The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1922-04-20
HOW To SAVE
THE FORESTS

CURED upon the Humboldt National
forest within the last few years,
20 of them have been caused by
campers. Naturally all of these
cases were avoidable if due precau-
tion had been taken by those con-
cerned. 1t is with the idea in mind
of preventing this waste that the
important federal laws for this sec
ton are being quoted below.
Last year, two campers on the
Humboldt National Forest, who left
their fires burning, were criminally
prosecuted and fined by the court.
In settling fire damages not only
are fines imposed but also the value
of forage or timber consumed are
assessed against the trespasser or
his employer. Since the employer
is responsible for actual damages
caused by the acts of his employees,
such damages are usually assessed
against him. In several cases of
fire, particularly on the National
Forests, the damages have amounted
to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
1t is therefore important SO as to
obviate this unnecessary expense.
The information which any camper
should possess when camping on
National Forest land is embodied in
the following regulation or law:
The following acts are prohibited
on lands of the United States within
National Forests:
(a) Setting on fire or causing to
be set on fire, any timber, brush,
or grass, except as authorized by a
forest officer.
(b) Building camp fire in
leaves, rotton wood, or other places
where 1t is likely to spread, or
against large or hollow logs or
stumps, where it is difficult to ex-
tinguish it completely.
(c) Building camp fire in a
dangerous place, or during windy
weather, without combining it to
holes or cleared spaces from which
all vegetable matter has been re-
moved.
(d) Leaving a camp fire without
completely extinguishing it.
1t is easier to prevent fires, than
to fight them. All large confla-
grations have their origin in small
fires which, if they could be reached
in time, could be put out by one
man. Forest fires when uncon-
trolled, mean the loss of human
lives, the obstruction of homes, live
stock, forage, timber and watershed
protection.
The forest service endeavors to
prevent fires by reducing the
amount of infamable material on
national forest lands. One method
of doing this, is the free use of
timber policy, which allows the
forest ranger to give away much
dead timber. Also, all waste mater
ial left on the ground after timber
has been cut, must be disposed Of.
The service employs forest
guards during the fire season, whose
duty is to patrol the forest, keeping
a close watch for signs of fire.
This, of course, applies to timber
forests, where the fire hazard is
great. OF course, on our Nevada
forests, with exception of a few
areas like the Jarbidge timber
area, we have very little experience
with timber fires. The above men,
toned means of fire prevention
are only a few of the means en-
ployed by the forest service to re-
duce the fire hazard on national
forests, but their efforts will be of
little benefit, unless the public will
cooperate in preventing fires.
Few of us ever stop to realize
just how important our forests are.
We, personally, have never felt the
need of conserving this resource
which is of SO much value to us.
How many of us know that the
U. S. produces over half of the lum-
Der in the entire world, and that
we use 95 per cent of that amount,
right here at home?
So often we hear our neighbors
say, "I'd like to build a house but
lumber is too high; I'll have to wait
till it comes down a little"
"Why is lumber too high?'"
At one time the greater portion
Of our country was dense forest
land. Now the pine belt of our
Southern states is our greatest
source of lumber, but we have every
evidence that within a short period
of 10 or IL years, even this SEEM
ingly unlimited supply will be
practically exhausted. More than
SO per cent of the tirnhar nov,