The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-07-20
FOREST FIRES.
The National Government to Cooperate
with Maine in Protecting the Forests.

operative agreement which has been en-
tered into between the U. S. Department
of Agriculture and the State of Maine
provides for an expenditure by the gov
ernm ent of not to exceed $40, 900 during
next year towards meeting the expenses
of forest fire protection in Maine. The
cooperative agreement is made possible
by the terms of the Weeks law, which
Congress passed last winter.
This law, besides providing for the
purchase by the National Government of
lands on the headwaters of navigable
rivers for the purpose of creating Ma
tional Forests to protect these rivers,
carried also an appropriation of 5000, 900
which the Secretary of Agriculture
might expend in order to protect from
fire, in CO % peration with the States,
similar lands in State or private owner
ship. 1t was provided in the law that
expenditures by the Federal Government
in any State should not exceed the amount
spent by the State itself in the co-opera-
tive work. Other States which have
signed similar cooperative agreements
with the government are New Hamp-
shire, Vermont, New Jersey and Wis
consin.
The Secretary of Agriculture concluded
that the most effective way to use the
money available would be by requiring,
as preliminary to entering into an agree
ment with any State for cooperative fire
protection, that the State authorities
should submit definite plan showing in
detail exactly what it was proposed to
do. With these plans were required
maps showing areas to which protection
would be given. All plans submitted are
carefully examined by the Department
of Agriculture. to see both that the area
tc be protected is actually forested land
OF the headwaters of navigable streams
and that the plan of protection proposed
is well conceived and thoroughly practi-
cal, with an organized and effective sys-
TEN Of administration by capable State
officers. 1t was decided for the present
year that the amount spent in any one
State by the National Government should
be limited to $4,000.
The funds of the Federal Government
will be used solely for paying patrolmen.
The State officials select these patrol
men, subject to the approval Of the De-
partment Of Agriculture. The maps sub
mltted to the Federal Government show
where each Of these patrolmen will be
located, the approximate routes of pa
troll, and all matters necessary to clear
control, including the location of look
out points, telephone communications,
railroad patrols, location of State forest
fire wardens and other officials, and the
like
In short, the basic idea is that efficient
fire protection can be given only by the
development of a carefully worked out,
well manned, and capably differed
scheme. which studies the situation be-
forehand and makes provision for the
most effective disposal and use of the
available forces, with a view both to
preventing fires from getting started
and concentrating upon them quickly if
they do get started. In the National
Forests of the West, where the fires
must often be fought at long distance
from q base of supplies, a further con-
sideration, often of great Importance, is
how tc provision the forces which are on
the fire line, perhaps for days at time.
To provide for this every forest officer is
expected to know beforehand from what
stores. construction or lumber camps and
ranches he can obtain food, tools, pack
horses and men, and in what quantities
In fact, the training of the forest officers
includes sort Of fire game, which con-
sists in suddenly locating an imaginary
fire on the map of National Forest and
calling on a ranger to tell otfband how
and from where he would gather help,
how he would organize and conduct his
defence, and whence he would obtain
supplies and means of transportation.
Although conditions in the East seldom
present such serious difficulties, they are
regarded as calling equally for intelli-
gent planning and the development of
trained force.
Under the terms of the cooperative
agreements, the Secretary of Agricul
ture may terminate the cooperation at
any time that he finds it not to be con-
Quoted in a satisfactory manner. In this
way the responsibility for organizing and
maintaining the work is placed upon the
State which, however, must keep its
system up to a good standard of effici-
ency in order to have the cooperation
with TIE Federal Government continued.
Forestry officials Of the Department of
agriculture will act as inspectors to keep
the department Informed as to how the
States are handling the work 1t is be-
lieved that under this system a great an
vance will be made in the development
of good State systems of fire protection.
In addition to the States with which