14 
four and one half months yearly, the protection charge including 
only the time actually spent in fire prevention or suppression work. 
This force is, however, strongly supplemented by volunteer forest 
wardens — responsible local residents with whom arrangements are 
made in advance for taking initial action in fire detection and sup- 
pression. These men, paid only when actually engaged in suppres- 
sion work, are a very important factor in protection — in fact, many of 
them can be relied upon to take satisfactory action as promptly as 
regular forest officers. 
Protective improvements are also necessary, including telephone 
lines, lookout towers, trails, and roads. The expenditure necessary 
for such items varies greatly throughout the region. They are in 
nearly every case provided by the Federal Government and are not 
included in the cost figures given. In addition, living quarters for 
the personnel are essential; also pastures to take care of stock used 
in protection work. 
Equipment, such as instruments for lookouts, tools for fire fighting, 
etc., is also made available by the Government for use of the men, and 
in special cases light trucks are used to expedite transportation. 
A small sum of money is spent each year in publicity and educa- 
tional work, for prevention is the surest means of reducing fire dan- 
ger, and a feeling of public responsibility does much to secure co- 
operation in actual suppression. 
REPRODUCTION 
LODGEPOLE PINE TYPE 
Lodgepole pine is an excellent seed producer. Trees begin to bear 
cones when they reach an age of about 15 years, and they produce at 
least a fair crop of seed each year. Part of the cones are so per- 
sistent, remaining unopened on the trees for years after they ripen, 
that delayed seed germination may reasonably be counted on in all 
stands where the trees have reached cone-bearing size. Furthermore, 
the cone scales are so thick that the seeds are not readily injured by 
fire. Accordingly, with all these favorable circumstances and the 
fact that the mineral soil exposed on burned-over areas makes the 
best sort of seed bed, plentiful reproduction may nearly always be 
counted on to follow the burning over of lodgepole pine forests. 
(PL 3, B.) Mason's (10) examination of 181 sample plots on burned 
and unburned areas in Montana and Wyoming showed that approxi- 
mately 70 per cent of the reproduction comes in within five years. 
If, however, fires occur before trees have reached cone-bearing size, 
and the burn is so extensive that reseeding can not take place from 
the side, the land remains treeless for an indefinite period. This 
emphasizes the importance of protecting reproduction and sapling 
stands. 
Logging on private lands, varying from practically a clear cutting 
to only a fairly heavy partial cutting, has uniformly resulted in satis- 
factory reproduction, provided repeated fires have not occurred. 
Reference to some of these old cuttings is of interest in this connec- 
tion, since the results are representative of those obtaining throughout 
the type. 
