The Winslow mail., 1925-05-01
FOREST VISITORS
LARGE FACTOR in
FIRE PREVENTION

With highways, roads and trails
reaching deep into rich timber
stands and penetrating PLACES of
rare scenic beauty, there comes to
the national forests and other
wooded areas each summer veri-
table army of persons who, accord
ing to District Forester F. w. c.
Pooler, of Albuquerque, can be
either a destroying horde or val
liable auxiliary protective force,
determined by whether the people
are careless or careful with camp
fires, matches and tobacco.
Through federal aid road legis1a-
tion, congress has appropriated
large sums for the construction of
federal highways and high stand
ard of surfaced gravel roads con-
stitutes many of the roads crossing
the forests where they constitute
a link in the state federal aid high
way system. The roads construct
ed primarily for forest use, how
ever, as outlets for timber and
other forest resources, as well as
for administrative access to the
forest, although they supplement
the primary system of roads, they
are constructed upon a much less
pretentious standard. These roads
are travelled by forest users and
many of them are much more at
tractive in their windings through
the timbered valleys and over
mountains than the main highways.
The transcontinental tourists
through the states of Arizona and
New Mexico follow mainly the
Santa Fe Trail, skirting most of
the northern forests, while the
southern route, which passes
through Ell Paso and Tucson, does
not cross any of the forests. Only
a very small percentage of these
tourists camp on national forest
lands, but local yacationists, the
travellers from Southern Arizona
who are seeking the cool beauty
spots of their own state on the
Coconino plateau country or the
campers from West Texas, Okla
homa and nearby states, who, Wis
it the mountain regions of New
Mexico, find the forest roads and
modestly improved camp grounds
welcome convenience.
"Carelessness of campers in leav-
ing smouldering overnight fires
without any attempt at extinguish-
ment, or the tossing of tailor
made cigarettes or lighted matches
from a car" states Mr.. Pooler, sis
the big factor in causing the 81 per
cent of man-caused fires in Arizona
and New Mexico"
On the other hand, the forest
service recognizes with apprecia-
tion, and Mr.. Pooler emphasized the
fact that the public is not only be-
coming more careful with fire, but
is watching and warning the care
less fellow traveller. Furthermore,
people have frequently stopped to
put out fires that have, been left by
others. In short, the general spir-
it of the local public as we'll as
the overland tourist is rapidly be-
coming one of cooperation in the
prevention and suppression of
fires. Such cooperation must be
secured II the timber producing re-
gions and watershed areas of these
states are to remain open for gen
eral use during the periods of high
fire hazard. Mr.. Pooler says that
he believes that ''the public of the
southwest is not purposely indif-
ferent or Intentionally careless of
their forests and watersheds, and
that it only needs to be brought to
attention in a clear and forceful
manner to enlist cooperation in the
protection of forests, watersheds
and wild life. 1t is only through
such cooperation, he emphasized,
land by the creation of proper
public sentiment, that the problem
of fire prevention can be perma
nently solved"
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