Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1911-09-15
PROTECTION OF FORESTS
AGAINST FIRE RAVAGES
o the Editor OF The Courier.

Sir: One of the burning questions
of this time is the protection Of our
timber from destructive fires.
The Indians raised the present
great forests and burned the country
over every year For fifty years the
placer miner has maintained success
full wooden fumes across brushy
gulches and around timbered noun
tain sides where much trash accumu-
lated every year; and he was not in
the habit of losing his flume by forest
fires; nor did he employ men to
watch them to prevent the setting
of fires near them.
The Indians resorted TO frequent
bprnings, not allowing enough in
flammable material to accumulate to
create sweeping fire that would de-
stroy everything in its pathway,
The miner depended on burning
around his fumes in the early spring
before the trash got dry enough to
make a fire that could not be con-
trolled; he burned the ridges ii nec-
essary before the gulches got dry
enough to burn, and, burned the
gulches later; if the ridges were
burned around the gulches, the lat
er fires could not get away.
Forest rangers could safely burn
sections of valuable timber early in
the spring or after first rains in the
fall and thus protect it, and could
| burn trails through the forests that
would confine the fires once they
got started.
The present idea of the govern
ment is to pile up the litter and at
tempt to prevent its getting on fire
whereupon they will prosecute the
hunter, the miner and the cigarette
fiend for setting fires and If neces-
sary get an injunction against light
ming, for you know. the forests OF
valuable timber must be protected
at all hazards.
Then when their tinder box, SC
scientifically prepared, is all ready
to touch off, with three or four years
accumulation of leaves and limbs
not to mention fallen timber, all sat
urated with pitch, the unexpected
happens and timber and all goes VI
in smoke in spite of any army Of
forest rangers who can't get near it.
But the government has prepared
for all this and will replant the
range with stock from its nurseries,
The writer believes that this nurs
cry stock later on will be simllarl.
burned by the trash from its owl
limbs.
a garden rake and rake around
1t is as easy for ranger to TAX
young tree already growing in tn
forest, sufficient to protect II agalns
any early spring, slow-traveling fir
as 1t is to plant tree In the sam
place, and the expense and trouble o
raising the tree in the nursery, trans
porting It etc, has been avoided an,
a far more rapid growth has been Sc
cured
The Indians and the miners can,
may include all the old pioneers)
are aghast at the failure Of the gov
ernment in its present policy OF pro
tecting its timber both young an,
old against the royages OF fire
Since the fires must come is It no
wise to have something to say abou
when and how they snail come?
Early fires and fires runnin
down hill travel slowly, and unless
deep coating Of inflammable mater
lal has been allowed to accumulat
are essy to direct and control; as ha
been truly said, fire controlled is
servant, uncontrolled a master"
why not be warned by results 4
Minnesota and Michigan
w. ]. W1MER.