forest 
warden, to look after the execution of the law. 
As stated in the report, these officers have done what, with their 
other duties, they could be expected to do, and the mere placarding of 
the law has served as a wholesome educational measure in awakening 
the people to the gravity of the losses by fire and in inculeating greater 
care. <A special officer, however, would be able to do more, and by the 
continuous attention to this duty secure comparative immunity from 
the worst scourge of this country—the forest fire. It may as well be 
understood first as last that until safety of forest property is secured 
there will be little incentive to apply forestry principles to our wood- 
lands. Such application means expenditure and tying up of capital, 
and nobody, not even the State, can be expected to employ such capital 
in any enterprise so hazardous as forest growth under our present 
unsatisfactory conditions regarding its safety. When this most press- 
ing and palpable duty of the State is effectually provided for we may 
consider further measures. The first of these is again to be directed to 
the improvement in the fire laws. When the State has done its duty 
in organizing a fire police it can also control private action which 
creates unnecessary danger from fire. It can with propriety require of 
the lumbermen to dispose of their débris in such a manner as to avoid 
the excessive danger. This can be done. Itis entirely practicable, and 
does not entail as much expense as has been claimed. It is already 
done by some in order to protect their own property. This practice 
should be made obligatory on all, and it will prove cheaper to all con- 
cerned than if the present law were conscientiously executed, which 
provides for the payment of damages and imprisonment of any person 
allowing a forest fire to run, by means whereof the property of another 
is injured or endangered. 
CONTROL OF MANNER OF EXPLOITING FORESTS. 
The next step that suggests itself to prevent the further deterioration 
of the forest resource is to control the manner of exploiting the same, 
to prevent wasteful cutting, to enforce replanting and attention to 
reproduction. Such measures have been repeatedly urged by persons 
who were misinformed as to similar control exercised in European 
