20 BULLETIN 1402, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE 
majority of accidental slash iires start the year of logging or the 
year after. 
PREVENTION OF FIRES 
The problem of successful protection of cut-over lands is to pre- 
vent fires from starting, or if they do start, to have the special-risk 
areas in such condition that fires can be quickly controlled, and to 
have ready the specific organization to control them. 
Fires may be prevented from starting by either one of two 
methods: (1) By using such fuels and mechanical devices as will 
insure that sparks do not reach the ground; (2) By so clearing the 
ground where sparks will fall as to leave insufficient inflammable 
material to carry fire. 
Several practical and workable methods for preventing fires are 
in use on the national forests and to a lesser extent on private cut- 
tings. These are: 
The use of oil instead of wood-hurning railroad engines, — Oil- 
burners sometimes set fires, but very much less frequently than wood- 
burners. 
The clearance of stmps along operating railroads. — The exact 
technique may vary, but in general strips averaging 100 feet each 
side of the right of way are cleared, either by broadcast burning 
from fire lines at the outer edges of the strip or by piling and burn- 
ing slash. Sparks falling on such ground seldom set fires, because 
of lack of material. This method has be^ used with conspicuous 
success by one large company in the southern Sierras. 
Clearing around donkey settings in advance of yarding. — This 
ordinarily involves using a small crew continuously, to put a fire 
line around the area, and broadcast bum toward the center. This 
method has been used successfully by several companies and has 
practically eliminated serious fires starting from donkey engines. 
The use of spark arresters loith wood-hurning engines. — There 
is no thoroughly satisfactory arrester in use, but even the ones now 
available are an important factor in preventing fires. Inspection of 
the engines on logging operations shows great laxness in the use of 
arresters. 
Care in the use of fire in the woods hy employees. — Fires caused 
by logging employees can be absolutely stopped if camp bosses and 
woods foremen really want to stop them. Some companies now 
refuse to sell ready-made cigarettes to employees because of the 
danger that fires may be set by them. Prohibition of smoking by 
employees, except at camps and designated safe places, has already 
been successfully used as a fire prevention measure. 
Control of use of lands hy campers., hunters., and fisherinen. — Fires 
caused by campers, hunters, and fishermen are by no means uncom- 
mon, though generally of less consequence than fires from logging. 
The application of a camp-fire permit system to private as well as 
national forest lands would aid greatly in reducing fire losses of 
young growth. 
PROMPT SUPPRESSION OF FIRES 
So much for prevention measures. In attempting to define meth- 
ods of fire suppression, or of preventing the spread of fires already 
started, it is safe to go on the basis of what actually has been and 
